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Ledgering

Method · Last reviewed 2026-08-10

Fishing a bait on the bottom held by a weight, with no float — the simplest way to fish at distance, in depth, or in wind.

Safety: fish welfare — can cause injury needing treatment.

What each one does, and what reduces it ↓

Ledgering is bottom fishing stripped to essentials: a weight, a hooklength, a bait on the bottom, and a means of seeing or hearing a take. It is what you use when a float will not work — too far, too deep, too windy, too much flow — and it is the foundation on which feeder fishing, carp fishing and most sea bait fishing are built.

The interesting decision in ledgering is how the line runs through the weight. A running leger lets line pass freely, so a fish moving off feels almost nothing until the angler responds; a fixed or semi-fixed lead does the opposite, letting the fish hook itself against the resistance. Those are opposite philosophies applied to the same tackle, and which is right depends entirely on how the fish behaves when it feels something.

What it is

Presenting a bait on or near the bottom using a weight to hold it in position, with no float involved at all. Because nothing is suspending the bait, the weight has two jobs — casting the rig out and then anchoring it — and almost every decision in the method follows from balancing those against each other. Bite indication has to be supplied separately, and comes from the rod tip itself, from a quivertip or swingtip built to bend at a fish's touch, from a bobbin or indicator hanging on the line between reel and butt ring, or from an electronic alarm. More fishing is done this way than any other, in fresh water and salt alike.

What it is for

To hold a bait in position at distance, at depth, in wind or in flow, and to know when something has taken it without a float to watch. It is the default method wherever conditions defeat float tackle, which is most conditions and most water: a float needs a manageable depth, a manageable range and a surface that is not being pushed about. Ledgering needs none of those, which is why the same basic idea covers a beachcaster on a storm beach, a carp rod on a gravel pit, a quivertip on a winter river and a boat rod over a wreck. It is also the basis of essentially all modern specimen angling.

Setting it up

  • Use the lightest weight that holds bottom in the conditions; excess weight kills sensitivity and spooks fish.
  • Decide between running and fixed by how the fish behaves — running for cautious, deliberate feeders, fixed for fish that bolt.
  • Keep the hooklength appropriate: longer for a natural presentation, shorter for positive hooking against a fixed weight.
  • Set indication to match the expected bite: a fine quivertip for delicate takes, a bobbin or alarm for runs.
  • Fish a tight line between rod and lead so that movement transmits, without pulling the bait out of position.

What it catches

88 more

What you fish it with

2 more

How it works

The weight anchors the terminal tackle; the hooklength allows the bait to lie naturally beyond it. In a running leger the main line passes through a ring or the weight's own bore, so a taking fish draws line without moving the lead. In a fixed or semi-fixed arrangement the weight is attached solidly enough that a fish moving off pulls against it and drives the hook home — the bolt effect.

Conditions

Ledgering suits deep water, distance, strong wind, coloured water and flowing rivers — everywhere float control breaks down. In flow the practical question is not whether the lead holds but whether it holds in the right place: a lead that trips and rolls a few metres before settling has moved the bait off the spot, and on a big river the difference between a grip lead and a plain bomb is the difference between fishing a crease and fishing the middle of the river.

In very weedy or snaggy ground the arrangement must be chosen so that a fish which breaks the line can shed the lead. That is a welfare requirement rather than a preference, and it is the one condition in which the more effective rig is the wrong rig.

Common mistakes

  • Using far more lead than is needed, so bites are damped out before they reach the tip.
  • Fishing a fixed lead in snags, so a break leaves a fish towing a weight.
  • Leaving so much slack line that a fish can move a metre before anything registers.
  • Assuming the bait is where it was cast, when it has rolled or dropped into a feature.
  • Ignoring line bow in flow, which turns a sharp bite into nothing at all.

Advantages

  • Works at distances and depths a float cannot reach.
  • Unaffected by surface wind and drift.
  • Simple, robust and inexpensive.
  • Allows a bait to be left in position while attention is elsewhere, which a float does not.

Limitations

  • Presentation is limited to the bottom.
  • Bite indication is less immediate and less informative than a float.
  • In snaggy ground a fixed lead becomes a hazard to fish if the line parts.
  • It is easy to fish a bait that has landed somewhere unintended without knowing.

