Glossary

Counting seconds after the cast lands, before starting the retrieve, to let a sinking line reach the depth the fish are at. A longer count means the line sinks deeper before you start fishing it.

A traditional method using a long rod and floss line to let the wind carry a natural insect or a big bushy fly downwind, bouncing it on the surface with no fly line touching the water. Deadly in a good ripple.

Fishing a fly with no retrieve at all, so it moves only with the current or wind, matching the natural drift of food items. Used for buzzers, nymphs and dries where any drag looks unnatural to a watching fish.

Bouncing the top dropper (bob fly) in the surface film as you work the cast back, often waking it across the ripple. Provokes takes from fish looking up — especially effective on breezy days with a bushy bob fly.

A slow, steady retrieve: gather the line into your palm in a continuous figure-of-eight motion, about one gather a second. Keeps the fly moving evenly with no jerks — don't speed up just because nothing's happening.

Systematically lengthening the countdown on each cast — say by five seconds at a time — until you find the depth where fish are taking. Once you get a take, keep fishing that same count rather than continuing to ladder down.

A take that comes while the flies are still sinking, before the retrieve has started. A sign fish are high in the water or actively hunting — worth counting down for longer before you begin the retrieve next cast.

Letting flies swing round under tension as the current or a wind bow in the line pulls them across, rather than retrieving by hand. Works stream mouths and current lines on loughs, and is standard practice on rivers.

A fast, continuous retrieve: tuck the rod under your arm and gather line hand-over-hand without stopping. Good when fish are chasing a fly and turning away at the last second — speed can trigger the take.

Fishing a short line, roughly 12 to 14 metres, in lough-style drift fishing so the flies work close to the boat where you can see and control them. The traditional approach for working a team of wet flies through the drift.

Draw the fly upwards with a long, smooth pull, then pause and let it flutter back down — a rise-and-fall action like a struggling or dying food item. Takes often come on the fall, so watch for the line stabbing or tightening while the fly sinks.

Two smooth, slow pulls of line, then stop completely for a few seconds. Many takes come on the pause, as the fly sinks slightly — don't cut it short just because it feels like doing nothing.

Fishing with no movement of the line at all — the flies work only on the drift, wind or current, with an occasional slow gather to stay in touch. Works with any rig, not just a washing-line set-up; watch the line tip, because takes show rather than pull.

Almost no retrieve at all — the drift of the boat or wind works the flies while you just keep in touch with an occasional slow gather. Easy to break by retrieving out of habit when nothing's happening.

Casting buzzers out and keeping the line dead straight from rod tip to flies, with no slack, so every take shows as the line drawing away or stuttering. Fished static or with the slowest of gathers — watch the line, not your hands.

A steady series of arm-length pulls of line, one after another. The everyday retrieve for lures and wet flies — vary the pull length and pace until you find what the fish want on the day.

A firm strip or two followed by a definite pause, repeated through the retrieve. Many takes come as the fly stalls on the pause — resist the urge to keep it moving just because nothing has happened yet.

Pausing the flies at depth, near the boat or bank, before lifting off to recast. Many takes come in exactly this moment, as fish that followed the retrieve finally commit — don't skip it.

The line's rated strength before it parts, usually given in pounds (lb). Choose it for the fish and water you're fishing — heavier breaking strain for snaggy ground or bigger fish, lighter for clear water and finicky takers.

A buoyant strike indicator that buzzers or nymphs are hung beneath, at a fixed depth on the leader. Any dip, twitch or pull of the bung signals a take — a straightforward, effective way to fish static flies at depth.

Rubbing mud, degreasant or leader sink onto a leader (or the last foot or two of fly line) so it sinks and doesn't sit shiny in the surface film. Cuts down flash and drag that can spook cautious fish.

A leader and tippet material that sinks and is less visible underwater than nylon. The standard choice for lough wet flies and nymphs — stiffer than nylon, so take care that knots are seated properly before fishing it.

