F

FCC - Fisheries Council of Canada
Organization representing large fish-processing companies, including National Sea, Clearwater, Fishery Products International Ltd., SPANS (Seafood Producers Association of Nova Scotia) and others.

FMO's - Fisheries Management Orders

FRCC - Fisheries Resource Conservation Council
A partnership of government, industry and the scientific community. Created in 1993 to act as an advisory board to the Minister of Fisheries.

FNFA - Fundy North Fishers Association
Inshore fish harvesters organization on the New Brunswick side of the Bay of Fundy.

F0.1
The fishing mortality rate at which the increase in yield-per-recruit in weight for an increase in a unit-of-effort is only 10 percent of the yield-per-recruit produced by the first unit of effort on the unexploited stock (i.e., the slope of the yield-per-recruit curve for the F0.1 rate is only one-tenth the slope of the curve at its origin).

Falcate
Hooked or curved like a sickle.

Fall-run fish
Anadromous fish that return to spawn in the fall.

Fan cast
To make a series of systematic casts to cover an area around the angler

Feature finder
A rig comprising a large, sliding float and a heavy weight, set up on a spare rod and used on still waters to plumb a swim and locate such features as weedbeds and gravel bars. It can also be used as a marker float.

Fecundity
The total number of eggs produced by a female fish.

Feeder
The term 'feeder' is a commonly used abbreviation for a swimfeeder.

Feeder Creek
A tributary that runs into a larger stream or river.

Feeder maggots
An alternative name for squatts that is mainly used in the north of England.

Feeder worm
A larger than normal type of joker that is about half the size of a bloodworm.

Figure-of-eight knot
A simple knot for tying a small loop in the end of a piece of line.

Fine-wire hook
Hooks made from fine wire are useful in the smaller sizes (18 and below) when fishing with fine line for small fish. Their light weight allows more natural presentation of small baits such as pinkies, while their fine wire minimizes damage. Fin Ray
A soft or hard cartilaginous rod in fins.

Fingerling
Refers to a young fish in its first or second year of life.

Fish antiseptic
Antiseptic cream, gel, spray or lotion for treating small sores or wounds on fish before returning them to the water.

Fish Ladder
A series of pools arranged like steps that fish utilize to move upstream over a dam.

Fish oil
Various kinds of fish oil can be used to flavour deadbaits, pastes and boilies.

Fishery
A place for catching fish.

Fisheries management
The scientific practice of studying the aquatic ecosystem and applying measures to keep it balanced

Fishfinder
An electronic device that uses sonar to determine the depth of water, but which also displays the depth and position of fish beneath the boat. It displays this information in LCD picture of the lake or river bed and the fish.

Fishing Effort
1. The total fishing gear in use for a specified period of time. When two or more kinds of gear are used, they must be adjusted to some standard type 2. Effective fishing effort.

Fishing Intensity
1. Effective fishing effort. 2. Fishing effort per unit area 3. Effectiveness of fishing.

Fishing Mortality
Deaths in a fish stock caused by fishing.

Fishing Power
The catch which a particular gear or vessel takes from a given density of fish during a certain time interval. For example, larger vessels (horsepower) have a greater ability to catch more fish, thus the greater their fishing power. Also, improvements in a vessel or gear, such as fish finders, Loran, etc., can increase fishing power.

Fishing pressure
The effect of angling on specific fish populations

Fishing regulations
Governmental measures to protect a species or its environment; e.g., prohibiting the fishing of fragile species during the spawning period

Fishing 'to hand'
Fishing a whip or pole with a rig that is the same length as the pole, so that fish can be swung in or netted without the need for unshipping sections of pole.

Fishout
To exhaust the supply of fish in a body of water.

Fishway
A device made up of a series of stepped pools, similar to a staircase, that enables adult fish to migrate up the river past dams.

Fishways
A contrivance that allows fish to pass around a dam.

Fixed paternoster
A rig in which an Arlesey bomb or swimfeeder is tied to a short 15-30cm (6-12in) length of line, called a link, which is in turn tied to the main line above the hooklength. It is the most commonly used rig in match fishing and general coarse fishing.

Fixed-spool reel
The most commonly used type of reel in coarse fishing, a fixed-spool reel incorporates a bail arm which winds the line on to a fixed spool, and which is opened to allow line to peel smoothly off the spool when you cast.

Flake punch
A small, moulded plastic device for punching a compressed piece of flake out of a slice of bread.

Flat lead
See 'Flattened lead'.

Flat-pouched catapult
A catapult with a flat mesh pouch, designed for loosefeeding maggots, casters and hemp.

Flat-top float
A type of pole float, usually made from peacock quill or balsa, and similar to a dibber, with a thick tip and a flat top. Dotted down flush with the surface, they combine buoyancy with stability and sensitivity.

