P

PV1 binder
A sweet, sticky, powdery groundbait additive, useful when you need a heavy mix that goes straight to the bottom and breaks up in the water very slowly.

Palatines
Paired bones in the roof of the mouth, lateral to vomer; may bear teeth.

Pan fish
Small fish, usually of the sunfish variety such as bluegills

Papilla
A small fleshy projection.

Papillose
Covered with papilla.

Parameter
"A ""constant"" or numerical description of some property of a population (which may be real or imaginary). Cf. statistic."

Parasites
Organisms that infest and draw nourishment from a host, including game fish

Parietals
Pared bones on posterior roof of skull, lateral to supraoccipital.

Parr
The developmental life stage of salmon and trout between alevin and smolt, when the young have developed parr marks and are actively feeding in fresh water.

Parr marks
Distinctive vertical bars on the sides of young salmonids.

Particle baits
A term used by carp anglers to describe small baits, such as maggots, hemp, casters, beans and peas, that are fed in large quantities.

Particle glue
A tasteless, odourless and harmless substance for sticking large numbers of small baits such as hemp to a large hook.

Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags
Passive Integrated Transponder tags are used for identifying individual salmon for monitoring and research purposes. This miniaturized tag consists of an integrated microchip that is programmed to include specific fish information. The tag is inserted into the body cavity of the fish and decoded at selected monitoring sites.

Paternoster rig
A rig in which hooklength branches from the main line, rather than being a continuation of it.

Pattern
Any reoccurring locational/presentational situation, which can be duplicated elsewhere in the body of water being fished

Peacock quill
Sections of quill from the tail feathers of peacocks are often used to make waggler floats.

Peak period
A period in the seasonal cycle of a species that is marked by high activity and is very productive for the angler

Peat
A popular groundbait additive that gives a dark, fluffy, cloudy mix without adding food value.

Pectoral fins
The anterior(front) paired fins, attached to pectoral (shoulder) girdle.

Peg
A numbered swim drawn by a competitor in a fishing match.

Pelagic
Of or in the open ocean or open water.

Pelvic fins
Posterior paired fins, located in the abdominal position or towards the rear.

Pencil float
Also known as a pike waggler, a pencil float is a large but slim balsa or hollow plastic float used when float fishing small livebaits or deadbaits for pike or zander in still or slow waters. It is attached bottom-end only.

Peperami
A spicy sausage, chunks of which can be used as a bait for barbel, chub, tench and carp.

Perch
A large-mouthed, boldly striped, predatory shoal fish found in all types of water, perch grow to 2.3kg (5lb) or more in weight, but a 0.9kg (2lb) fish is a specimen. They are most often caught on livebaits or deadbaits.

Peritoneum
Membrane lining the body cavity.

Pet food
Tinned dog and cat food, cat and dog biscuits, bird seed mixes, and fish pellets and flakes can all be used to make paste baits, mainly for carp, while cat and dog biscuits can also be used as floating baits, again mainly for carp.

PH
The system of measuring the level of acidity in a liquid on a scale of O to 14; each fish species has a preferred pH level

Pharyngeal teeth
Teeth located behind the gills and before the esophagus, and anchored in bone.

Phytoplankton
Microscopic floating plants, mainly algae, that live suspended in bodies of water and that drift about because they cannot move by themselves or because they are too small or too weak to swim effectively against a current.

Pheasant quills
Inverted pheasant quills make sensitive floats similar to crowquills and balsa wagglers.

Pigeon droppings
Dried and powdered pigeon droppings are a common ingredient of Continental groundbaits, especially those aimed at roach.

Pike
A streamlined, predatory fish found in all types of water and growing to 18kg (40lb) or more, although a 9.1kg (20lb) fish is a specimen. Pike are best fished for with artificial lures, livebaits or deadbaits.

Pike bung
A bulbous float designed to support a livebait or deadbait when fishing for pike.

Pike flies
Large artificial flies that imitate small fish, and used when fly-fishing for pike.

Pike rod
A rod designed for pike fishing, usually 3.7m (12ft) long, with a test curve of 0.9-1.4kg (2-3lb). Rods with different test curves, tapers and actions are available for different kinds of piking.

Pike slider
A pike slider is a streamlined balsa or hollow plastic float with a hole running through its length. It is threaded on the line in sliding float rigs and stopped the required distance from the bait by a bead and stop knot.

Pike tube
A long mesh tube with a drawstring, designed for temporarily retaining pike in the water's edge.

Pinkies
Small, lively, pinkish-white maggots that are the larvae of the greenbottle, pinkies are mainly used by match anglers on canals and still waters. Coloured pinkies are available, the commonest colours being bronze, red and fluorescent pink.

Pieces
"Individual items, as in the expression ""two dollars a piece"" . Individual fish."

Placoid scale
Small plate-like scales that have a rough exterior edge found on sharks and related species.

Plankton
Minute floating forms of microscopic plants and animals in water which cannot get about to any extent under their own power. They form the important beginnings of food chains for larger animals.

Plastic-stemmed stick float
Plastic-stemmed stick floats make excellent all-round stick floats, the plastic being heavier than cane but lighter than wire, and allowing you to fish on the drop while retaining stability.

