RODEO 101: If you don't know what a Sailcat is, this glossary's for you

Starting Monday, thousands of spectators will hit the docks behind A.J.'s Seafood and Oyster Bar to take in the sights, smells and sounds of the Destin Fishing Rodeo. Here's some important Rodeo terminology to make sure that nothing said during the month of October is lost in translation.

Amberjack - A fish with a heavy brownish and gold-hued body with a dark line that extends through the eye and ends at the dorsal fin. Average size offshore is 30-60 pounds.

Armorette - An adolescent snapper.

Bait - Anything used to catch fish such as live bait or lures. Bait can range from pieces of squid to herring.

Banjo - A nickname for the triggerfish.

Billfish - A term referring to a number of large fish with long, sword-like bills. Such fish include the blue marlin, white marlin, swordfish, and the sailfish.

Blackfin tuna - This tuna has a dark body with a bronze stripe down its side. Typical catches of blackfin tuna are two to 20 pounds but can exceed 40 pounds.

Bluefish - A fish with dark green or steel blue shading to white or silver on its side and undersides, forked tail and a dark spot at the base of the pectoral fin. Average catch is six to seven pounds.

Blue marlin - A dark blue billfish with a lighter underside and several vertical stripes. Common from about 150 pounds to 500 pounds. Don't expect to see this fish at the docks; blue marlin are nearly always tagged and released.

Bonito - A fish with a series of wavy lines along the upper half of its body. Averaging 4 to 10 pounds, the fish is typically found in the open Gulf but roams to the surf.

Bottom Fishing - A method of fishing the bottom of a body of water by attaching a weight or sinker to the line and sinking the bait.

Chum - A mixture of fish parts (and rumor has it, parts from other animals) and fish blood used to attract and lure fish to an area; primarily used to catch sharks.

Cobia - Also known as "ling," this long, slender fish has a broad depressed head and a dark lateral stripe that extends from eye to tail. Locally, cobia are typically found nearshore.

Dolphin - Another name for mahi mahi, not Flipper.

Drawing - A nicer term for gutting a fish.

Fare-carrying boat - A boat owned and operated as a charter fishing business in Destin.

Football - A nickname for the blackfin tuna, because of its shape.

Fudpucker - A nickname for the triggerfish, so called because of the expletives than can come out of an angler's mouth after a painful bite.

Gag - Also known as the gray grouper, this fish is gray or light brown with wavy marks on its sides. The fish can reach 50 pounds on offshore wrecks or other reefs but are typically 20-30 pounds.

Great Barracuda - Elongated, silverish body with narrow head and pointed lower jaw bearing large, razor-sharp teeth.

Gumbo - Not the kind served at A.J.'s but rather an assortment of fish guts and other nastiness that weighmaster Bruce Cheves courteously offers to Rodeo spectators.

Holy mackerel - a mackerel caught on Sunday.

Jack Crevalle - A yellowish fish with a white underside and a sickleshaped tail. Found in any Gulf waters, from deep reefs to coastal rivers. Also known as the Common Jack. The Jack Crevalle is one third of the Trash Can Slam along with the Ladyfish and the Sailcat.

Junior angler - An angler younger than 12 years of age.

King Mackerel - A fish with an elongated, greenish, silver body, large mouth and razor teeth. King Mackerel can be hooked very close to the beach and even from fishing piers. The largest king mackerel caught in the Rodeo will win the King Mackerel Jackpot and thousands of dollars in prize money.

Kitty Mitchell - also known as the Calico Grouper, this fish is typically dark gray or reddish brown in color with creamy or white spots on its sides, gill covers and fins. Most catches of this fish range from 5 to 20 pounds.

Ladyfish - A slender, silvery fish with a deeply forked tail and a large, scoop-shaped lower jaw. Typical catches of ladyfish are 1 to 2 pounds. The Ladyfish is one-third of the Trash Can Slam with the sailcat and Jack Crevalle.

Leaderboard - A board containing all of the Rodeo's current leaders in overall divisions as well as the weekly divisions.

