G

Gag
A device for gently holding open the jaws of a pike or zander to allow you to unhook it easily without cutting your hand on the teeth of the fish.

Gaff
A large metal hook for landing fish; prohibited in some areas

Game fish
A fish that is regulated by law for recreational harvest.

Gape
To open the mouth wide. In Zoological terms, it means the measurement of the widest possible opening of a mouth.

Ghost carp
An ornamental variety of carp that is ghostly white in appearance. Ghost carp are often stocked in commercial stillwater fisheries.

Gill rakers
A series of projections located along the front edge of the gill arch.

Gills
The fleshy, and highly vascular organs comparable to lungs used in aquatic respiration.

Glycerine
A clear gel used to prevent wet line freezing to rod rings in winter.

Golden Orfe
An ornamental golden version of the orfe or ide. It has been introduced to a number of still waters in Britain where it grows to around 2.7kg (6lb).

Gozzers
Soft, white homebred maggots that are a deadly hookbait for bream. Not commercially available, gozzers are the larvae of a variety of bluebottle that only lays its eggs on fresh meat and in the dark.

Grass carp
An imported, weed-eating species of carp stocked in a few British still waters where it grows to about 9.1kg (20lb).

Gravel
See cobble.

Grayling
A member of the salmon family that spawns at the same time as coarse fish and not in January-March as other salmon family members do. Despite this, it is still considered a game fish.

Grilled hemp
Hemp that has been grilled and crushed is sold as an alternative groundbait additive to ordinary crushed hemp.

Grilse
Salmon less than 22 inches (56cm) Fork Length (FL).

Grinner knot
A stronger knot than a half-blood knot, for tying line to eyed hooks or swivels.

Ground peanuts
Ground peanuts are a common ingredient of Continental groundbaits, but are also sometimes sold as a separate groundbait additive.

Groundbait
Breadcrumbs mixed with water and thrown in or fed via a swimfeeder to attract fish, either on its own or with the addition of other baits. Groundbait can also contain such things as crushed hemp and ground maize, as well as any number of flavourings and colourings.

Groundbait bowl
A shallow, rigid or foldable plastic bowl, with rounded corners to facilitate an even groundbait mix.

Groundbait catapult
A catapult with powerful elastic and a large rigid cup for firing balls of groundbait into the water.

Groundbait paste
A hookbait made from a stiff mix of groundbait, used in conjunction with groundbait, mainly to catch bream.

Growth overfishing
The rate of fishing, as indicated by an equilibrium yield-per-recruit curve, greater than which the losses in weight from total mortality exceed the gain in weight due to growth. This point is defined as Fmax.

Gudgeon
A small, streamlined, bottom-feeding shoal fish, similar in appearance to barbel, but seldom exceeding 28g (1oz), gudgeon are found mainly in rivers and canals, and are sometimes targeted by match anglers.

Guides
Loops along the length of the rod through which the line is passed