The length of clear line between the end of the fly line and the flies, usually tapered or level tippet material. Turns the energy of the cast over so flies land softly, and its length and diameter affect depth and stealth.

Positions on a leader carrying more than one fly. The point is the end fly; droppers sit on short lengths of line further up; the top dropper ("bob") is dibbled in the surface film in lough-style fishing.

A leader that narrows gradually from a thick butt section to a fine tippet point, turning over more smoothly in the cast than a level length of line. Common for single dry flies or delicate presentations.

Two or three flies fished together on one leader — a point fly and one or more droppers. Lets you offer different patterns, sizes or depths at once and see what the fish prefer that day.

The finest section of the leader, tied to the fly. Usually the same or lower breaking strain than the leader above it, so if you lose a fly on a snag it's the tippet that parts rather than the whole leader.

The moment the leader straightens out fully at the end of the cast, laying the flies out ahead in a controlled line. Poor turnover — leader collapsing in a heap — gets worse into a headwind or with a leader that's too long or light.

A buoyant fly on the point holding nymphs or buzzers out horizontally on droppers, like washing on a line. Lets you fish static flies at a controlled depth under a floating or slow-sinking line.

A very fast-sinking fly line, roughly 8 inches per second, used to punch a buoyant booby fly down and hold it fishing just off the bottom on a short leader. Standard tackle for deep, static booby fishing.

Density-compensated sinking fly lines, sinking at roughly 3, 5 or 7 inches per second. The higher the number, the faster and deeper the line takes the flies.

The depth range a given fly line fishes effectively once it has settled onto the retrieve, shown per line in the app. Helps you match a line to how deep the fish are holding rather than guessing.

A fly line that sits on the surface throughout the retrieve. The default choice for dry flies, buzzers under a bung, and washing-line rigs — anything fished in or just under the surface film.

A slow-sinking fly line, roughly half an inch to one and a half inches per second. "Slow" and "fast" variants sink at different rates; useful for fishing just under the surface without a full sinking line.

The AFTM number matching a fly line's weight to the rod it's designed to cast — a #7 outfit is the standard lough set-up for wet flies and boobies, with lighter #5–#6 for dries and delicate work.

A floating fly line with a short clear sinking tip, usually 3 to 6 feet. Fishes flies just under the surface while most of the line still floats.

How fast a sinking fly line sinks, measured in inches per second and used to label Di-lines (Di-3, Di-5, Di-7 and so on). The higher the number, the faster the line — and the flies on it — reach depth.

A short sinking section built into the front of an otherwise floating fly line, getting flies down a little without the whole line sinking. Similar in effect to a midge-tip but usually with a longer or faster-sinking tip section.

A fly designed to trigger a take through curiosity, aggression or general fish-catching appeal rather than by imitating any particular natural. Blobs and lures are classic attractors — useful when fish aren't keying on one food source.

A pure attractor fly — just a ball of straggle fritz on a hook, no attempt to imitate anything. Works on triggering curiosity or aggression rather than looking like food; a common point fly on a washing-line rig.

A buoyant fly with foam eyes that float it up off the hook bend. Fished deep on a fast sinker so the fly hangs above bottom, or as a point fly on a washing-line rig. Left static on the bottom it can deep-hook fish, so keep it moving or check it often.

A palmered Irish wet fly — hackle wound all the way down the body, not just at the head — giving a buggy, mobile silhouette. Kingsmill Moore's famous series (the Golden Olive and Claret Bumbles among them) are lough staples, classically fished on the top dropper.

An imitation of a chironomid (midge) pupa rising to hatch — a staple stillwater pattern, especially fished static or on a slow retrieve near the surface when fish are head-and-tailing.

Cul de Canard — soft, fluffy feathers from a duck's preen-gland area, packed with natural oil. Used on dries and emergers because it floats naturally without needing floatant and moves beautifully in the water.

An Irish lough wet fly with a swept-back cloak of bronze mallard fibres around a bushy body, tied to push water and stand out in a ripple. A modern Irish classic, at home anywhere on the cast but especially as a bob fly.