Flattened lead
An Arlesey bomb-type lead with a flattened profile, to offer less resistance to the flow, for a given weight, in running water.

Flattened leger
A flattened leger is an Arlesey bomb with a flattened profile. It holds bottom better than an ordinary Arlesey bomb in running water, but cannot be cast with the same accuracy.

Flavour enhancer
A bait additive, usually in liquid form, designed to enhance the attractiveness of a bait flavouring.

Flavourings
See 'Bait flavourings'

Flick-tip
A fine, flexible, shock-absorbing tip section for a long pole, for use instead of elastic when fishing to hand.

Flick-tip connector
A small plastic connector that you glue to the tip of a whip, or to the tip of a flick-tip pole section, and to which you attach your float rig.

Flies
Bits of fur, feathers, and other materials that are tied on a hook so that they imitate insects, baitfish, etc.

Flippin'
Method using an underhand pendulum motion with a long rod to present sinking lures to fish in heavy cover

Float adaptor
A small, flexible sleeve of eyed rubber tubing for attaching a bottom-end float to the line. A float adaptor allows you to change your float without having to remove all the shot on the line.

Float box
A container for storing floats. A float box is useful if you don't have a seat box with storage drawers. It is usually compartmented, and should be waterproof. Floater-diver
A plug that floats when not being moved, but runs beneath the surface when retrieved

Float legering
Fishing a still bait on the bottom with a rig that combines a float with a running leger.

Float rod
A rod designed for float fishing. Most float rods are 3.7-4m (12-13ft) long, although shorter and longer ones are available, and have either a solid, spliced tip to give a tip-action for stick-float fishing, or a hollow tip to give a more through action for waggler fishing. Most float rods are designed for use with 340-680g (12oz-1 1/2lb) hooklengths, but more powerful versions are also available.

Float rod rest
A float rod rest is a wide rod rest with a flexible rubber top, to support the front of your float rod when you want to put the rod down to rebait or unhook a fish. It is wide to allow you to drop the rod in it without looking.

Float rubbers
Small, hollow sleeves of rubber or silicone for attaching top and bottom floats, such as pole floats, sticks, Avons and balsas, to the line. Various sizes are available.

Float tube
A hollow plastic tube, with removable caps, for storing floats in.

Floater
Any floating bait used to catch surface-feeding fish. Commonly used floaters are cat and dog biscuits for carp, and bread crust for rudd or chub.

Floating line
Line that floats on the surface. Some makes of line are designed to float, others can be made to float by greasing them or spraying them with silicone line floatant. Floating lines are useful when trotting, and when fishing floaters.

Floating maggots
Ordinary large maggots that have been made to float by placing them in just enough water to cover them for about 20 minutes. They counter the weight of the hook, and are a useful stillwater hookbait, especially in summer when fishing on the drop for fish feeding up in the water.

Fluoro maggots
Maggots that are dyed fluorescent colours are sometimes known as fluoro maggots.

Fluted Avon
An Avon float with a fluted body, to grip the flow. Fluted Avons are rarely seen these days.

Fluted bomb
An Arlesey bomb with fluted sides to make it more aerodynamic for long-distance casting.

Fluvial
Migrating between main rivers and tributaries. Of or pertaining to streams or rivers.

Fmax
The rate of fishing mortality for a given exploitation pattern rate of growth and natural mortality, that results in the maximum level of yield-per-recruit. This is the point that defines growth overfishing.

Fontanelle
Unossified gap between cranial bones.

Foot platform
A metal footrest that can be attached to the front of a platform, or to extendable legs fixed to a seat box. A foot platform is useful when sitting in shallow water or on a steep bank.

Forage Fish
Small fish which breed prolifically and serve as food for predatory fish.

Forceps
Forceps are essential to remove treble hooks as well as single hooks that are too big for even the biggest disgorger.

Forged hook
A hook made from metal that has been forged for extra strength. Forged hooks are mainly used when fishing for big, hard-fighting fish.

Frame swimfeeders
A streamlined swimfeeder comprising a plastic frame around which groundbait can be moulded. Designed originally for long-distance bream fishing on shallow still waters, frame feeders are now most often used when fishing the Method.

Free-running rig
Any leger rig that allows a fish to run with the bait without feeling any resistance from the leger weight.

Free-spool mode
See 'Baitrunner'.

Free-swimming livebait
A floatfished livebait that is not tethered to the spot by a heavy weight and which is free to swim where it will with the float in tow.

Freelining
Fishing with only a baited hook on the end of your line, freelining is mainly used when fishing with a large bait for big fish at close range in clear water. Frenum
Referring to the membrane that binds the lip to the snout or lower jaw.

Freshet
The sudden rising of a stream or river by means of heavy rain or melting snow

Front trolling A system of boat control in which a bait or lure is trolled behind a boat moving forward