Whitby Sea Anglers Association

North east coast rock fishing glossary

The north east coast rock fishing glossary lists items that are useful to rock anglers fishing for cod and other species on the north east coast of England. It by no means contains every item and if you can think of any I've missed please email them to me at the Whitby sea anglers email address available through the sites main menu under contacts.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : A

Amnesia - A useful low memory fishing line, ideal for shock leaders and hook snoods.

Abu - Makers of one of the best fishing reels available for cod fishing from the rocks in north east England. The abu 6500 elite and rocket, abu 7000 and abu 7500, and the abu 9000 are all exceptional reels for fishing the hard ground.

Arbroath - A place to head for if you want a big bag of cod and the occasional conger.

Angler - a name for someone who goes fishing - a fisherman is an angler - recreational sea angler

Amble - Excellent area for fishing in Northumberland on the east coast. Species to catch include: cod, bass, wrasse, pollock, whiting and coalfish. Amble is also home to the Amble open fishing match. See our website Rock Fishing calendar for details of the annual Amble open angling match.

Appollo - A fishing rod made by greys of Alnwick

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : B

Billet - north east name for a coal fish.

Blank - a fishing rod (eg greys, zziplex, conoflex or centuary) with no eyes attached. Or a north east coast fishing session without catching a fish.

Bimini Twist - A really strong knot for attaching a shock leader to your main line. Gives you that extra strength when fishing the rocks in the north east.

Back cast - An adapted cast where the angler stand with his back to the sea and casts out over his shoulder. Can give extra distance when those north east cod are a little further out.

Bait - An essential item for rock anglers who are going cod fishing on the north east coast. Best cod fishing baits include peeler crab (peelers), Lugworm, ragworm, white ragworm, mussels and hermit crabs.

Bass - A north east coast fish other than a cod. Getting caught more and more in north east England these days.

Bait For Bass - Often ragworm is said to be a top Bass bait.

Block - A cod fishing mark not too far from Whitby

Bomb - an aerodynamic lead weight used in sizes 4 5 and 6 ounce. Sometimes called dca bombs or aquapedo.

Billet scar - A less well known north east cod fishing mark

Beachcasting / beach casting - A type of fishing. Rock fishing also gets called beach casting

Beach-casting - Just the same as above

Beach caster - An angler who goes beach casting or a fishing rod eg Greys apollo beach-caster

Bradshawe - The fisheries minister at DEFRA.

Bait holder hooks - A type of fishing hook that stops your bait from slipping over your hook point and there reduces the number missed cod bites when cod fishing on the Yorkshire coast

Boulby - Fishing venue including the marks of Boulby gulley and White stone

Boiler hole - Fishing Mark between Boulby and staithes under the cliffs of cowbar. A top north east cod mark.

Bleg - North east name for a pouting

Bin lid - A large Flatfish, flounder, plaice, dab

Boggle Hole - A north east fishing mark in the Robin hoods bay area.

BZE - A bass fishing rod manufactured by greys

Braid - A type of fishing line often favoured by boat anglers for its non stretch properties

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : C

Cod - The main fish targeted by north east rock anglers

Car - an essential item to get you to and from your cod fishing marks on a cold winters night.

Casting - The only way to get your bait out to those big cod on a nights rock fishing

Coalfish - another popular fish with anglers. Can be useful when match fishing.

Crack off - When you snap off your terminal tackle during a cast it gives a loud crack

Cliffs - Somewhere to fish off Like Bempton Cliffs. Excellent places to fish for those big Yorkshire cod

Careful - Something you need to be when fishing for cod on the rocks

Crab - Peelers, Peeler crabs, velvet Peeler Crab or common shore green crab. The number one bait for cod fishing from the rocks

Cocktail - A mixture of baits all put on one hook of lugworm and squid cocktail. Peeler and mussel lug and rag etc.

Cloughton Wyke - Cloughton Wyke is One of Yorkshires top cod fishing marks.

Chicken Rock - Where Wacker says he's been fishing when he doesn't want you to know where he caught his big cod

Competition - There are many fishing competitions on the north east coast of England. Often called open matches or fishing comps anglers compete against each other in roving in pegged matches to see who can catch the heaviest fish or the heaviest bag of fish. North east open matches include Amble, Tynemouth, Whitby, Saltburn etc.