Terms you will meet

Running leger
The mainline passes freely through the lead or through a ring on it, so a taking fish draws line without moving the weight. The arrangement for cautious, deliberate feeders that drop a bait the moment they feel resistance.
Bolt rig
The opposite: the lead is fixed or semi-fixed so a fish moving off pulls against it and hooks itself. It works because the fish's reaction to sudden resistance is to bolt, and the hook is set by the fish rather than by the angler.
Quivertip
A fine, flexible tip section that bends visibly at a bite. It converts a pull the angler cannot feel into a movement they can see, and is why river ledgering for shy-biting fish is possible at all.
Bobbin or indicator
A hanger on the line between reel and butt ring, showing which way and how far the line has moved. It reads both a drop-back — a fish moving towards the rod — and a lift, which a rod tip alone does not.
Hooklength
The short length of line between lead and hook. Its length sets how naturally the bait behaves and how quickly a taking fish meets resistance, and it is the fastest thing on the rig to change when bites are not converting.
Line bow
The curve the current puts into the line between rod and lead. A big bow absorbs a bite completely, which is why a sharp take on a flowing river can register as nothing at all.

Where people fish it

690 places FishingHQ holds name this among the ways they are fished, across 91 coasts and systems. Being named here describes what sources report, not that the method is permitted — check the local rules before you fish.

83 further coasts and systems are not listed here. Browse every place FishingHQ holds.

Running or fixed: the one decision that changes everything else

Every ledger rig in the world is one of two things, and almost every other choice follows from which one you picked.

A RUNNING LEGER LETS THE LINE PASS THROUGH THE WEIGHT. The lead sits on the bottom; the main line runs through a ring, a bead or the lead's own bore; and a fish that picks the bait up and moves draws line off the reel without dragging the lead with it. The fish feels the friction of line through a ring and nothing else. THE ANGLER SETS THE HOOK.

A FIXED OR SEMI-FIXED LEAD DOES THE OPPOSITE. The lead is attached solidly enough that a moving fish pulls against it, the hook is driven home by the fish's own weight and momentum, and the rod is bent before the angler has touched it. THE FISH SETS THE HOOK. This is the bolt effect, and it is the principle underneath most modern carp fishing and a great deal of sea fishing.

WHICH IS RIGHT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE FISH DOES WHEN IT FEELS SOMETHING. That is the whole of it. A fish that mouths a bait, feels resistance and drops it needs the running rig, because resistance is what loses the bite. A fish that takes a bait and bolts — because bolting is what it does when startled — hooks itself against a fixed lead, and giving it a free-running line means it can eject the bait during a run you have not noticed yet.

THE SECOND QUESTION IS WHAT HAPPENS IF THE LINE BREAKS. A fixed lead in snaggy or weedy ground is a welfare problem: a fish that breaks off is towing a weight it cannot shed, and it will be tethered by the first snag it swims past. Every fixed arrangement should be built so the lead comes off under pressure — which is what a lead clip, a rotten bottom or a heavy-lead safety bead is for. This is not a refinement. It is the reason those components exist.

AND A SEMI-FIXED RIG IS NOT A COMPROMISE. It is a fixed rig with the release built in: solid enough to bolt the fish, loose enough to let the lead go if the line parts. That is why it is the standard arrangement rather than either extreme.

Why the lightest lead that holds is the right lead

The commonest fault in bottom fishing is too much lead, and it is common because the failure it causes is invisible: nothing goes wrong, there are simply fewer bites.

A LEAD IS A DAMPER. Everything a fish does to the bait has to travel up the hooklength, past the lead and along the main line before it reaches a rod tip or an indicator. Mass absorbs movement. A four-ounce lead where two would hold turns a delicate pluck into nothing at all, and the angler concludes the fish are not there.

IT ALSO CHANGES WHAT THE FISH FEELS. On a running rig the fish is meant to feel almost nothing; a heavier lead sitting on a soft bottom digs in and the line through it drags. On a fixed rig the lead is meant to set the hook, and a lead heavier than necessary sets it against a heavier pull than the fish's mouth may stand.

SO THE RULE IS: THE LIGHTEST WEIGHT THAT STAYS WHERE YOU PUT IT. In still water, that is usually far less than people cast. In flow, it is whatever holds against the current — and it changes through a session as the tide or the river does, which means the correct lead at the start of a session is often the wrong one two hours later.

THE SHAPE MATTERS AS MUCH AS THE WEIGHT. A flat or gripped lead holds on the same ground that a round one rolls off, so choosing the right shape buys the same holding power at less mass. On a beach in a running tide the difference between a plain bomb and a gripped lead is several ounces of damping.

