• Backlash - a tangle of line caused by spool overrun on a baitcasting reel.
• Bag Limit - the number of fish an angler may legally keep per day.
• Barbel - fleshy, sensory protuberance near the mouth of some fish species used to detect food.
• Base Flow - flow of a river or stream when it is composed entirely of groundwater from springs.
• Baseline Discharge - base flow.
• Benthic - refers to the bottom of rivers or streams.
• Benthos - assemblage of organisms inhabiting the bottom of streams.
• Biology - the study of living things.
• Biomass - the aggregate amount of living matter or a specific species within a specific habitat. The total number of a specific species in a specific habitat; expressed in units of pounds per acre.
• Black Bass - term used to describe several types of bass; the most common being smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass.
• Blank - the main component of a finished fishing rod, minus the guides and handle.
• Blue Bird Skies - a term used to describe bright, sunny, blue sky conditions.
• Brood - a group of young born or hatched at a single time.
• Buffering Capacity - ability of water to resist change in its chemical property upon receiving a toxicant.
• Bullet Sinker - a cone shaped piece of lead of varying weights that slides up and down the line.
• Buzzbait - an artificial lure with propeller-style blades that stir up the water upon retrieve; a type of topwater lure.

• Caddis - a diverse family of aquatic insects recognizable by down wings.
• Canoe - a light, long, narrow boat with sharp ends and curved sides propelled by hand-driven paddles.
• Carrying Capacity - maximum level the biomass of an animal population can reach in accordance to the quality of the environment.
• Catchment - total area drained by a river or stream; formerly "watershed".
• Caudal Fin - tail fin of fish.
• Chert - fine grained form of quartz making up the stream channel bars of Ozark Mountain streams.
• Chimney - soil build-up around the opening of a crayfish burrow.
• Cisco - any of several whitefishes found primarily in the Great Lakes region.
• Conditioning - transformation of organic matter into a more palatable form for invertebrates.
• Conduit Spring - freshwater spring where the water has flowed through large subsurface openings.
• Conservation Tillage - agricultural practices intended to reduce erosion and retain water on land.
• Continuum - predictable changes in downstream river or stream conditions.
• Coolwater - describes fish species that prefer cool summer water temperatures; i.e., smallmouth bass.
• CPOM (course particulate organic matter) - particles of organic matter ranging in size from 1/32 inch up to the size of a fallen tree.
• CPR - short for Catch, Photograph, Release.
• Crankbait - a plug with a lip that causes it to dive.
• Creek - a natural stream of water usually small in size and often a tributary of a river.
• Crenon - area of headwater springs.
• Ctenoid - type of scale with a rear toothed edge.
• Cyanobacteria - blue-green algae.

• Denitrification - process of transforming nitrate in streams back into atmospheric nitrogen.
• Detritus Pool - total accumulation of non-living organic matter in rivers or streams.
• Diffuse Spring - freshwater spring fed by groundwater that arrives via many small cracks in the rock and soil.
• Discharge - flow of water in a river or stream; expressed as cubic feet per second (cfs).
• Discharge Area - the part of the catchment where groundwater exits the surface as springs.
• Discontinuity - obstacle to the stream continuum.
• DOM (dissolved organic matter) - organic matter smaller in dimension than 1/50,000 of an inch.
• DNR - short for Department of Natural Resources.
• Dorsal Fin - median rayed fin on the back.
• Drag - the device on reels that puts pressure on the line as it plays out and prevents the line from breaking.
• Drainage Basin - watershed or catchment.

• Ecology - the branch of biology dealing with the relationship between organisms and their environment.
• Effluent Stream - a stream flowing below the water table and receiving water from the groundwater.
• Emerger - an aquatic insect in the process of rising to the surface to become a flying adult.
• Eurythermic - preferring a wide range of temperature; a characteristic of warmwater fish species.
• Eutrophic - a body of water that is rich in dissolved nutrients, but can be deficient in oxygen.

• Fancast - a systematic series of casts to a specific area of water.
• Feeder Creek - a tributary that runs into a larger stream or river.
• Fin Base - part of a fin that is attached to the body.
• Fish - an aquatic craniate vertebrate that uses gills to oxygenate its blood; to attempt to catch fish.
• Fisherman - one who engages in fishing for sport or occupation.
• Fishery - a place for catching fish.
• Fishhook - a barbed or barbless hook used for catching fish.
• Fish Ladder - a series of pools arranged like steps that fish utilize to move upstream over a dam.
• Fishout - to exhaust the supply of fish in a body of water.
• Fishway - a contrivance that allows fish to pass around a dam.
• Floating (float fishing) - to transverse a river or stream by some type of watercraft while fishing, most commonly in a raft, canoe, or kayak.
• Floss - material for tying flies.
• Fly - a hand-tied artificial lure made of various material tied to a hook.
• Fly Dope - a dressing that makes artificial flies water resistant so they float.
• Fly Fishing - a method of fishing that utilizes an artificial fly, a long flexible rod, a reel, and line.
• Fly Rod - a light springy rod used in fly fishing.
• Flytier - one who makes his own artificial flies for fishing.
• FPOM (fine particulate organic matter) - nonliving organic matter ranging in size from 1/50,000 inch to 1/32 inch.
• Freestone Stream - a softwater stream commonly with igneous rock and cobble substrate.
• Fry - early life stage of fish after total absorption of the yolk sac.