Cowbar Jetty - A small pier in Staithes that anglers fish in the winter months to catch big cod. Surrounding area include: Cowbar cliffs, Boulby gulley, boiler hole gully, Staithes nab, hummersea harbour, white stones and cowbar steel or gully.

Cotton - Usually elasticated cotton is used to whip baits onto your hook. Ideal for holding soft baits like mussel and peeler crab on when your cod fishing in winter.

Creta Block - North east coast cod fishing mark near Whitby.

Circle hook - A new form of hook said to lead to better hooking of fish

Crab hook - A type of fishing hook with a wider gape ideal for hooking bulkier baits like peelers

"cranch" - It's the name given to the piles of stones which run perpendicular to the banks of the Humber at places like Paull. I can find no reference to the word other than as a variation of crunch. It has been used in the area for as long as I can remember.

Cook - Noel Cook caught the biggest cod ever caught in UK waters a fantastic fish of 58 pounds.

Chieftain - A large charter boat at Whitby which specialises in long fishing trips.

Castle Chambers - A fishing mark at Robin hoods bay.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : D

Drop net - An essential item for pier fishing. If you dont have one your bound to catch a big winter cod when your out beachcasting

Dab - a fish also caught by north east anglers. Sometimes targeted by match anglers / fishermen.

Dogfish - a species targeted by shark angler Malcolm Pitman.

Dab - A type of flatfish often caught when fishing in the river esk estuary

Daiwa - International Tackle dealer makers of slosh 20 and 30.

Dacron - A type of braided line often used for boat fishing. good for jigging and artificial lures in deep water.

Diamite Tip - A rod tip with a larger diameter useful when fishing with a shock leader.

Drag - Star, Lever or even queen. Useful for allowing fish to take line from your reel when your playing a big fish.

Donkey - A local term for a large cod.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : E

Eagle claw - A fishing hook manufacturer

East pier - Whitby's best pier for cod fishing now sadly closed due to storm damage and Scarborough councils inability to repair the bridge.

East coast - The place we all go rock fishing

East row - A part of Sandsend beach where codling and whiting can be caught.

Easington - a place up north with some top cod fishing.

Esk - The River Esk at Whitby in north Yorkshire. Yorkshires only Salmon River

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : F

Fishing - The thing we all do in winter when we try to catch cod

Fish - The thing we try to catch when we go out beach casting. Species we target include: cod, bass, whiting, billet, coalfish, pollock, wrasse, dogfish

Flounder - a type of flatfish sometimes target by north east coast anglers. Often the target of match anglers in the estuaries of the north east.

Fife - A place in Scotland to worth fishing for the abundance of red cod in the summer. Also a great winter venue for east coast cod fishing. Home of the fife open.

Filey Brigg - One of Yorkshire's best fishing marks. This north east coast angling venue holds many species including cod, whiting, bass, wrasse  and pollock. Also the Filey fishing festival held every September. See our calendar page for details of the Filey angling festival.

Flat fish - Plaice flounder sole dab etc etc. Live in the north east rivers in the summer months and are often the target of north east match anglers.

Flying gaff - Item used for pulling heavy cod and other fish up cliffs like those at Bempton and Sandsend. An essential item for North east coast rock fishermen

Float - A polystyrene or wooden tool utilised by anglers.

Float Fishing - A method of presenting a bait mid water for species such as mackerel, pollock, wrasse and bass.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : G

Goldsborough - Another north east coast cod fishing venue featured on Mike Richards site photo recce fishing marks.

Gaff - Item used to hook heavy fish when boat fishing. Not really used for North east coast fishing. The exception being the flying Gaff which is used for hooking and pulling heavy fish up cliffs like those at Bempton

Greys - Makers of rock fishing rods like the greys apollo, greys nitra etc. A great fishing rod for rock and beach fishing in north east England. Rock rod manufacturer

Gambia - A great place for fishing. Some of the members of the Whitby forum hav fished Gambia.