AND A LEAD THAT HAS MOVED IS WORSE THAN A LEAD THAT IS TOO HEAVY. A bait that has rolled thirty metres downtide is fishing water you did not choose, over ground you have not read, and you have no way of knowing. Tightening down until the tip takes a slight bend and watching whether it stays there is how you find out.

Reading a tip: what each kind of movement actually means

A ledger rod tip is an instrument, and the movements on it are not all bites.

THE SLOW PULL THAT KEEPS GOING is a fish that has taken the bait and turned away. It is the least ambiguous thing a tip does and it needs no interpretation.

THE SHARP KNOCK THAT SPRINGS BACK is usually a fish that took the bait and rejected it, or a fish that hit the line rather than the hook. On a running rig it is often a bite you can hit; on a fixed rig it frequently means the fish felt the lead and let go, which is the fixed rig failing at the thing it exists to do.

THE TIP THAT PULLS ROUND AND SLACKENS — the DROP-BACK — is a fish that has picked the bait up and swum TOWARDS the rod, taking tension off the line. It is a real bite, it looks like nothing, and it is the one that most often goes unstruck. On flowing water and on a tide, drop-backs are as common as pull-rounds.

THE STEADY CREEP with no character to it is generally weed, a moving lead or the tide. It builds rather than arriving.

THE RAPID TREMBLE is small fish or shore crabs at the bait — and if it goes on for ten minutes, the bait is already gone.

WHAT MAKES ALL OF THIS READABLE IS A TIGHT LINE. A bow of slack between rod and lead has to be pulled out before the tip can move, and in flow the current does that pulling, so a bite arrives as a slow straightening that looks like the river rather than a fish. Fishing a straight line to the lead — and re-tightening after the lead settles — is what turns a rod tip from a decoration into an instrument.

Hooklength: the piece of the rig nobody thinks about

The hooklength is the section between the weight and the hook, and its length is a decision rather than a default.

A LONG HOOKLENGTH LETS THE BAIT BEHAVE NATURALLY. It sinks slowly, moves with the flow, and lies away from the disturbance the lead makes on the bottom. In clear water, on pressured fish, or where the bait is something a fish expects to see drifting, longer is better.

A SHORT HOOKLENGTH HOOKS FISH. On a fixed or semi-fixed lead, the shorter the link, the less the fish can move before it comes up hard against the weight — which is the whole mechanism of the bolt effect. On a method feeder the link may be a few centimetres for exactly this reason.

SO LENGTH TRADES PRESENTATION AGAINST HOOKING, and the trade is made against how the fish are behaving. Fish feeding confidently take a naturally presented bait and will tolerate a long link; fish that are picking at things and dropping them need the hook set before they can decide.

DIAMETER IS A SEPARATE DECISION AND IT USUALLY GOES DOWN. The hooklength is the part of the rig closest to the fish and the part that should break first if anything does — lighter than the main line, so a break loses a hook rather than a lead, a rig and a length of line. That is a welfare argument before it is a tackle argument.

AND THE MATERIAL IS DECIDED BY THE GROUND. Abrasive ground and hard-mouthed fish argue for something that resists rubbing; clear water and cautious fish argue for something less visible; anything with teeth argues for wire, and the moment it does, the presentation argument stops mattering.

What this is called elsewhere

FishingHQ’s headword is the term used in Britain & Ireland.

Bottom fishing — North America, Australia, New Zealand, East & Southern Africa, South-East Asia, Global
The general international term for the same technique, in both fresh and salt water. Far more widely understood than 'ledgering', which is essentially a British word.
Surfcasting — North America, Australia, New Zealand, East & Southern Africa
Bottom fishing from a surf beach with a long rod specifically, rather than the technique in general. FishingHQ covers that as its own record.
Legering — Britain & Ireland
The same word, spelt with one 'd'. Both spellings are current in British angling writing and neither is more correct.

Safety

Fish welfare — Can cause injury needing treatment

A fixed lead on a line that breaks leaves a fish attached to a weight it cannot shed, tethered to weed or snags, unable to feed properly.

What reduces it: Use arrangements where the lead can be ejected if the line parts, and check line and knots so that the break happens at the hooklength rather than higher up.

Where to go next

Related techniques

Skills behind it

1 more

Sources and evidence

Why the 116 connections on this page are here, and the sources

What it catches

What experienced anglers do — 93 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • African sharptooth catfish

    A practitioner claim about how Clarias gariepinus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for african sharptooth catfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for african sharptooth catfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Atlantic cod

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Baardman

    The species is taken on mixed ground as well as surf, and on mixed ground the presentation is a static bottom bait rather than a distance cast into a surf table.

