Fishing terms, demystified
Fishing glossary for Kelowna charters
The vocabulary Dennis uses onboard, translated for first-time guests.
- Kokanee salmon
- Landlocked sockeye. Spend their entire life cycle in a lake. Okanagan Lake's flagship species.
- Dodger
- A flat metal attractor trolled ahead of the lure to create flash and vibration. Kokanee and sockeye essential.
- Hoochie
- A small rubber squid skirt fished behind a dodger. Prime kokanee lure.
- Downrigger
- A weighted line system that holds your lure at a precise depth while trolling. Essential for kokanee.
- Burbot
- Freshwater cod. Ugly, weird, delicious. Winter specialty on Shuswap Lake.
- Chinook salmon
- King salmon. The Shuswap population is landlocked.
- Trolling
- Pulling baited lines behind a slowly moving boat. The primary method we use.
- Jigging
- Vertically lifting and dropping a weighted lure. Used for deep fish and burbot.
- Leader
- The thin line between your main line and the lure — usually fluorocarbon for invisibility.
- Fluorocarbon
- A line material nearly invisible underwater. Standard for leaders.
- Barbless hook
- A hook with the barb flattened or removed — required by BC regulation in most waters and kinder on released fish.
- Catch and release
- The practice of unhooking and returning fish without harm. Core to keeping Okanagan Lake fishing well.
- Thermocline
- The layer where lake temperature drops rapidly with depth. Fish often hold above, below, or within it.
- Structure
- Any underwater feature (drop-off, point, creek mouth) that concentrates fish.
- Spinning rod
- A rod with an open-faced reel. Common for casting; less common for trolling.
- Level-wind reel
- The standard trolling reel with a mechanism that lays line evenly across the spool.
- Apex plug
- A molded-plastic diving plug commonly used in BC trolling.
- Flasher
- A larger attractor (bigger than a dodger) used for salmon trolling — more flash, more pull.
- Pautzke Fire Corn
- A bottled, dyed, scented corn kernel used to tip hoochies. Kokanee essential.
- Okanagan basin
- One of three deep basins of Okanagan Lake (north, central, south). Each fishes differently.
- Ogopogo
- Okanagan Lake's legendary lake creature. We haven't caught one yet.
- BC fishing licence
- Required for anglers 16+. Purchased online from the Province of BC. One-day, eight-day, or annual options.
- Salmon Conservation Stamp
- An optional add-on to your licence required to keep salmon species.
- ROC-M
- Transport Canada's Restricted Operator Certificate (Maritime Commercial). Required for commercial charter operators.
- Pleasure Craft Operator Card
- Transport Canada's basic boating licence for recreational boaters.
- PFD
- Personal Flotation Device (life jacket). All passengers have one accessible; children 12 and under must wear one.