Green Spring - A fishing mark on the north east coast near Whitby

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : H

Hook - the thing used on the end of your hook snood used to hook fish. Makes include. Nordic bend, mustad, kamasan, cox and rawle, 4447b, circle hooks, eagle claw, baitholders etc

Headlamp - an essential item for all anglers who want to go fishing on the rocks at night. Makes include MFA spelio and tiga. You need one of these to see your way to those fishing marks like Port Mulgrave, Kettleness, Robin Hoods Bay and Ravenscar.

Holdall - A rucksack or bag to carry all your fishing gear to those north east coast rock fishing marks.

Hilston - A fishing mark on the Holderness coast.

Hommeril Hole - A fishing Mark near Robin hoods bay

Hawsker - A north east fishing mark.

Hawsker Bottoms - As Above

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : I

Iron scar - A fishing mark between Cloughton Wyke and Hayburn Wyke

Iron ladders - Used to get onto the Brigg when fishing at Filey or to get down the cliff at Hawsker bottoms.

Iron Spring - A north east fishing venue.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : J

Jigging - A type of fishing from a boat with lures not practiced by anglers who fish from the shore.

June - The time where everyone goes for mackerel and summer Red cod.

Jigger - An artificial lure meant to imitate a small fish. Used for boat fishing usually for cod. The angler moves the lure up and down.

Jellys - A short name for a jelly worm

Jellyworms - A Jelly Worm is a rubber artificial lure which imitates a real worm and is used as bait when boat fishing.

Jelly Worm - As Above

Jiggy Jiggy - a term often used by anglers fishing The Gambia

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : K

King Rock - A much over rated fishing Mark in the Saltwick area famous for Snaggy ground and fish the size of Mice.

Keith Sports - Saltburn Fishing Tackle Shop. A great place for bargain rock fishing tackle. Find a price and Keith will match it.

King Rag - A very large Ragworm sometimes as thick as your finger and 5 times as long.

King Ragworm - As Above

Kayak - A small boat / canoe from which anglers are now fishing.

Kayak Fishing - A new form of sea fishing which is sweeping across the north east.

Kirkleatham - Where John Ward practices his casting.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : L

Lobbit Hole - Another fishing venue around Saltwick bay where Mr Atkinson catches the occasional codling or 2.

Long Hole - A fishing mark between Robin hoods bay and Hasker favouring the better casters.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : M

Mullet - A Very difficult fish to catch. Mullet are easy to spot but difficult to catch, much to the frustration of local anglers. There are 2 types of mullet : Thin and thick lipped.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : N

Northerly - A wind direction that creates a good sea swell for north east cod fishing. A northerly swell dislodges food such as crabs and worms from there hiding places and the cod rush in to feed on them

Native - A fish that is resident to a particular area. Red cod are said to be resident fish as they tend to take up residence in one area and stay there. Bass are also known to be native in their behaviours.

Nuisance Fish - Pouting, Rockling, coalfish, and other fish you don't really want to catch when cod fishing - unless of course they weigh 25 pound and are the UKrecord like the coalfish smokey caught.

Northumberland - An excellent place for fishing in the north east

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : O

Orange - The colour of some muppets used by boat anglers.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : P

Pendulum Cast - A type of cast developed to give more distance when fishing. There are now competitions where people compete across grass using the pendulem cast to see who can cast the furthest distance.

Peeler - A crab which is about to shed its shell. When they do this the crab becomes soft like a jelly and fish love them. Peelers are a much sought after bait of the sea angler.

Pig - A big fish. Paul Lobley often catches a few pigs at Port mulgrave

Pennel Rig - A type of fishing rig with 2 hooks mounted 1 above the other. Ideal for fishing big baits and using lots of worms. Also good for cliff fishing as when you have 2 hooks in the fish their is less chance it will fall off.

Pulley Rig - A useful fishing rig for rock fishing.

Pully Rig - A Pulley Rig for fishing made by someone who cant spell.

Pollock - A type of fish often caught mid water and sometimes caught on jelly worms and shads.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : Q

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : R

Ravenscar - Ramrod Rays home ground. Home to the occasional pig. Marks include bleuwyke, Lady green  and peek steel

Red Un - A red cod

Ragworm - A type of bait useful for catching most fish. Ideal for whiting and flounders and has been known to tempt the odd cod on the scars. Also a white ragworm which are a much sort after bait.

