Fishing jargon buster! — Angling Times

All hobbies come with their own unique language, but in fishing tackle companies seem fond of baffling us with exciting-sounding labels that often go unchallenged. It’s time we dug beneath the hype to reveal what those terms really mean!

High-modulus carbon

A bit like saying ‘3am in the morning’, describing a carbon rod as ‘high-modulus’ is using extra words that add nothing. Modularity is basically a material’s stiffness, so a high-modulus rod is relatively stiff and won’t flop around like wet spaghetti. But all modern rods are relatively stiff and the term ‘high’, without any context, tells us nothing.

Gear ratios

What would tackle companies plaster their reel boxes with if gear ratios didn’t exist? Since time immemorial, reel buyers have been told about their prospective purchase’s gear ratio and we’ve all had to stand in the tackle shop nodding as though we know what the hell it means. Well, a reel with a 4.9:1 (said ‘4 point 9 to 1’) ratio will turn its spool 4.9 times for every one turn of the reel handle. And what does that tell you? Unless you know the circumference of the spool, not a lot!

Reel buyers have long been told about their prospective purchase’s gear ratio

Hydrostatic head

You can almost picture a carp brand’s product developer donning a white lab coat and picking up a clipboard as he or she announces their latest bivvy’s ‘hydrostatic head’ rating. Measured in thousands, it’s a figure that sounds technical and cutting edge, but in reality it’s just how much water can sit on a fabric until it leaks. A 10,000mm rating means a column of water 10,000mm tall (that’s 10 metres) can press down on your brolly before it can’t hold back the liquid.

1K/2K/3K carbon weave

Strap yourself in. This is properly dull. These figures refer to the density of the carbon, noticeable in the ‘lattice’ effect seen on uncoated rods. Carbon fibre is supplied in continuous sheets and the K figure denotes how many thousand carbon filaments they contain. The more Ks, the heavier the material. Cheaper rods will feature 3k carbon weave, which is a good all-rounder balancing weight and strength. 2k and 1k are rarer and lighter.

Fuji reel seats

Often prefaced by the word ‘genuine’ in a rod’s marketing blurb, having a bona-fide Fuji reel seat is often presented as a badge of honour, but why? Fuji is a brand hailing from Japan and is best known for its quality rod fittings (including guides and handles), but the company produces various ranges, from budget to high end – so don’t get too excited by it all.

‘200D’ fabric

Another term often found in catalogues and on websites without explanation, the ‘D’ number used to describe fabrics on clothes and brollies is – like a pair of tights – the denier rating. The higher the number, the thicker and tougher your new jacket or shelter will be. Simple.

Anti-frap tip

Staying with the circular things that channel line the length of a rod (guides? Eyes? Rings? Call them what you like!) this peculiar phrase has crept into widespread use in the last decade or so. A ‘frap’ (or, more commonly, a ‘frap up’) is when your line tangles around a guide during a cast, so anything ‘anti-frap’ must be a) brilliant and b) really clever, right? They’re certainly effective, but they’re just rings with tucked-away bowed legs.

They’re certainly effective, but they’re just rings with tucked-away bowed legs

Bi-conical mini extensions

Poles are the place to go if you want jargon! We’ve covered the descriptions of carbon already, but a term that’s currently doing the rounds is ‘bi-conical mini extensions’. It sounds wondrous and futuristic – like a bionic man – but, broken down, it just means two (bi) cylindrical diameters (conical), so the extension can fit on different pole sections at either end.

SiC guides

No, not ill girl scouts. SiC guides are yet another term that gets bandied around with little explanation. Written with two capitals and one lowercase letter because...er…science, SiC is silicon carbide and in this usage refers to the lining of your rod’s guides. Silicon carbide is strong, lightweight and incredibly smooth, so it offers very little resistance and won’t damage your line.

Oscillation

What a beautiful word, so beloved of feeder anglers and carpers. The slower the better, so the marketing spiel goes. That’s certainly up for debate, but we’re not here to take on that battle – what does oscillation actually mean? Generally described as ‘slow’ or even ‘super-slow’, it’s just a fancy word for the up and down movement of your spool as you reel in. Not quite so sexy now, eh?