Welsh for "little devil" — a slim, sparse nymph pattern, usually fished as a dropper. A general suggestive imitation rather than a copy of any one insect; a confidence fly on Irish loughs.

A fly fished sitting on top of the surface film, imitating an adult insect at rest or hatching. Needs a floating line, a degreased leader near the fly, and a drag-free presentation to look natural.

Fur or synthetic fibre spun onto tying thread to build a fly's body, giving it bulk and a soft, translucent texture. Different dubbing materials suggest different naturals — buggy and rough for nymphs, sleek for smaller dries.

A fly that imitates an insect half out of its nymphal or pupal shuck, hanging in or just under the surface film mid-hatch. Fished static or with the slightest retrieve, often to fish feeding confidently on a hatch.

Foam-Arsed Blob — a buoyant blob with a foam tail that keeps it riding up. Almost always fished as the point fly on a washing-line rig, holding buzzers or nymphs above it out at a controlled depth.

A lure tied to imitate small baitfish fry, usually with a slim silvery body and a bit of flash. Fished with a faster stripped retrieve, often late summer into autumn when trout switch onto fry as a food source.

The feather wound around a fly's body to give it legs and movement, or wound at the head as a collar. Cock hackle is stiff and springy, good for dry flies that need to sit up; hen hackle is softer and more mobile underwater.

A fibre from a large feather, most often peacock, wound on as a fly body or thorax for a natural, slightly iridescent, buggy look. Cheap, durable, and one of the most-used materials in traditional wet flies and nymphs.

Hook sizes run backwards — a size 10 is bigger than a size 14, and the number gets smaller as the hook gets bigger. On Irish loughs, most patterns sit between size 8 and 14.

A leggy dry fly in the daddy-long-legs family, fished on the surface. Useful on warm, breezy days when naturals are blown onto the water.

A parachute-style emerger with the body hanging down through the surface film while a horizontal hackle and post keep it visible on top. Sits exactly as a hatching fly does, making it deadly during a steady hatch.

A bigger, more mobile fly tied to suggest a fish rather than an insect — fry patterns are the classic example. Usually stripped or pulled with a faster retrieve to trigger a predatory take, often on a sinking line.

A sparse, soft-hackled wet fly style with a slim body and a single turn or two of hackle swept back — no wing. Suggests a struggling nymph or emerging fly rather than copying one exactly; often fished upstream on rivers.

A fly imitating the underwater juvenile stage of an insect before it hatches, such as a buzzer or shrimp pattern. Usually fished sunk on a dropper, often static or with a very slow retrieve near the bottom or midwater.

A hackle wound in open spirals down the whole length of a fly's body, rather than just at the head. Gives a bushy, buggy profile with maximum movement — the defining feature of a bumble.

Wire or tinsel wound in an open spiral over a fly's body, adding sparkle and segmentation to suggest a natural's body rings. Wire ribbing also reinforces the body, protecting fragile herl or dubbing from a trout's teeth.

A fly fished sunk, below the surface, as opposed to a dry fly on top or an emerger in the film. On Irish loughs, wet flies are usually fished as a team of two or three on a leader.

The section on top of a nymph's thorax imitating the folded, developing wings under the skin before it hatches. Usually a dark strip of feather fibre or foil pulled over the back — a key trigger for imitative nymph patterns.

The red chironomid larva that lives buried in bottom mud, its colour coming from haemoglobin. A year-round food source for trout, and the reason for red-bodied buzzer patterns fished slow and near bottom.

Tiny white-winged mayflies that hatch in dense, maddening clouds at calm dusk — nicknamed the angler's curse because fish sip them steadily while your artificial, however small, looks clumsy by comparison. Life cycle from hatch to spent spinner takes under an hour.

A water boatman — a small oar-legged bug that lives underwater but must surface to renew a trapped air bubble. That silvery bubble is the key visual trigger, which is why corixa patterns carry silver or pearl bodies rather than plain dubbing.