    • Assessment of catches in shore angling competitions from the Border region of the Eastern Cape — Pradervand & Govender, African Zoology 38(1), for the Oceanographic Research Institute, 2003 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Marine Recreational Fishing Regulations in South Africa — South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), summarising the Marine Living Resources Act and its regulations, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Ballan wrasse

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bastard grunt

    The page names the rig, the marks and the ground. It is a standard shore and light boat capture along the Iberian and north-west African coasts and is eaten across its range.

    • Importance of recreational shore angling in the archipelago of Madeira (northeast Atlantic) — Scientia Marina (CSIC), vol. 84 no. 4, 2020 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Species hunting adventures on Lanzarote — a four-part shore diary with a full tally — Something Fishy Going On (angling blog), parts also posted to World Sea Fishing, 2014 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Black drum

    The page names the bait and the presentation together. Black drum are shellfish specialists with crushing pharyngeal teeth, so the bait choice is the fishery rather than a preference within it.

    • Florida saltwater fishing regulations and Keys sanctuary rules — Florida state wildlife authority and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Black musselcracker

    Established practice for this species: what the fishery that takes it actually does. It is practitioner consensus corroborated by the research institute's own capture notes, and it says nothing about where anybody may fish.

    • ORI Fish Fact Sheets: the species accounts of the Oceanographic Research Institute — Oceanographic Research Institute, South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), Durban, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The capture context each fact sheet records: which fishery takes the species, on what tackle and on what bait.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated South African practice for the species named, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Black sea bass

    A practitioner claim about how Centropristis striata is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for black sea bass.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for black sea bass and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Black seabream

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Blacktail comber

    It works outward from holes and ledges, so a bait pinned against structure produces it and one in open water often does not.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Blonde ray

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Blue catfish

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Recognition of the species as an established sport fish and the angling methods and tackle classes conventionally used for it.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species and method.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Blue cod

    A practitioner claim about how Parapercis colias is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for blue cod.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for blue cod and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Blue threadfin

    A practitioner claim about how Eleutheronema tetradactylum is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for blue threadfin.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for blue threadfin and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bluefin gurnard

    Taken on baited bottom rigs over sand and mixed ground, frequently alongside snapper and tarakihi in New Zealand. It locates prey with chemosensory cells on the free pectoral rays it walks with, so a scent-rich static bait is what finds it and a lure in midwater is not.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Brill

    A practitioner claim about how Scophthalmus rhombus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for brill.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for brill and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bull huss

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bull shark

    A statement about how a species is taken, which is practice convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • BlueWater Hunting and Freediving — BlueWater Freedivers, Ventura, California, 1995 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: Reef and blue-water breath-hold hunting practice, including fish behaviour, approach, catch handling and the judgement involved in taking a shot.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of fish behaviour and regional fishing practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Burbot

    A practitioner claim about how Lota lota is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for burbot.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for burbot and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Channel catfish

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Recognition of the species as an established sport fish and the angling methods and tackle classes conventionally used for it.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species and method.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Chub

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse-angling technique and its application to the species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary British coarse practice for this species.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Common carp

    Established practice described independently across the carp literature.

    • Carp Fever — Beekay Publishers, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Bottom fishing method and bolt-rig practice for carp.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Stillwater carp method from an earlier and independent tradition.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Common pandora

    A practitioner claim about how Pagellus erythrinus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for common pandora.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for common pandora and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Common sole

    The page names estuaries beside beaches. In an estuary the presentation is a static bottom bait at short range, and the small hooks matter more than the cast.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Common stingray

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Conger eel

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Dab

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Deccan mahseer

    A practitioner claim about how Tor khudree is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for deccan mahseer.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for deccan mahseer and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Dusky flathead

    The page names prawn and fish baits beside the lures. Flathead are ambush predators lying on the bottom, so a bait on the bottom is the presentation and not a compromise.

    • Australian state recreational crabbing guidance: gear, limits and berried females — Australian state fisheries agencies and Australian crabbing guidance (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • European eel

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and its application to this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary practice for this species in the British and European coarse press.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • European flounder

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • European plaice

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Five-bearded rockling

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • British Sea Fishing: the rockling and sea scorpion species entries — British Sea Fishing (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: That these species are taken on small hooks with worm and fish baits over the ground described, and are now deliberately targeted on light tackle rather than treated as bait thieves.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Flapper skate

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Forkbeard

    The Madeiran creel survey records 14.7% of the archipelago's shore anglers fishing at night and bottom fishing as one of the two dominant methods. This is a nocturnal fish that finds food by barbel and pelvic feeler rather than by sight, so a fresh fish or squid bait held on the bottom against rock in darkness is the whole of the method.