Razorfish - A type of shellfish used by anglers for bait. Usually good after a big winter storm. Some anglers say let your razer fish almost rot before using them.

Reckitts - A fishing club based at hull.

Rail Hole - Fishing Mark on Whitby Scar

Robin Hood Water Sports - A great place for anglers to buy a kayak

Robin Hoods Bay - A place littered with great places to fish from the village At robin hoods bay right the way to ravenscar. Marks include : Billet scar, stoupe beck, boggle hole, cowling scar, river hole, dungeon hole, sewer hole, landing scar, stepping stones, long hole, sloping rock, little bay, middle bay and too many more to mention

Reelsport - Reel sport make a range of fishing rods including the reelsport response and the blue thunder

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : S

Shytorque - Rich Wards Whitby Charter Boat

Stoupe Beck - A small bay within the area of Robin hoods bay. A nice mix of sand rock and kelp gives excellent cod fishing in the winter months.

Seal - A creature we love to see whilst out fishing but a pain in the bum when they pinch your mackerel in the summer months, especially for those who mackerel fish at the south gare.

Smokey - Member of the Whitby fishing forum

Slack-Liner - A bite where the fish swims towards you leaving slackline as it comes. A very difficult bite to strike. Often ends up with the fishing dropping the bait

Snakey-Whites - Big white ragworm often found in the large Scottish estuaries although almost dig out in some places now. A fantastic cod bait all the same and can produce a fish when all other baits fail

Scratchin - The use of smaller hooks whilst fishing, in an attempt to catch something on size you can weigh in, when the seas not  up and there's not a cod in miles.

Skate - A type of fish - Thornback Ray

Sensor - A great fishing line made by Daiwa

Sea Trek - The Whitby Charter Boat that caught the British record cod.

Sewer Hole - Top north east fishing marks at Robin hoods bay and Sandsend.

Saltwick Bay - Another north east fishing mark

Spelio - A make of headlamp for fishing

South Hawsker - An area of the coastline with several fishing marks.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : T

Tide - Effects all of our fishing and bait collecting. The tide comes in and goes out at Whitby giving high and low water twice a day.

Tunstall - Another fishing mark on the holderness coast. Great for Bass, Smoothound, Skate and Winter cod.

Thornback Ray - A flat fish often caught on the Holderness coast.

Trout - A type of fish often caught around Whitby as it starts its journey up the river esk.

Tiga - A very bright headlamp

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : U

Uptiding - A type of boat fishing where the bait is cast uptide. Invented by Bob Cox and now utilised around the world.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : V

Volusian - A kayak fishing member of the Whitby fishing forum

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : W

Waders - Large wellies that anglers pull up to their thighs or chest to allow them to wade out into the water when fishing or casting. Makes include Ocean, Leeda, Dunlop, Ron Thompson and Daiwa waders.

Washout - A situation that happens after big seas and big tides resulting in all sealife getting washed onto the shoreline including crabs, worms lobsters and even fish. A great time to get a few fresh lobsters for the pot and to stock up your bait freezers.

Westerly - A wind from the west

Wrasse - A fish with teeth often caught close in around rock ledges at Staithes, Kettleness, Hawsker, Robin hoods bay and Ravenscar.

White-Water - When the sea is rough and the swell breaks across shallow ground it creates white water. In some situations white water means the sea is too rough for fishing. In other situations especially on shallow scars casting into the white water can result in good catches.

Whiting - A type of fish usually caught from sandy areas and beaches. Whiting usually come to the shore to feed in flat calm weather often prefering still cold moonlit nights.

White Stone - A north east fishing mark between Boulby and Hummersea.

White Stones - Another fishing mark at South Hawsker.

West Pier - A great fishing venue for summer species including Mackerel, Pollock and Coalifish. The west pier is also a good fishing marks for winter cod fishing.

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : X

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : Y

Items associated with north east coast fishing beginning with : Z

Zimbabwe - A country where there is probably some fish somewhere.

Zziplex - Makers of fishing rods

Ziplex - Make a wide range of beachcasters and rock rods

Favorite Forum Topics

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Fishing With Shads

Whitby Boat Fishing

Whitby Cod Fishing

Magic Crystals

RSA Strategy / Sea Fishing Licence

Bass Fishing Around Whitby

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