Tiny water-fleas that drift in dense clouds through open water, moving with wind and light rather than hatching like an insect. Rainbows and sonaghan graze them in open water — find the depth of the cloud and you've usually found the fish.

The big black chironomid hatch that opens the lough season, usually March into April — famous on Corrib and Mask. Distinct from the general buzzer: duckfly are a specific, dark, early-season midge, often bringing the first serious rises of the year.

The freshly hatched winged stage of a mayfly or olive, sailing on the surface with upright, dull wings while it dries before flying to cover. Trout often key on duns during a hatch, taking them steadily off the top.

Gammarus — a small, curved, bottom-living crustacean and a year-round food source, especially valuable in cold, early-season water when little else is hatching. Imitations are fished slow and deep, close to weed and stony margins where naturals live.

Young fish — coarse species, minnows or salmonid fry themselves — that shoal near margins and structure in late summer and autumn. Larger trout switch onto hunting them, a genuinely different tactical mode from sipping insects off the surface.

The event when aquatic insects emerge as winged adults, triggering trout to feed selectively on that one food source. "Matching the hatch" means picking a fly close in size, shape and colour to whatever's actually coming off the water.

A black terrestrial with long trailing legs, blown onto the water in swarms in late April and May. When it's on, trout switch onto it fast — a black, leggy dry fly fished on the surface is the answer.

A red-legged relative of the hawthorn fly, appearing on late-summer moorland loughs rather than in spring. Same black-bodied, leggy silhouette as the hawthorn — the red legs are the giveaway when naturals are on the water.

The water slater — a small, slow-moving crustacean related to the shrimp, living among weed and debris in marl-bottomed loughs. Less prominent in fly patterns than gammarus, but still useful trout food in the right habitat.

Ephemera danica — the single biggest event on Irish limestone loughs, hatching from mid-May into June. Trout key onto whichever stage is up: nymph, dun (the newly hatched fly) or spinner (the spent egg-layer), so matching the stage matters as much as the pattern.

Ireland's biggest caddis, the great red sedge — a real mouthful that hatches on summer evenings and draws the largest fish up after dark. Famous as a dapped fly on the western loughs, skittered across the surface to leave a wake.

Smaller up-winged flies — lake and dark olives among them — that hatch mainly in spring and again in autumn, often best on dull, overcast days. Duns and spinners both matter; olives are usually fished smaller than mayfly imitations.

Caddis — a tent-winged insect that skitters across the surface, especially at dusk. Sedges hatch through summer evenings; a dragged or twitched dry fly often draws a more confident take than a dead-drifted one, imitating the natural's escaping flight.

Fish sipping tiny midge in the surface film, leaving small, quiet rises with barely a ripple. A famously frustrating rise form — trout are locked onto something minute, and a fly even slightly too big or too bold will be ignored.

A high-summer event where floating snails drift on the surface film and trout sip them steadily — a real but occasional rise, more static presentation than true hatch. Worth recognising so you don't mistake it for a fly hatch.

The dying mayfly spinner, wings flat on the water after egg-laying — the famous evening feed that pulls up the biggest fish of the mayfly season. A spent-gnat pattern lies flush in the film rather than sitting up like a dun.

The final, mature stage of a mayfly or olive, reached after the dun moults once more. Spinners mate in the air, then the females lay eggs and fall spent onto the water — the mayfly version is the famous spent gnat.

Land-born insects blown onto the water rather than hatching from it — daddies, hawthorns, heather flies, beetles. Most useful on warm, windy days when naturals get blown in, and worth trying even outside a recognised hatch window.

The basic rule of drift fishing: always cast out in front of the drifting boat, never behind it. That way the flies fish water the boat hasn't yet crossed, instead of chasing ground the boat has already disturbed.

The boat's downwind path with the engine off, fishing broadside to the wind. Setting a drift means choosing the line that carries you across the ground you want to cover — through a bay, along a shoreline, or over a shoal — rather than just going wherever the wind happens to push you.