    • Importance of recreational shore angling in the archipelago of Madeira (northeast Atlantic) — Scientia Marina (CSIC), vol. 84 no. 4, 2020 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: The methods, baits, ground and time of day recorded for the Madeira archipelago's recreational shore anglers, from a 2017 survey of 653 of them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Freshwater drum

    A statement about how a species is fished outside Europe, resting on restated international practice rather than on the British angling literature.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: International recreational angling practice and the record framework that documents which species are pursued and how.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Giant freshwater stingray

    A practitioner claim about how Urogymnus polylepis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for giant freshwater stingray.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for giant freshwater stingray and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Gilthead bream

    A practitioner claim following from the species' verified crushing dentition.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of crab and shellfish baits for sea bream and of the tackle required for crushing-jawed species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner guidance on bait selection for gilthead bream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Golden mahseer

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Recognition of the species as an established sport fish and the angling methods and tackle classes conventionally used for it.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species and method.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Goonch

    A practitioner claim about how Bagarius yarrelli is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for goonch.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for goonch and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Grey gurnard

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Grey triggerfish

    Fished on the bottom close to rock with crab, squid, limpet or worm on small strong hooks. The consistent practitioner account across its range is that terminal tackle must be heavier than the fish size suggests, because the crushing dentition parts monofilament readily — a tackle decision driven by the animal's mouth rather than by its weight.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Gudgeon

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established coarse angling practice, including method selection, presentation and the reasoning behind them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and the principles behind method selection.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Haddock

    A practitioner claim following from the species' verified feeding morphology.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of bait size and presentation for haddock in relation to cod on the same ground.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner guidance that haddock take small baits fished hard on the bottom.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • John Brown

    The page names light tackle and the shallow-reef ground, and groups the species with three others taken the same way. A static light bottom bait over shallow reef is that fishery.

    • Assessment of catches in shore angling competitions from the Border region of the Eastern Cape — Pradervand & Govender, African Zoology 38(1), for the Oceanographic Research Institute, 2003 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Marine Recreational Fishing Regulations in South Africa — South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), summarising the Marine Living Resources Act and its regulations, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Korean rockfish

    A practitioner claim about how Sebastes schlegelii is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for korean rockfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for korean rockfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Lake sturgeon

    A practitioner claim about how Acipenser fulvescens is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for lake sturgeon.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for lake sturgeon and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Mangrove jack

    A practitioner claim about how Lutjanus argentimaculatus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for mangrove jack.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for mangrove jack and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Mediterranean moray

    Practice, recorded as practice.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, seasonal timing, tackle, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Mediterranean parrotfish

    The Canary material describes vieja taken on shellfish, crab, prawn and worm fished on the bottom against rock, on light terminal tackle. Nothing in that reading describes a lure being used for it, and the fish's grazing feeding mode is why.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian shore fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Pouting

    A practitioner claim about how Trisopterus luscus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for pouting.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for pouting and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Red emperor

    A practitioner claim about how Lutjanus sebae is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for red emperor.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for red emperor and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Red gurnard

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, seasonal timing, tackle, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Red porgy

    Bocinegro is named in the Canary material as a quality target on the same rock the vieja is fished over, taken on larger baits fished on the bottom rather than on lures.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Canary shore angling practice: the techniques and tackle used from rock, mole and beach, and the species each is used for.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Guías de zonas de pesca en Canarias — Tenerife, Gran Canaria y Lanzarote — GuíaCanarias (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The techniques named for Canarian shore fishing — rockfishing, jigging, light bottom fishing and squid jigs — and the species attached to them.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Red scorpionfish

    Practice, recorded as practice.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling and shore gathering practice as reported by practitioners: ground, seasonal timing, tackle, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Redear sunfish

    A practitioner claim about how Lepomis microlophus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for redear sunfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for redear sunfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Redtail catfish

    A practitioner claim about how Phractocephalus hemioliopterus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for redtail catfish.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for redtail catfish and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Rig

    Taken on crab and shellfish baits fished static on the bottom over sand and mud in New Zealand harbours, estuaries and shallow coastal water. Its jaws carry pavement-like crushing plates rather than cutting teeth, which decides the bait entirely.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Rohu

