Trip and booking words

Charter: A boat service sold for an outing. Check whether the offer reserves the boat for your party or sells individual places. The word alone does not tell you which.

Private trip: An offer for your party's use, subject to the stated passenger limit. Shared trip: An offer where places may be sold to separate customers. Read private versus shared before comparing a per-seat price with a whole-boat price.

Dock-to-dock: The period from departure to return, including travel. It is not necessarily the number of hours spent fishing. See the time explanation.

Deposit: An upfront payment under the booking terms. Check whether it is credited toward the total, when the balance is due and what happens after cancellation. It should not automatically be counted twice in your budget.

Head: A boat's toilet. Ask about privacy, steps, space and whether guests can use it; the presence of a head does not establish accessibility.

Fishing methods

Trolling: Fishing lines while the boat moves. Bottom fishing: Presenting bait or a rig near the bottom or structure. Jigging: Working a weighted lure with rod movement and retrieval. The offshore methods guide explains what guests do in each format.

Sight fishing: Looking for an individual fish or visible opportunity and making a deliberate presentation. Popping cork: A float arrangement used above bait or a lure, with movement and sound forming part of the presentation. Read inshore methods.

Light tackle: A relative description of a fishing setup, not a standardized promise of easy fishing, a small boat or a particular target.

Tackle and gear

Rod power: The rod's resistance to bending under load. Action: Where it tends to bend. These are different from its permitted lure ratings; see power and action.

Drag: The reel mechanism that lets line leave under resistance. Ask the crew before changing a supplied reel's settings.

Leader: The section connecting the main line to the hook or lure arrangement. Terminal tackle: Components at the working end, such as hooks, weights and swivels. A rig is their arrangement. See hooks, weights and leaders.

Bait versus lure: Bait commonly means natural material used to attract fish; a lure is an artificial presentation. Product descriptions can be loose, so ask what is included rather than inferring from the word.

Water and conditions

Inshore, nearshore and offshore: Broad trip descriptions, not consistent distance, comfort or price bands. Read the comparison.

Brackish: Water influenced by freshwater and saltwater mixing. Tide height: Water level relative to a stated reference, not automatic depth beneath a boat. River stage: A gauge reading relative to its reference, also not a navigable-depth guarantee. See tide versus depth and river gauges.

Catch and rules

Bag limit: A retention quantity for the category and period specified by the rule. Possession limit: A limit on fish held under the rule's terms. Slot limit: A size-range provision; the actual allowed range and exceptions come from the applicable rule.

Fork length versus total length: Different fish measurements that cannot be substituted casually. Check the specified method in measuring fish.

These short definitions help you ask better questions. The complete rule, operator terms or product instructions govern the actual decision. Keep exploring resources whenever a term changes what you plan to buy or do.