An underwater parachute trailed off the boat to slow a fast drift to a fishable walking pace. Essential in a strong wind — without one the boat can sleigh-ride across the water too fast to fish the flies properly.

Spreading successive casts through a wide arc — roughly 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock — ahead of the drifting boat, so each cast covers fresh water the boat hasn't reached yet rather than fishing the same line twice.

A traditional boat method: drift broadside to the wind, often slowed with a drogue, casting ahead of the drift and retrieving a team of wet flies with a short, lively retrieve — including the bob fly dibbled on the surface.

A drift so fast in a big wind that you can't fish it properly — the flies skate across the surface instead of working through the water. A drift at walking pace fishes; a sleigh-ride doesn't. A drogue is the fix.

The edge where coloured water — from an inflowing river or a wind-stirred shore — meets clear water. An ambush line: fish sit on the clear side where they can see out, picking off food washed from the coloured water.

Where the bottom falls away from shallow water into deeper water — also called a shelf or ledge. A natural patrol route for fish, especially where it runs alongside a weed bed; work your flies along its edge rather than straight over it.

Pale limestone-mud shallows found on the big western loughs — prime hoglouse and shrimp ground. The pale bottom also means feeding fish, and sometimes their shadows, show up clearly against it, so it rewards a careful look before casting.

The edge where wind-ruffled water meets a calmer patch — often behind an island, headland or shelter. Fish patrol this line because it concentrates food and gives cover from above; worth a cast along its length.

Where a stream or river flows into a lough — bringing oxygen and washing in food, especially after rain. A prime feeding spot for trout and salmon, and one of the first places worth a look when water's running high or coloured.

The boundary layer in summer where warm surface water meets cold water below — often a sharp change over just a few feet. Char and ferox trout often hold near it in summer, where the cool water they prefer meets the food fish above.

The boundary where dense weed growth meets open, clearer water, often alongside a change in depth (a drop-off or shelf). A classic ambush zone where trout patrol looking for food washed out of the weed.

A streak of calmer, often foamy water running downwind, where drifting food gets concentrated in the surface film. Also called a scum lane or foam line — trout cruise these streaks picking off trapped insects, so fish them hard.

The V-shaped wake a fish pushes up as it charges a fly close to the surface, often just before a take — or a heart-stopping last-second refusal. Seeing one is a strong signal to keep the fly moving rather than stop and let the fish inspect it.

A big, long-lived, fish-eating form of brown trout found in Ireland's larger, deeper loughs. Ferox hunt char and smaller fish in the depths rather than feeding on insects, growing slowly but to a much greater size and age than typical lough trout.

A young sea trout on its first return from the sea, usually after less than a year away, smaller and slimmer than an adult sea trout. Known as whitling or herling in parts of Britain. A useful sign that a river's sea-trout run is building.

A "follow" is a fish tracking the fly without eating it; a "knock" is a missed take you feel but don't hook. Both are useful signals — they often mean it's time to change retrieve speed, fly size or depth.

Lough Melvin's bottom-feeding form of brown trout, nicknamed the "red fellow" for its golden-red flanks. A thick, gizzard-like stomach lets it crush snails and shrimp that other trout can't digest. One of Melvin's three genetically distinct trout forms, alongside sonaghan and ferox.

A salmon returning to fresh water after just one winter at sea, Ireland's main summer run. Grilse are typically smaller than salmon that spent two or more winters at sea, and their build-up through early summer, peaking in July, defines when the summer season gets going.

The unhurried rise form of a fish feeding just under the surface on buzzer or nymphs: head, dorsal fin and tail break the surface in a rolling, porpoise-like sequence. A confident, steady rise — very different from a splashy take at a moving fly.

A salmon or sea trout that has spawned and is making its way back to the sea or lake, thin, dark and exhausted after the effort. Kelts are protected and must always go back — handle with extra care and get them into the water quickly.

