Ventral fin – The paired fin located on the front of a fish’s abdomen.

warmwater – Refers to fish habitat or fish that are warmwater species, such as largemouth bass, sunfish, and catfish, as opposed to coldwater species such as trout, grayling and salmon or cool-water species such as northern pike and walleye.

water column – Vertical section of the lake.

water dog – Any of several large salamanders (the larval or aquatic stage). They are popular as live bait.

weedguard – A protective device on fishing hooks to prevent picking up weeds.

weedless – A description of a lure designed to be fished in heavy cover with a minimum amount of snagging. Various strategies are often employed to make a lure weedless.

weed line – Abrupt edge of an aquatic weed-bed caused by a change in depth, bottom type, or other factor.

weigh-in – Term typically applied to the weighing in of fish at a tournament.

wet fly – A fly fished underwater.

Westy Worm – A brand name of plastic worm with a leadhead that has two exposed hooks already rigged.

white bass – A type of true bass that is only found at Lake Pleasant in Arizona. White bass are related to striped bass and yellow bass. None of these bass are native Arizona fish.

worm-fishing (worm-fisherman) – The act of using worms, either natural or man-made, to catch fish, although the term worming typically refers to the act of using artificial worms to catch fish.

wooly worm, or wooly bugger – A popular type of wet fly often used by fly anglers fishing lakes.

year class – Fish of a given species that were all spawned in the same year or at the same time.

yellow bass – A specific species in the true bass family. In Arizona, yellow bass are found in Apache, Canyon and Saguaro lakes along the Salt River.

yellow cat – a flathead catfish.

young-of-the-year – refers to fish in their first year of life, often referring to immature fish.

Zara Puppy, Zara Spook, Zara Pooch – Brand names of topwater lures.

zooplankton – Animals (mostly microscopic) that drift freely in the water column.

Z-ray – A brand name of heavy spoon typically used in trout fishing.

zug bug – A type of wet fly or fly pattern commonly used by fly fishers in lakes.