Association of British Scrabble Players

Culture > Sport > Fishing


Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.


angle to fish with a hook and line.
angler one that angles.
angleworm a earthworm of the genus Lumbricus, frequently used by anglers for bait.
angling the sport of fishing > ANGLINGS.
backcast a backward movement with a fishing-line prior to casting; (verb) to make such a cast.
bait food put on a hook to attract fish or make them bite; (verb) to put bait on a hook.
baiter one who baits.
baitfish fish used as bait.
baker an artificial fly used in salmon-fishing.
bellyboat a water safety device, chiefly used in angling, consisting of a large, circular inflated rubber tube attached around a person's waist.
bobfloat a small buoyant float used in angling.
bonefishing the sport of fishing for BONEFISH.
bucktail a type of fishing lure.
buzzbait an artificial bait with small blades that stir the water.
bycatch an immature fish, esp. one caught along with the main catch.
cast to throw a fishing-line or net into the water.
catworm a polychaete worm frequently used as a fishing bait.
cauf a basket for fish > CAUVES.
chum a groundbait of chopped fish, etc used by anglers.
conder a person who, stationed on high ground, signals the direction taken by shoals of herring etc. to a fishing boat.
crabber a crab fisherman.
crankbait a fishing lure with a shape that enables it to dive and stay under water.
creel an angler's basket; (verb) to put fish into a creel.
croove cruive cruve a wattled fish-trap used in a river or estuary.
dap to fish with a fly bounced gently on the water.
dapper one who daps, in angling > DAPPERS; (adj.) trim, neat > DAPPERER, DAPPEREST; DAPPERLY.
dib to dip bait gently into the water when fishing.
dipnet a hand-held fishing scoop; (verb) to fish with this > DIPNETS, DIPNETTING, DIPNETTED.
doryman one that fishes from a dory.
doughball a kind of bait used in carp fishing.
dragnet a large net drawn behind a boat.
driftnet a large fishing net arranged to drift with the current.
dropfly an artificial fly attached to a leader in angling.
eeling the act of fishing for eels.
electrofishing fishing by stunning fish with electric shock > ELECTROFISHINGS.
fishability the state of being FISHABLE.
fishable that can be fished.
fisher a fisherman; also a type of marten, aka PEKAN or WOODSHOCK.
fisherman a man who fishes as an occupation or for pleasure.
fisherwoman a woman who fishes as an occupation or for pleasure.
fishery the business or practice of catching fish.
fishhook a barbed hook for catching fish.
fishing the occupation or pastime of catching fish.
fishline a line for catching fish.
fishnet a net for catching fish.
fishpole a fishing rod.
fishway a device for enabling fish to get round a dam.
fishworm a worm used as bait.
flyfisher one who fishes with a fly.
flyline a type of line used in fly fishing.
flymaker a person who ties artificial flies for angling.
flyrodder an angler using artificial fly.
flytier one who ties flies for angling.
gaff a hook for catching large fish; (verb) to catch with such a hook.
gamefish a fish caught for sport.
gill to catch fish by the gills > GILLS, GILLING, GILLED.
giller one that GILLS, catches fish with a gillnet.
gillnet a type of fishing net in which fish are caught by the gills; (verb) to fish with a gillnet > GILLNETS, GILLNETTING, GILLNETTED.
grannom a type of caddis fly used in angling.
groundbait bait dropped to the bottom to bring fish to the neighbourhood.
guddle to catch fish barehanded.
gurdy a winch on a fishing boat.
haaf in Orkney, a deep-sea fishing-ground. [ON haf, sea].
hairwing a fishing lure tied with hair.
halieutic pertaining to fishing.
halieutics the art or practice of fishing.
handline a fishing line worked by hand.
handliner one who fishes with a handline.
harl a fibre of flax, etc; a barb of a feather, esp one used in making an artificial fly for angling; such a fly; (verb) to drag along the ground, to troll for fish.
icefish to fish through a hole in ice.
jacklight a kind of fishing lure; (verb) to fish with a jacklight > JACKLIGHTS, JACKLIGHTING, JACKLIGHTED.
kakivak an Inuit fishing spear.
keepnet a cone-shaped net suspended in a river, in which fish caught by anglers can be kept alive.
kiddle kidel a stake-fence set in a stream for catching fish.
longline a long fishing line with many hooks attached.
longliner one who fishes wiht a longline.
maggotorium a place where maggots are bred for sale to fishers > MAGGOTORIA.
monofil a single strand of synthetic fibre; a fishing-line so constituted.
norsel a short piece of line for fastening fish-hooks; (verb, obs.) to fish with a norsel > NORSELS, NORSELLING, NORSELLED.
norseller one who fishes with a NORSEL.
outfish to surpass in fishing.
overfish to fish to excess.
overnetting the act of covering with a net > OVERNETTINGS.
panfishing fishign for small fish suitable for the pan > PANFISHINGS.
piscator a (male) angler.
piscatory of or pertaining to fishes or fishing.
piscatrix a (female) angler > PISCATRIXES.
prawner one who fishes for prawns.
putcheon putcher a wire trap for catching salmon.
rebait to bait again.
rodfisher one who fishes by rod.
rodfishing fishing with a rod and line.
rodster an angler.
saltchucker a saltwater angler.
scalloper one who fishes for scallops.
sean a kind of fishing-net; (verb) to fish with such a net.
seine a kind of fishing-net; (verb) to fish with such a net.
seining fishing with a seine-net > SEININGS.
setline a strong fishing line between buoys.
sinker a weight for siking anything, such as a fishing-line.
snagger a person who uses illegal fishing methods.
snell (noun) a short line used to attach a fish-hook to a main fishing line; (verb) to attach such a hook; (adj.) keen, sharp > SNELLER, SNELLEST; SNELLY.
sniggle to fish for eels by thrusting the baited hook into their holes or hiding places.
sniggler one who SNIGGLES, fishes for eels.
spoonbait spoonhook a lure on a swivel, used in trolling for fish.
sportfisherman a motorboat equipped for sportfishing.
sportfishing fishing for sport.
squid (verb) to fish using squid as bait > SQUIDS, SQUIDDING, SQUIDDED.
surfcaster one who fishes from the shore by casting into the surf.
swimfeeder a device containing bait, attached to the line to ensure the gradual baiting of the swim from under the surface.
swoffer one who engages in SWOFFING, the sport of saltwater fly-fishing.
swoffing the sport of saltwater fly-fishing.
tailfly in angling, the lowest fly on a wet-fly cast.
trat a type of fishing line holding a series of baited hooks.
trawl to fish by dragging a net along the sea bottom.
trawlnet an open-mouthed bag-net for dragging along the sea-bed.
troll to fish by drawing bait along in the water.
troller a person who trolls, esp. in fishing; a fishing boat used for trolling a line.
trotline a fishing line across a waterway with baited hooks.
trouter a person who fishes for trout.
troutful full of trout.
trouting trout-fishing > TROUTINGS.
troutless without trout.
trouty containing trout > TROUTIER, TROUTIEST.
underfish to fish insufficiently.
unfished not fished.
whiff to fish with a hand line towed behind a boat.
whiffer one that WHIFFS, fishes with a hand-line.
wormfly a type of lure used by anglers.