L.A. SPEAK

With El Nino here, local fishing action is hot. A selection of anglerese:

boils n. a school of anchovy driven to the surface by attacking fish. Their frenzied swimming creates a churning movement in the water. “We’re trolling, but keep your eye peeled for boils .”

bonehead n. bonito. Syn. bones, ‘nitos, poor man’s tuna.

cattle boat n. an uncomplimentary term for a party-fishing boat.

‘chovy n. anchovy, often used, alive or dead, as bait. Small anchovies are called pinheads.

‘cuda n. barracuda. Syn. snake, barrie. Small ones are called scooters or skimmers.

dog n. sea lion. “Please don’t feed the dogs .”

flatties n. halibut. Syn. barn doors (when big).

fly-line v. to cast bait without a sinker. “To catch bonito, fly-line the ‘chovy.”

hook-up n. a warning call to other anglers that a fish is on, so avoid tangling tangle lines.

hot stick n. a fishing rod that’s caught a great many fish.

iron n. metal lure. “We were throwing iron into the boils but the yellowtail were so thick we couldn’t reach the tuna.”

low bridge n. old phrase used just before casting to warn other anglers to watch out for the hook.

meatball n. a dense, ball-shaped school of fish driven to the surface by predators.

sandies n . barred sand bass.

shoe n. a horseshoe-shaped kelp bed off Los Angeles Harbor. “We caught ‘cudas at the shoe .”

tommy n. white croaker, also called tomcod, Malibu trout. (They are regarded as the most contaminated fish in L. A.-area waters.)

yellow n. yellowtail. Small yellows are called firecrackers.