    A practitioner claim about how Labeo rohita is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for rohu.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for rohu and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Sheepshead

    A practitioner claim about how Archosargus probatocephalus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for sheepshead.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for sheepshead and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Short-spined sea scorpion

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • British Sea Fishing: the rockling and sea scorpion species entries — British Sea Fishing (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: That these species are taken on small hooks with worm and fish baits over the ground described, and are now deliberately targeted on light tackle rather than treated as bait thieves.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Silver carp

    A practitioner claim about how Hypophthalmichthys molitrix is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for silver carp.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for silver carp and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Silver trevally

    A practitioner claim about how Pseudocaranx georgianus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for silver trevally.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for silver trevally and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Small-eyed ray

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Small-spotted catshark

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Spangled emperor

    The dentition decides the method: front canines for seizing and molars behind for crushing shelled prey mean the fish is looking for crab, shellfish and squid on the bottom rather than chasing anything in the water column.

    • Gear restrictions for the recreational take of saltwater crustaceans, California Code of Regulations title 14 § 29.80 — California Fish and Game Commission, as published by the Legal Information Institute (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That the crab loop trap and the hoop net are defined recreational gear categories, with servicing intervals and geographic limits attached.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how these methods are fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Spotted grunter

    A practitioner claim about how Pomadasys commersonnii is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for spotted grunter.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for spotted grunter and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Spotted ray

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Spotted sorubim

    A practitioner claim about how Pseudoplatystoma corruscans is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for spotted sorubim.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for spotted sorubim and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Spurdog

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Starry smooth-hound

    A practitioner claim about how Mustelus asterias is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for starry smooth hound.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for starry smooth hound and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Sterlet

    The record draws the distinction the edge depends on: in the native Danube basin an incidental capture is a release-and-possibly-report event, and in stocked commercial fisheries across Europe it is legitimate catch fished for deliberately. The technique named belongs to the second.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • Striped red mullet

    A practitioner claim about how Mullus surmuletus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for striped red mullet.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for striped red mullet and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Striped trumpeter

    Taken on ledgered baits over reef from a boat across southern Australia and New Zealand, with smaller fish occasionally from rock. The mouth is small for the size of the fish, so the terminal tackle is lighter than the weight suggests.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tambaqui

    A practitioner claim about how Colossoma macropomum is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for tambaqui.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for tambaqui and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tarakihi

    A delicate small-mouthed bottom feeder taken on ledgered squid, pilchard, shellfish and crab over reef and foul from a boat. Anglers fishing snapper rigs on the same ground miss them, which is a consequence of the mouth rather than a matter of preference.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tautog

    A practitioner claim about how Tautoga onitis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for tautog.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for tautog and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Thick-lipped grey mullet

    An established way this species is taken recreationally in north-west European waters.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Shore and boat practice in north-west European sea angling for the species and method described, presented across multiple independent contributors.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practice connecting this species to this method, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Thornback ray

    A practitioner claim about how Raja clavata is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for thornback ray.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for thornback ray and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Three-bearded rockling

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • British Sea Fishing: the rockling and sea scorpion species entries — British Sea Fishing (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: That these species are taken on small hooks with worm and fish baits over the ground described, and are now deliberately targeted on light tackle rather than treated as bait thieves.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of technique, fish behaviour and regional practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tope

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Tub gurnard

    A statement about how a species is fished, which is angling convention rather than biology and is labelled as such.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including ground, seasonal timing, bait and method convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of species behaviour and regional angling practice, recorded as consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Turbot

    A practitioner claim about how Scophthalmus maximus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for turbot.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for turbot and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Wels catfish

    Established angling practice for this species, recorded as convention. The note states the property of the animal or its water that makes the method the answer.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Freshwater angling technique and its application to this species.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary practice for this species in the British and European coarse press.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • White musselcracker

    Established practice for this species: what the fishery that takes it actually does. It is practitioner consensus corroborated by the research institute's own capture notes, and it says nothing about where anybody may fish.

    • ORI Fish Fact Sheets: the species accounts of the Oceanographic Research Institute — Oceanographic Research Institute, South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), Durban, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: The capture context each fact sheet records: which fishery takes the species, on what tackle and on what bait.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated South African practice for the species named, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as tested fact.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • White seabream

    A practitioner claim about how Diplodus sargus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for white seabream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for white seabream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • White seacatfish

    A static bottom bait in discoloured water is the presentation the page describes it taking, and it is worth a reader knowing before they pick one up, because it is one of the few genuinely venomous fish a South African shore angler meets regularly.