When fish are clearly present — rising, showing, even following — but refuse everything you put in front of them. Classically follows a cold front or sudden pressure change; worth changing fly size, depth or retrieve speed rather than just persisting.

A juvenile salmon or trout still living in the river, camouflaged with dark, thumbprint-like "parr marks" along its flanks. Parr spend one to several years in freshwater nursery streams before smolting and heading to sea — always handle and release with care if caught.

The gravel nest a hen salmon or trout cuts with her tail to lay her eggs in, usually in flowing water on clean, well-oxygenated gravel. Wading through redds during the spawning season can crush eggs, so it's worth learning to spot and avoid them.

A violent, arm-wrenching take with no warning, typical when fish are chasing fry or hitting a fast-stripped lure. Hold on and let the fish set the hook against a firm rod rather than striking hard — a smash-take often means the hook is already home.

A young salmon or sea trout heading to sea for the first time, having "silvered up" — losing its dark juvenile parr marks for a bright, sea-going coat. The smolt run happens each spring, marking the point a river fish becomes a sea fish.

Lough Melvin's mid-water brown trout, small and silvery with notably black fins. Feeds mainly on daphnia and midge over open, deep water rather than patrolling the margins. One of Melvin's three genetically distinct trout forms, alongside gillaroo and ferox.

A stocked rainbow trout bred to be sterile, carrying an extra set of chromosomes so it never matures to spawn. With no energy spent on eggs or spawning, triploid fish put everything into growth and hold their condition later into the season than a fertile fish would.

A moderate ripple or wave on the water — the lough angler's friend. It breaks up light and hides the leader from wary fish, and is often called simply "a good wave." Too little and fish get spooky; too much and it's hard to fish.

Water carrying suspended mud, silt or peat stain after wind or heavy rain, cutting how far a fish — or you — can see. Cuts down leader shyness but also visibility for the fish spotting your flies, so go slightly bigger and brighter.

Hot, bright, settled weather in high summer. Daytime fishing goes hard and slow under a high sun; dawn, dusk and deeper water usually fish better than the middle of the day, when fish sit tight and off the feed.

No wind at all — the surface lies like a mirror. Fish see everything and spook easily, so it calls for finer leaders, longer casts and a gentle, quiet presentation rather than the usual searching retrieves.

The bright, cold, gusty conditions that follow behind a weather front. Notoriously dour fishing — clear skies and sharply rising pressure often bring on lockjaw, even though it looks like a lovely day from the bank.

Whether the barometer is rising, steady or falling, rather than the absolute reading. A settled, steady trend usually fishes well; a sharply rising or falling pressure — especially around a front — often knocks fishing back for a day or so.

A river rising and colouring after heavy rain. The classic trigger for fresh salmon and sea trout to run upstream from the sea or a lough, and a season-defining event on Ireland's spate rivers.

On the depth diagram, a faint second curve showing where the line sits with a longer countdown. Compare it to the solid curve to see how counting longer takes the flies deeper.

The compact labels on the app's water-column diagram — FLOAT, TIP, SLOW INT, FAST INT, DI-3/5/7 — short forms of the full fly-line names shown on the tactical card's Line block. The badge colour matches the line's colour throughout the app.

The app's side-on view of the lough showing where your line and flies sit through the cast, countdown and retrieve. Watch the ghost curve alongside it to see how a longer countdown or different line takes the flies deeper.

Returning a fish to the water alive rather than keeping it. Best practice: barbless or single hooks, wet hands, keep the fish in or over water, and minimise air time — a few seconds out of the water is very different from a minute for a photo.

The scientific spawning threshold for a salmon river: enough adult fish need to reach the spawning gravel to sustain the population. Rivers assessed below their conservation limit are closed to harvest or catch-and-release only. Limits and river status change yearly — always check the fishery's own current rules.

Irish word for a lake ("loch" in Scotland). Voice input sometimes mishears it as "lock" — if a water search looks odd, that's usually why.