What is a "swim"

[corydoras]

'Swim'' is one of those words I learned about coarse fishing when I first moved away from this area as a teenager. We just didn't use it, I suppose the nearest thing to it was a 'beat', a salmon fishing term used to describe a stretch of river. (usually much longer than a static fishing peg)'' Peg' was another one, all it meant to me once was something to hold a tent down with or hang ones washing with.

 

Now although rarely if ever using the words I undestand 'swim' to be the water I am fishing, and 'peg' as the bit of riverbank or lake shore from which I am fishing.

 

How about boat fishing, which makes up a good percentage of my angling. is thr peg in the boat and the swin the water all around it?

Ditto.

[Steve Walker]

Do you think that 'our' or any other class system can be superimposed upon angling?

 

Comment was tongue in cheek, but it's certainly the case that an awful lot of fly anglers I've come across think they are a cut above "bait fishers".

[Steve Walker]

Peg' was another one, all it meant to me once was something to hold a tent down with or hang ones washing with.

You "peg out" a match - ie, you walk the bank and stick a numbered peg into each spot that a competitor is going to fish from. Edited November 13, 2014 by Steve Walker

[gozzer]

Is calling it a 'hole' exclusive to Yorkshire then? We've always referred to particular swims as (insert an obvious feature) hole, such as, the fence end hole, the big/small willow hole, the bottom hole (last peg downstream), the boiler hole, the mucky hole, and the tin can hole. The last one is a bit of a puzzle, I can think of a half dozen 'tin can' holes, all at different venues, and I've never seen a tin can in any of them!

I think it must be a local thing, we do have 'cake hole', 'ear hole', (or 'oil', if tha's gunna be pedantic) etc, so it could be a continuation of that.

 

John.

[Steve Walker]

The Americans talk about a "fishing hole"

[gozzer]

The Americans talk about a "fishing hole"

 

I hadn't thought of that, but their's is none specific. Any old hole will do for them.

 

John.

[Emma two]

Is calling it a 'hole' exclusive to Yorkshire then?

No it's not, well have 'holes' in our rivers too (not to be confused with 'dubs'), the 'Black 'ole, the Brewery 'ole etc.

[Phone]

All,

 

We have two "holes" in fishing vernacular. One, the venue ("I'm going down to the fishing hole on the river"). Two, the "hot spot" within the swim (I'm gonna chum that hole over yonder").

 

Phone

[Emma two]

You "peg out" a match - ie, you walk the bank and stick a numbered peg into each spot that a competitor is going to fish from.

Yes thanks, I know that now, indeed many a sunday morning before dawn I walked the banks of the river and shore of the lake in Berlin 'pegging out' for matches. Complete with a bag containing bingo counters for the draws.

Edited November 13, 2014 by Emma two

[Dick Dastardly]

Think Im with Mathew in that the swim is the water in front of the peg on the bank.