    • Assessment of catches in shore angling competitions from the Border region of the Eastern Cape — Pradervand & Govender, African Zoology 38(1), for the Oceanographic Research Institute, 2003 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Marine Recreational Fishing Regulations in South Africa — South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), summarising the Marine Living Resources Act and its regulations, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • White stumpnose

    The page names light bottom tackle as the method and bay and boat fishing as the setting. The Vulnerable assessment of July 2024 sits against a generous bag limit, and the record reports both because they disagree.

    • Catch and effort of the shore and skiboat linefisheries along the South African Eastern Cape coast — Brouwer & Buxton, South African Journal of Marine Science 24, for Rhodes University, 2002 (Scientific literature)Relied on for: Documents which fishery and which technique takes this species.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Marine Recreational Fishing Regulations in South Africa — South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR), summarising the Marine Living Resources Act and its regulations, 2023 (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Independently corroborates the species' recreational capture and range.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified

  • White sturgeon

    A practitioner claim about how Acipenser transmontanus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for white sturgeon.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for white sturgeon and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Whiting

    A practitioner claim about how Merlangius merlangus is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for whiting.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for whiting and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Yellowfin bream

    A practitioner claim about how Acanthopagrus australis is commonly fished, following from where and how it feeds.

    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated practitioner accounts of fishing for yellowfin bream.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of the methods used for yellowfin bream and comparable species.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Zebra seabream

    Taken on crab, limpet, squid and worm fished hard on the bottom tight against rock. It approaches and mouths a stationary bait rather than chasing a moving one, so the method is about holding position in swell against structure rather than about covering water.

    • FAO Species Identification Guides for Fishery Purposes and the FAO Species Catalogues — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Identification, distribution, habitat and fishery description from the FAO species identification guides for fishery purposes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: The widely restated practitioner account of how this species is fished.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Barbel

    Established river practice, independently described.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Leger practice for barbel in flowing water.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary barbel practice.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Reported, not established — 3 connections

Reported, but without independent support. Recorded because it is in circulation, not because it has been shown to hold.

  • Black moray

    Marked ANECDOTAL deliberately. That a moray takes a static bottom bait after dark is not in dispute and nobody has documented it as a general practice, because it is not a practice — it is an accident, and one source for it is not the two a consensus claim needs. The link exists so that a reader arriving from the method page meets the handling advice, which belongs with the species.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: That morays are encountered by shore anglers fishing baits on the bottom over rock in the Canaries.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Brown moray

    Anecdotal, on the same reasoning as the black moray. Its entire depth range of 0 to 20 m is inside a shore rod's reach and it feeds at night by scent, so a bottom bait on rock in the dark is what finds it — which is an explanation of the accident rather than evidence of a practice.

    • Canary Islands regional angling guidance sites — Various Canary-based angling and island guidance publishers (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: That morays are encountered by shore anglers fishing baits on the bottom over rock in the Canaries.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Greater forkbeard

    Taken from the Ponta Delgada working harbour on light bottom tackle in March. It locates food by scent and by the sensory threads on its pelvic fins, so a bait left on the bottom is what finds it — which is also why it is caught by anglers fishing for something else.

    • Species hunting adventures on São Miguel — a two-part March diary at named marks — Something Fishy Going On (angling blog), 2022 (Practitioner report)Relied on for: The light-tackle methods, rigs, hooks and baits a species-hunting angler used on São Miguel in March, and the species each took.States this directlyPassage read and verified

Related techniques

What experienced anglers do — 1 connection

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Coarse fishing

    How the discipline classifies it, rather than a claim about how it is fished.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Legering within British coarse practice.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Bottom fishing described in the earlier literature.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

What you fish it with

What experienced anglers do — 10 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Bite alarms and indicators

    That a practice conventionally depends on a piece of equipment, drawn from published description of practice rather than from testing.

    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse, match, carp and predator practice as reported by practitioners, including equipment convention and fishery rules on it.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice: poles, floats, retention and the conventions around them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Boilies

    The boilie record states that a boilie fished directly on the hook loses most of its advantage and is almost always fished on a hair. A hair rig is presented on the bottom on a ledger, so the bait and the presentation arrived together and are not separable.

