Top: When anglers at Packery Channel fish near each other, nobody seems to mind. But anglers in skiffs who crowd others on a bay earn the ‘potlicker’ label. Above: Steve VanMatre and his grandson, Damien Pyle, 10, both of Corpus Christi, hold a black drum – a fish sometimes referred to as a ‘big ugly.’ Left: This bait fish often is called a ‘mud minnow,’ but the actual species name is Gulf killifish.
Fishing, as with most recreational disciplines, has its own vocabulary.
These terms can be based on truth, fiction, ignorance, humor, or a combination of these. Many are slung like insults, while others are harmless and descriptive, with a hint of sarcasm.
Saltwater anglers mostly use terms specific to coastal fishing, but sometimes the list may overlap with the glossary of freshwater terminology.
Recently, I informally polled some of my fishing buddies to expand my repertoire of angling slang. I’ve included a common hunting term as well. Feel free to send me your G-rated suggestions.
Potlicker or Pot licker: The origin of this term is quite different from how it’s used by anglers. It has many spelling variations, but originally it was used to describe the seasoned broth that remains in a pot after boiling and removing collard greens or other leafy vegetables.
But when anglers use the term, they are referring to someone who either fishes too close to them or who rushes in to crowd your spot after seeing you catch fish. Of course, anglers dislike potlickers, while never recognizing themselves in the role.
Photos by David Sikes
Porpoise: This term for bottlenose dolphin may have originated in Port Aransas, though it’s widely used along the Texas coast. Years ago, I asked Tony Amos about this. With an annoyed expression, he sternly insisted that porpoises are an Arctic animal, unlikely to be found anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico.
But as with many misnomers, ignorance prevailed over proper language usage. Some dictionaries suggest the term may be used for any type of small marine mammal. Really?
Meat haul: A fishing trip that yields maximum fillets allowed by law, or nearly so.
Buggy whip: This term for the long, slender fly rod is mostly used by anglers who use traditional tackle. It is usually spoken in a mildly disparaging manner, in the same way that fly anglers are called buggy whippers.
Bubba Stick: Though not widely used, this is the fly fisherman’s touché term for traditional fishing rods, which includes rods used with a bait-casting or spinning reel.
Egg beater: This somewhat disparaging term for spinning reels is mostly used by anglers who prefer bait-casting reels. The spinning reel slightly resembles a hand-cranked mixer used in baking. I am unaware of a counter-term for bait-casters. Do you know of one?
Bait: Besides the obvious definition, this abbreviated term is widely used to describe any variety of small baitfish or forage fish swimming in the Gulf or bays. I’ll use it in a sentence to clarify: Look at all the bait along that shoreline.
Blowup: This term is widely used to describe the dynamics of a predator fish violently striking a surface or topwater plug.
Drop-off: This term is used to describes the contours of a bay bottom, where the depth abruptly or gradually increases. Anglers target these fish-holding contours.
Burning a Shoreline: This negative term is aimed at boaters who navigate a path parallel and within proximity of a shallow shoreline at a high rate of speed. Folks who do this generally say they do it to avoid deeper, choppier waters. Folks who denounce the practice say the practice conditions game fish to avoid these coveted waters, while potentially scarring seagrass along shorelines, and ruining the shoreline as a viable fishing area for a time. There is a similar term for boaters who race through shallow seagrass flats as a shortcut to their destination. Conservation and courtesy are not always convenient, I say.
Bull red: This is a popular gender-neutral label used to describe a red drum or redfish that measures greater than 30 inches. About half of the bull reds we catch are female. But nobody says sow red, though many offshore anglers refer to large red snapper as sow snapper. Who knows?
Pig or Hog: Generally, one of these terms can be used interchangeably to describe a really big speckled trout, largemouth bass, or some other species.
Tourist trout: hardhead catfish.
Tourist tarpon: ladyfish (see skipjack).
Skipjack: ladyfish. Like the misnomer porpoise, the name skipjack is already taken by another species.
Smack: Spanish mackerel.
Big Uglies: Oversized black drum, generally caught during winter.
Sea lice: This is what Texans call mantis shrimp, which is a bait sold mostly to catch redfish and black drum. But that’s not the extent of this misnomer. I’m told that surfers refer to the tiny larvae of the blue crab as sea lice, because of the way they cling to surfers’ body parts and irritate the skin.
Jacks: Abbreviated term for jack crevalle, a powerful, aggressive fish that nobody eats.
Mud minnows: Another bait sold in shops, aka Cacahoe minnow. The actual species name is Gulf killifish.
Flat biller: This is relatively new, unflattering term for an angler, usually 25 or younger, with a $100,000 skiff and $80,000 pickup. They drive both at 80 mph most of the time. Daddy supports their lifestyle, which includes competing in fishing tournaments to garner status. The term comes from the flat bill on the caps they wear.
Texas Slam: This refers to catching a specked trout, redfish, and flounder during a single outing.
South Texas Slam or Rio Grande Slam: Snook, trout, and redfish.
Flour Bluff Slam or Aransas Pass Slam: Sheepshead, gafftop, and hardhead.
Googan: This term is borrowed from surfing. Surfers use the term to describe inexperienced surfers who generally get in their way while trying to improve their skill. This behavior can pose a safety threat. In fishing, the term can be used to describe a novice, who displays any level of ineptitude, from backlashing a reel or running aground, to casting over someone’s line or hooking an unintended target.
Croaker soaker: Negative term for anglers who use small croaker as bait. Some anglers embrace the label, because the method is so successful.
Sky blasting: This is a waterfowl hunting term for the practice of shooting at high-flying ducks or geese. Experienced wingshooters frown on this, because it needlessly conditions birds to avoid duck blinds, and decoy spreads. Sky blasting rarely results in a kill. Sky blasting is more likely to cripple a bird that the hunter cannot retrieve.
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