Fly Fishing 101

Fly Fishing Glossary for Beginners: 70 Words You'll Hear on a Guided Trip

Daniel Bowman Updated November 4, 2026 11 min read

Most fly fishing glossaries are alphabetical lists of 200 words, many of which you'll never need. This one is shorter and grouped by what each word is about, starting with the gear in your hands.

If a word comes up that isn't here, ask your guide, who will pitch the explanation to wherever you're starting from. If you haven't booked yet, our trip finder matches you to a trip first.

What gear words will you hear first?

The ones for the things your guide hands you. On our trips, "rods, reels, flies, waders, boots" are included, so you'll hear these before you ever make a cast.

• Rod weight. A number that says what weight of line the rod is built to cast; lower is lighter. Orvis's glossary ties it to the weight of "the first 30 feet of a fly line." Our rod weight guide covers which one fits Georgia water.
• Fly line. The thick, coated line that carries an almost weightless fly out when you cast. It comes in floating and sinking types; our fly line guide explains the difference.
• Backing. Thin, strong line wound on the reel underneath the fly line, for the rare fish that runs a long way. The fly line guide covers whether trout anglers need it.
• Leader. The clear, tapered line between the end of the fly line and the fly.
• Tippet. The thinnest piece at the very end of the leader, where the fly is tied on. You replace it as you change flies. Our guide to leaders and tippet covers both.
• X size (4X, 5X, 6X). The label for tippet thickness. The bigger the X number, the thinner and lighter the line.
• Drag (on the reel). A brake inside the reel that makes a running fish pull against steady resistance. Our trout reel comparison explains the types.
• Waders. Waterproof pants you wear so you can stand in the river and stay dry. Orvis lists two main types: bootfoot waders have the boots attached, and stockingfoot waders end in a sock-like foot that goes inside a separate wading boot. See what to look for in our wader guide.
• Wading boots. Sturdy boots with grippy soles, worn over stockingfoot waders. Our guide to felt and rubber soles covers the choice.
• Wading belt. A strap cinched at the waist of your waders that slows water getting in if you slip. Our wading safety guide explains why it matters.
• Strike indicator. A bobber-like marker on the leader that dips or stops when a fish takes your fly. Our strike indicator guide covers how to use one.
• Split shot. A tiny weight pinched onto the leader to help a fly sink. Our nymphing guide shows where it goes.
• Beadhead. A fly tied with a small bead near the hook eye, usually there to add weight and help it sink.
• Net. A landing net with a soft or rubber bag, used to land a fish and keep it in the water while the hook comes out.
• Forceps. Small locking pliers used to take the hook out of a fish's mouth quickly.
• Nippers. Small clippers for cutting tippet when you change flies.

What fly words will your guide use?

Words for the type of fly and the bug it copies. Your guide ties these on; you'll hear the names as they do.

• Dry fly. A fly that floats on the surface, usually copying an adult insect.
• Nymph. A fly that sinks and copies an insect's underwater young stage. Our guide to dry flies vs nymphs compares the two.
• Streamer. A bigger fly that copies a small fish, usually stripped back through the water. Our guide to stripping a streamer covers how.
• Emerger. A fly that copies the in-between moment when a bug rises to the surface and hatches.
• Terrestrial. A land bug, like an ant, beetle or grasshopper, that falls in the water, and the fly that copies it.
• Dropper. A second fly tied on a short piece of tippet below the first one.
• Dry-dropper. A floating dry fly with a nymph hanging under it, so you fish two depths at once. Our dry-dropper guide shows the rig.
• Hatch. A lot of one kind of insect coming off the water at about the same time.
• Match the hatch. Picking a fly that looks like the bug the trout are eating right then. Our guide to matching the hatch explains how.

What casting and fishing words will you hear?

The cast and drift words come early in the day. On our trips, "our guides teach casting and reading water in the first 30 minutes."

• Backcast. The half of the cast where the line goes behind you.
• False cast. Moving the line back and forth in the air without letting it land, to add length or dry the fly.
• Roll cast. A cast with no backcast, which rolls the line out in front of you when there are trees behind. Our roll cast guide covers it.
• Drift. The path your fly takes as the current carries it.
• Dead drift. A drift where the fly moves at exactly the speed of the current, the way a real bug would. Orvis calls it "a perfect float."
• Drag (on the water). When the current pulls your line so the fly moves unnaturally, which fish usually refuse. Yes, "drag" means two different things in fly fishing.
• Mend. A flip of the rod tip that repositions the line on the water so the fly can keep drifting naturally. Our mending guide shows how.
• Set the hook. The quick lift of the rod when a fish takes the fly. Our guide to setting the hook covers the timing.
• Strip. Pulling line in with your hand, often to make a streamer move. Our streamer guide covers the retrieve.
• Strip set. Setting the hook on a streamer with a sharp pull of the line hand instead of lifting the rod. The hook setting guide compares it with a trout set.
• Sight fishing. Spotting a fish first, then casting to it, instead of casting to water where a fish might be.
• Euro nymphing. A way of fishing nymphs with no indicator, keeping the line off the water to feel the take. Our Euro vs indicator nymphing guide compares them.

What water words will you hear?

The first six are the words your guide uses to tell you where to cast, and our guide to reading water for trout goes deeper on them. The rest name the kind of river and how much water is flowing.