    • Carp Fever — Beekay Publishers, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Bread

    Bread flake ledgered is a distinct presentation rather than a substitution: the flake breaks down into a cloud around a static hookbait, which is something no other coarse bait does on the bottom.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Double overhand loop

    Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice: terminal arrangements, leaders, droppers and the knots each is made with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice, including hooklength attachment, loops and the shotting arrangements they carry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Lobworms and worms

    The worm is the oldest bottom bait and needs no buoyancy or visibility to work. Ledgering presents it on the bottom in flow or at range, which are the two conditions the float page names as its own limitations.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Luncheon meat

    Meat's density is the property a ledger exploits: a cube holds station in flowing water on less lead than a lighter bait would need, and the rolling-meat presentation is a ledger with the lead reduced until the bait moves.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Particle baits

    The particle page describes holding fish searching a patch of bottom on small items with a hookbait among them. That is a bottom presentation by construction — there is no float version of it.

    • Carp Fever — Beekay Publishers, 1981 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Specialist treatment of which bait or lure family this technique is fished with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The independently restated practitioner pairing of this technique with this family.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Paternoster rig

    That a method is conventionally fished on a particular terminal arrangement, drawn from angling literature and from widely restated practitioner description rather than from testing.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Long-running published description of British sea angling practice, including trace construction, dropper loops and the knots used in them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated public description of which knots are conventionally tied for which sea connections, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Running leger

    That a method is conventionally fished on a particular terminal arrangement, drawn from angling literature and from widely restated practitioner description rather than from testing.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice: terminal arrangements, leaders, droppers and the knots each is made with.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice, including hooklength attachment, loops and the shotting arrangements they carry.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Uni knot

    Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.

    • Knots Every Angler Should Know — Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 2015 (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: A state fisheries agency's knot guide: which knot is set out for which connection, and the fishing it is presented for.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Learn to fish: tying the knot — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 2025 (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The same connections set out independently by a second state wildlife agency, written separately and agreeing on purpose and material.States this directlyPassage read and verified

Skills behind it

What experienced anglers do — 5 connections

Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.

  • Getting bait where you want it

    A link from a practice or a piece of equipment to the mechanism or explanation it rests on.

    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical British coarse angling practice: river float work, shotting, bait delivery and the reels and rods used for each.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive British freshwater angling practice including river float fishing, surface presentation and the equipment for each.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • How weights and sinkers work

    A link from a practice or a piece of equipment to the explanation of what it is for. The two records are halves of one answer and the edge is what lets a reader arriving at either find the other.

    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice including tackle setup, the function of each component and the balance between them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Coarse Fishing — A. & C. Black, 1912 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Classical coarse angling practice including float shotting, bite registration and terminal arrangement.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Line memory, stretch and bite detection

    Bite detection at distance is the central practical problem of ledgering and is discussed in exactly these terms.

    • IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Tackle definitions and the dimensions by which tackle is specified.Background and mechanism onlyPassage read and verified
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: British freshwater practice on tackle selection and its reasoning.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Presenting bait in strong tide

    The problem and its solutions are recognisably the same in river and tidal fishing.

    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Sea angling practice on shore and boat fishing in tidal conditions.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comparable reasoning about reading moving water and presenting bait in it, independently arrived at in the freshwater tradition.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Reading a river for fish

    A link from a practice, an environment or a geography to the mechanism it rests on. It asserts that the mechanism is load-bearing here rather than merely relevant, which is the test applied throughout this file.

    • Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK and European coarse, match and predator practice as reported by practitioners, including how conditions are read on the waters named.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
    • General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated descriptions of how the condition named governs the practice named, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as scholarship.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Backed by research — 2 connections

Supported by peer-reviewed research or fisheries science. The sources are listed and can be checked.

  • How fish smell and taste

    Static scented baits work through a scent plume rather than sight.

    • FishBase: a global information system on fishes — Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds. — FishBase Consortium (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Species and habitat data underlying this connection. Static scented baits work through a scent plume rather than sight.States this directlyPassage read and verified

  • Reading the tide

    The same mechanism from the general technique's side.

    • NOAA Ocean Service tides and water levels educational tutorial — National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: That tidal flow rate varies through the cycle.States this directlyPassage read and verified
    • Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Practitioner treatment of bottom fishing in tidal flow.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

Official guidance — 2 connections

Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.

  • Ledgering, bottom fishing and legering: one idea, three words

    The method page and the vocabulary that surrounds it internationally.

    • FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Bottom-fishing gear configurations and terminology.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

  • Sinker, weight and lead: regional vocabulary

    The freshwater case where the same object does a different job.

    • FAO fishing gear types and fishing technology information — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Weight and sinker types, their functions and the vocabulary applied to them.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.

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