Back Close

How to Catch Fish How to Tie Fishing Knots Fishing Gear and Tackle How to Fish with Lures How to Fish with Live Bait Fishing Safety Fishing Tips When to Fish Types of Fishing Fishing Terms Fishing and Conservation Fishing Resources View All

When to Saltwater Fish Saltwater Bait and Lures Saltwater Fishing Tackle Types of Saltwater Fishing Saltwater Fishing Gear Saltwater Fish Species Saltwater Fishing FAQ View All

Best Freshwater Fishing When to Freshwater Fish Freshwater Bait and Lures Learn About Freshwater Fish Species Best Freshwater Fishing Gear Freshwater Fishing FAQ View All

Fly Fishing Basics Fly Fishing Flies Fly Fishing Gear Fly Casting View All

Ice Fishing Basics Ice Fishing Gear Ice Fishing Techniques View All

Boating Basics How to Boat Boating and Water Safety Choose Your Boat Use our Boat Explorer Tool Get on the Water View All

Select a state to find fishing and boating information:

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho

Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri

Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania

Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

Get A Fishing License

Get started fishing today, purchase your fishing license online, check regulations and more.

It’s all in a Nickname

Tom Keer

2/16/2012

Sometimes it’s tough to figure out just what the heck a fisherman is talking about. Fish names vary by region, but they also shift around quite a bit within the region. Proper names and common names are usually the culprit, and it’s a head scratcher when someone reports a big pod of blackfish in Massachusetts Bay and a Connecticut angler says “I thought that Blackfish lived in and around rocks and jetties?” Sometimes it can get very funny, much like the Abbott and Costello “Who’s on First.”

Some of the names seem to come from natural events. One of the various names for Little tunny is an appleknocker. That came about from the time of year when the fish departs the coastline, which is when the apples fall from the trees. Squeteague is the Native American name for Cynoscion regalis, a fish that inhabits bays and marshes. It’s known as a weakfish because hooks pull from their soft mouths, tide runners because the fast-swimming fish move in large schools along the surface. Redfish, or drum, get their name from the sound they make during mating season. And the Redear sunfish comes by the name shellcracker honestly; they eat snails and other freshwater mollusks by cracking their shells.

Here’s a start to a list of fish that come to mind. It’s a fun way to start, and I’m sure if it were chronicled fully then there are likely to be more nicknames that common names. That, to me, is part of the fun of it.

Blackfish: Pilot Whale
Lake Trout: Togue (Maine)
Squeteague: Weakfish, Tiderunner, Grey Trout, Sea Trout
Dolly Varden: Bull Trout
Menhaden: Bunker, Pogey
Chum Salmon: Dog Salmon (AK)
Bluefish: Blue Dogs
Herring: Buckies
Brook Trout: Square Tails
Striped Bass: Rockfish, stripers, linesiders, brown dogs, old pajamas
Little Tunny: False albacore, albies, appleknockers
Skipjack: Skippies, mushmouths
Redfish: Drum
Redear sunfish: Shellcrackers

Fishing

Tom Keer

Tom Keer is an award-winning writer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Writer for Covey Rise magazine, a Contributing Editor for both Fly Rod and Reel and Fly Fish America, and a blogger for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing program. Keer writes regularly for over a dozen outdoor magazines on topics related to fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor pursuits. When they are not fishing, Keer and his family hunt upland birds over their three English setters. His first book, a Fly Fishers Guide to the New England Coast was released in January 2011. Visit him at www.tomkeer.com or at www.thekeergroup.com.

Latest Posts

The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.

Go To Fish Identifier