• Riffle. Shallow, fast, bumpy water over rocks.
• Run. Steadier, medium-depth water, often below a riffle. (A "run" is also what a hooked fish does when it takes off with your line.)
• Pool. A deeper, slower stretch where trout often rest.
• Seam. The line where fast water meets slower water; trout often hold along it.
• Eddy. A calmer spot behind a rock or along a bend where the current slows or circles.
• Pocket water. Fast water broken by rocks, with small calm pockets behind each one.
• Tailwater. The river below a dam. Orvis defines it as "the downstream section of a river or stream found below a large man-made dam." The Lower Toccoa, the tailwater we float, "flows from Blue Ridge Dam and stays cold year-round."
• Freestone. A river fed by rain and runoff rather than a dam, so its flow and temperature follow the weather. Our guide to tailwaters vs freestones compares the two.
• Spring creek. A stream fed mostly by groundwater springs, so it stays cold and clear. Noontootla is "fed by cold mountain springs and rainfall."
• CFS (cubic feet per second). How much water flows past a point each second. The U.S. Geological Survey describes discharge as water volume "commonly expressed in cubic feet per second."
• Gauge. An instrument on the river that measures water height, which is converted to flow. Our gauge guide explains how to read one.
• Generation (or release). When a dam runs its turbines and sends more water down the river, so the flow rises. On the Toccoa, "the river changes when TVA runs the dam's single generating unit and the flow rises fast." Our generation schedule guide covers it.

What fish words will you hear?

North Georgia has three kinds of trout, and a few words describe where they came from.

• Rainbow trout. The most common trout here, both stocked and wild. Georgia DNR says rainbows spawn in the spring.
• Brown trout. Often the warier, bigger fish; Georgia DNR says browns spawn in the fall.
• Brook trout. Georgia's only native trout, found mostly in small, high mountain streams. Our guide to brook trout conservation covers where they live.
• Wild trout. A trout born in the stream rather than in a hatchery. Georgia DNR's trout page says trout reproduce on their own in about 2,800 of the state's 4,000 miles of trout streams.
• Stocked trout. A hatchery-raised trout released into a river. Our stocking schedule guide explains how stocking works.
• Holdover. A stocked trout that survives from one season into the next instead of being caught or dying in the summer heat. Our guide to wild and stocked trout covers the difference.
• Redd. A cleared patch in the gravel where trout spawn. Wade around redds, not through them.
• Catch and release. Landing a fish and letting it go alive. Every fish on our Etowah and Soque private water goes back. Our catch and release guide covers how to do it well.

What rule words will you hear?

Georgia's trout rules use a few terms a first-timer should know. The rules are published on eRegulations.

• Trout license (trout stamp). The extra license you need, on top of a fishing license, to fish for trout in Georgia. Georgia DNR requires both, from age 16. Our license guide covers the options.
• Delayed harvest. Streams where, from November 1 to May 14, all trout must be released and only single-hook artificial lures are allowed. Our delayed harvest guide lists the streams.
• Artificial lures only. Only artificial flies and lures are allowed, with no natural bait or scented attractants. Noontootla Creek is one of these streams.
• Minimum size limit. The smallest fish you're allowed to keep; anything shorter must go back. On Noontootla, the rules say "all trout less than 16 inches" must be released.
• Special regulations. Rules on a particular stream that are stricter than the statewide ones. Our guide to Noontootla's special regulations is an example.

What trip words will you hear when you book?

These come up before you ever get to the river:

• Guide. The person who picks the water and flies, teaches you, and on a float, rows the boat. On our private water, your guide knows where the big fish hold.
• Wade trip. A trip where you fish on foot, usually moving along about a mile of one stretch of river over the day.
• Float trip. A trip where you fish from a drift boat while the guide rows downriver. Our wade or float comparison helps you pick.
• Drift boat. The river boat used on floats. Ours is a "purpose built 14-16 ft boat designed specifically for 2 anglers."
• Half day and full day. On our rates page, a half day is "4 hours on private water" and a half-day Toccoa float is "4 hours." A full day is "8 hours," and full days include lunch; half days do not. Our guide to half-day vs full-day trips helps you pick.
• Per boat. How floats are priced: one price for the boat, whether one or two anglers fish. Our rates page says "All float trips priced per boat for 1-2 anglers."
• Private water. River you can fish only with the landowner's permission, so only anglers who have that permission fish it. Our guide to private vs public water explains the difference.
• Public water. River open to anyone with the right licenses.

Which words mean different things in different places?

A few words do double duty, which trips up a lot of beginners. Here they are side by side:

When a guide says one of these, the context almost always tells you which one they mean. If it doesn't, just ask which one; it's a fair question every guide expects.

Do you need to learn these words before a trip?

No. You'll pick them up as you go, because the guide uses them while showing you. A few that help to know ahead of time:

1. Tippet, since your guide will mention it every time the fly changes.
2. Mend, because your guide will have you mend often on nymph and dry fly drifts.
3. Set the hook, because it's what you'll hear when a fish takes.
4. Drag, in both of its meanings.
5. Trout license, since you'll need one before you arrive.

If you've never held a fly rod, that's fine, because teaching is part of every trip. Our guide to what to expect on a first guided trip covers the rest of the day.

Daniel Bowman

Owner & Head Guide · Bowman Fly Fishing

Daniel has guided fly fishing trips in North Georgia for more than 10 years. He runs Bowman Fly Fishing with a team of 10 guides on the Toccoa, Soque, Etowah, Noontootla, and Tuckasegee — including private water access most anglers never get to fish.