• Gas Bladder - the sac located between the spine and gut cavity (air or swim bladder).
• Gill - breathing organ in fishes.
• Gill Chamber - cavity where the gills are located.
• Glaciated - subject to or borne (created) by previous glacial activity.
• Gradient - the drop in elevation of stream surface per unit of stream length.
• Groundwater - water existing below the surface of the land.
• Groundwater Outcrop - the place where groundwater exits the land as a spring.
• Grub - a short, plastic type of worm usually rigged with a weighted jig hook.

• Habitat - the natural environment where animals, fishes, and plants live.
• Hard Bottom - river bottoms composed of firm or hard material such as rock, sand, gravel, or clay.
• Hawg - a slang term used to describe a very large bass.
• Honey Hole - a slang term used to describe a specific hole or an area containing big fish and/or a high number of fish.
• Hydrology (Hydrologic) - the science that deals with the distribution, properties, and circulation of water on land surface, in the soil, underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere.
• Hyporheic - habitat of gravel and other sediments below the streambed with water flowing through.
• Hypoxic - the condition of extraordinarily low oxygen.

• Ichthyology - the specific branch of zoology that deals with the study of fishes.
• Influent Stream - a stream flowing above the water table and losing water into it.
• Instantaneous Growth Method - the method of estimating secondary production, usually for fish.
• Interstices - the tiny spaces within streambed sediments.
• Interflow - the subsurface flow of groundwater between catchments (watersheds).

• Jig - a hook with a leadhead that is usually dressed with hair, silicone, or plastic.
• Jig 'n Pig - a jig supplemented with a pork rind trailer.

• Kayak - a portable boat styled after the Eskimo kayak with a small opening in the center and propelled with a double-bladed paddle.
• Kentucky (Spotted) Bass - a black bass with a patch of teeth on its tongue.

• Larva - refers to the subsurface stage of development of an aquatic insect.
• Lunker - a slang term used to describe a very large bass.

• Mandible - the lower jaw.
• Mesotrophic - a body of water having a moderate amount of dissolved nutrients.
• Micropterus dolomieui - the scientific term for Smallmouth Bass.
• Minnow - any of several small fish less than a specific size and not considered gamefish.
• Mono - short for monofilament.
• Monofilament - a single, untwisted, synthetic filament.

• Nest - the spot in a river or stream where the female bass deposits her eggs and the fry are guarded by the male.

• Oligotrophic - a body of water that is deficient in dissolved nutrients, but can be rich in oxygen.
• Organic Baits - minnows, insects, worms, fish eggs, cut bait, cheese, or similar substances used as a lure.
• Oxbow - a U shaped bend in a river or stream.

• PFD - short for Personal Floatation Device, a.k.a., a life vest.
• Port - the left side of a boat or ship.
• Put-In - a term used to denote the launch area for the start of a float trip.

• RCC (River Continuum Concept) - theory that describes the physical and biological succession in a river or stream through its course.
• Release - returning a fish, in the best possible condition after removal of the hook, to the water from which it was taken.
• River - a natural flow of water of considerable volume.
• Riverbank - the bank(s) of a river.
• Riverbed - the channel being occupied by a river.
• Riverboat - a boat designed for use on a river or stream.
• Rivulet - a small stream or brook.

• Shad - any of several cluepeid fishes that have a rather deep body.
• Size Limit - the legal length a fish must be if it is in possession.
• Slot Limit - dictates that fish within a specified mininum and maximum size range must be released.
• Smallmouth Bass - a black bass, primarily bronzy in color, who's jaw does not extend beyond the eye and is found in clear rivers and lakes; also called bronzebacks, brown bass, river bass, and smallies.
• Soft Bottom - river bottoms which are comprised of soft material such as silt, mud, or muck.
• Spawn - used generally to describe the reproductive cycle of fish; the laying of eggs.
• Spinnerbait - a type of artificial lure that consists of one or two rotating blades and either a straight or safety-pin style shaft dressed with material.
• Split Shot Sinker - a small ball of lead of varying weights that is split open on one side and can be placed directly on the line.
• Squamation - arrangement of scales.
• Stained - a discoloration of the water usually occurring after a heavy rain.
• Starboard - the right side of a boat or ship.
• Stream - a body of running water.
• Streambed - the channel being occupied or formerly occupied by a stream.

• Take-Out - a term used to specify where boats are taken out of the water at the end of a float trip.
• Topwater Lure - a lure that floats and is designed to be used on the surface.
• Tributary - a creek, stream, or river that feeds a larger stream or river or lake.

• USGS - short for United States Geological Survey.

V

• Visibility - the distance, measured in terms of depth, that you can see into a body of water; is directly affected by water clarity.

W

• Wading - to transverse a river or stream on foot; most commonly done in shallower waterways.
• Watercourse - a stream of water; natural or man-made channel through which water flows.
• Water Dog - any of several large American salamanders.
• Water Parting - a boundary line separating the drainage districts of two streams.
• Watershed - a region bounded by a water parting and finally draining to a particular body of water or watercourse.

• Year Class - all of the fish/offspring of a given fish species in a given year.