Glossary

The specs in plain English

What each term on a gear spec sheet means, and how it changes the way the thing rides. No jargon for its own sake.

Drag system: The friction clutch that lets a reel slip line to a pulling fish before the line breaks. Smoothness matters more than the max number.
Fishing line types: The three main lines: monofilament stretches and floats, fluorocarbon disappears and sinks, braid is thin and stretch-free. Each fishes differently.
Fly line weight: The numbered weight class of a fly line, 1 through 14, matched to the rod's number. In fly casting the line is the casting weight, not the fly.
Gear ratio: How many times the spool or rotor turns per handle turn, written like 6.4:1. High ratio retrieves fast, low ratio winches hard.
Leader and tippet: The tapered clear section between fly line and fly, ending in the tippet. Sized by the X system, where a bigger X number means thinner material.
Lure diving depth: How deep a crankbait runs, set mostly by its bill. Matching that depth to where the fish hold is most of what crankbait choice is.
Rod action: Where a rod bends under load: fast bends near the tip, slow bends into the handle. It decides hookset speed and how well a fish stays pinned.
Rod power: How much force it takes to bend a rod, rated ultralight to heavy. It sets the line and lure weights the rod is built to throw.