Plastics
Soft, pliable lures made of plastic; available in an infinite variety of designs

Platform
A portable, lightweight aluminium platform with adjustable legs. Platforms make useful bait box stands, seats, and bases for seat boxes, especially on venues with sloping banks or shallow margins.

Plug
A three-dimensional lure that runs on top of or through the water; also called a crank bait bait.

Plummet
A small weight that is attached to the hook to ascertain the exact depth of your swim when float fishing.

Point
An extension of land which slopes into deep water

Pointed-top stick float
A stick float with a pointed top can be dotted right down for extra sensitivity. Less stable and less visible than a domed-top stick float, it is best used for fishing off the bottom in steady water at close range.

Polarizing sunglasses
Polarizing sunglasses are useful when stalking fish in clear water, as they cut out surface glare and make it easier to see into the water.

Pole bung
A tapered plastic cone to which the pole elastic is attached, and which fits tightly inside one of the top sections of the pole.

Pole Cat
A catapult designed for loosefeeding maggots, hemp or casters one-handed while fishing the long pole.

Pole cup
A plastic cup that clips securely near the tip of a pole, for accurately loosefeeding or groundbaiting a swim when short-lining with a long pole.

Pole cushion
A seat-box cushion with a central groove, to allow you to sit safely and comfortably on the butt section when fishing the long pole.

Pole elastic
Elastic, of various grades, that is fitted inside the top sections of pole, to act as a shock-absorber when striking into and playing fish.

Pole elastic lubricant
A liquid designed to facilitate the smooth passage of elastic from inside a pole, to allow smooth playing of fish without jerking them off the hook.

Pole elastic tensioner
A small plastic device, fitted just above a pole bung, on which the pole elastic can be wound to adjust its tension.

Pole elastic threader
A length of springy wire for threading elastic through one or more sections of pole.

Pole joint protector
A canned spray that dries into a hard sheen and reduces wear on the joints of a pole.

Pole joint restorer
A canned, carbon-based spray that restores loose, worn pole joints.

Pole rest
A pair of hooped rests, usually attached to the side of a seat-box, used to support a long pole out over the water.

Pole roller
A support with rolling bars that, when positioned behind you, allows you to feed a long pole back and forth smoothly.

Pole umbrella
An umbrella with a hole in one panel through which you can feed a long pole back and forth.

Pole-end protector
A plastic or rubber buffer that fits on to the butt of a pole to protect it from damage in use.

Pole winder
A plastic holder on which to store a ready tied pole-float rig.

Pole winder anchor
A looped rubber tether to secure the line at the end of a pole float rig to its winder.

Polyballs
Polyballs are small balls of polystyrene of various sizes. They can be used to pop-up deadbaits. They can also be incorporated into various float and leger rigs by threading them on to the line with a boilie needle.

Pond
A body of water smaller than a lake, often artificially formed.

Pool
A deep, slack area of a pool or river

Pop-up boilie
A boilie made buoyant by microwaving it, or by the insertion of a piece of rig foam.

Pop-up deadbait
A deadbait made buoyant by being injected with air or by the insertion of polystyrene balls or rig foam.

Positive
Referring to fish intent on feeding; also called "active"

Powergum
Thick, shock-absorbing line used to connect a weight or swimfeeder to the main line when casting long distances.

Prebaiting
Baiting up a swim before fishing it, either the day or night before, or over a period of several days or even weeks.

Predator/prey relationship
The relationship of baitfish and other forage to the fish which eat them

Presentation
The act of placing the correct bait at the correct depth and speed to trigger a response from the fish

Pre-smolt
A juvenile salmon or steelhead that has not yet reached the physiological state known as a smolt.

Pre-spawning mortality
Generally refers to non-fishery mortality of adult salmon and steelhead between the time the fish enter the Columbia River and the completion of spawning.

Precocious
Fish that have matured quickly, or faster than the remaining fish of its age-class.

Predation
Hunting and killing another animal for food.

Premaxilla
The paired bones forming the front of the upper jaw.

Preopercle
The large membrane bone lying in front of and parallel to the opercle.

Preorbital
The membrane bone lying in front of and below the eye.

Production
1. The total elaboration of new body substance in a stock in a unit of time, irrespective of whether or not it survives to the end of that time. Also called; *net production ; *total production. 2. *Yield.

Pteryhoids
Bones of the roof of the mouth lying behind and articulating with the palatines.

PTFE bush
A Teflon tube that fits on to the tip of a pole to allow the smooth, friction-free passage of pole elastic.

Pulses
Various kinds of pulses (beans and peas) can be used to catch carp, but they must be soaked and cooked, otherwise they can swell up inside a carp's stomach and kill it.

Punch crumb
Commercially produced white breadcrumb groundbait for use when fishing punched bread on the hook.

Put-in pole
A take-apart pole in which the base of each section fits inside the top of the next. Put-in poles tend to be heavier and stronger than put-over poles, and are most often used when fishing for carp or when fishing to hand for big weights of fish.

Put-over pole
A take-apart pole in which the base of each section fits over the top of the next. Put-over poles tend to be lighter and easier to unship than put-in poles. Most ordinary long poles have put-over joints.

PVA
A material that dissolves in water, PVA comes in tape, bag and string form for a variety of uses, such as attaching a string of boilies to the hook.

Pyloric
Pertaining to that part of the stomach from which the intestine leads.