Little Tuna - A fish similar in appearance to the Bonito but features dark spots around the pectoral fins. Average catch around 15 pounds. Also known as "Little Tunny" and "Blue Bonito."

Mess - A large catch.

Miss Destin - Chosen by a panel of judges from the community earlier in the year, Miss Destin's primary responsibility is to pose with the angler of every catch weighed in and update the Rodeo leaderboard. Miss Destin 2007 is Emily Kaltz.

Monkeyboat - A term used to describe a private boat or a boat not carrying passengers or anglers for-hire.

Open division - A division open to anglers on both charter and private boats.

Pan Fry - A category for fish typically small enough to fit in a large pan. These fish include pompano, spanish mackerel, flounder, sheepshead, sailcat, mingo snapper and striped bass.

Party boat - A term for a large charter boat that can accommodate large numbers of passengers on fishing trips.

Pompano - The fish is silver with yellow on the underside with a gently rounded head. Typical catch of Pompano is 1 to 2 pounds. Can be caught from the beach, off seawalls and from fishing piers.

Red grouper - Light or rusty red with whitish spots and large blotches. Commonly 1 to 10 pounds, maxes out at about 40 pounds.

Red snapper - Considered by some to be Destin's signature fish, the red snapper is rosy red in color all over its body, with a triangular fin and red eyes. Average catch is around 8 to 10 pounds.

Reef - Can be artificial (placed there by humans) or natural. Fish often make their homes here. Reefs are often hot-spots for deep-sea fishing and bottom fishing. Cars, chicken coops, sunken ships and old school buses have all served as reefs.

Rootin' Tootin' Rodeo Round-Up - An event held annually at the Okaloosa Island Fishing Pier for anglers 12 years of age and younger.

Sailcat - also knows as the "Gattopsail Catfish." Distinctive features includes long, flowing extensions off the dorsal and pectoral fins and very long barbels at the corners of the mouth and two more barbels under the mouth. The Sailcats have a thick slime that makes them difficult to handle and dangerous spines. Typical catch is 2 to 4 pounds. The Sailcat is one-third of the Trash Can Slam with the ladyfish and the Jack Crevalle.

Sailfish - Difficult to miss because of its sail-like dorsal fin that gives the fish its name. Averages 30-60 pounds. A rare sight at the docks as killing billfish is typically frowned upon because of dwindling numbers in the Gulf of Mexico.

Scales - The area where anglers bring fish to be weighed and recorded for entry into the Rodeo.

Scamp - A deep tan or chocolate brown fish with multiple darker marks that form dots or lines or groups of lines. Average catch is under 10 pounds. Also known as the brown grouper.

Sheepshead - Identified by black vertical bands against its white, gray or yellowish skin. The fish's mouth is full of massive, protruding teeth that give the fish its name. Average catch is 5 to 7 pounds.

Slob - A big cobia.

Snowy grouper - Dark gray or brown with scattered whitish spots. Typical catch of this fish is 5 to 10 pounds.

Spanish Mackerel - A fish identified by its dark body with silver sides marked by brown and yellow spots. The fish's habitat is mainly coastal but can venture offshore.

Swordfish - The bill on this fish is much longer and wider than the bills of marlins and sailfish. The swordfish has very large eyes and a dark body with white undersides. Catches can range from 100 to 1,000 pounds. A rare sight at the scales.

Tackle - The gear (rods, reels, hooks, lure) that you need to fish.

The Billfish Tradition - If an angler comes to the scales after catching his first billfish, he'll be thrown into the harbor in accordance with a tradition of unknown origin.

The Jackpot - The Rodeo's King Mackerel Jackpot is one of the most sought after Rodeo prizes. Last year's jackpot was about $11,000.

"Time is..." - A phrase uttered by the Rodeo weighmaster to indicate to the Rodeo's judges that a fish and angler need to be recorded for entry into the Rodeo.

Trash Can Slam - A division new to the Rodeo this year, which awards $1,000 to the angler who brings in the heaviest aggregate catch of ladyfish, sailcat and Jack Crevalle.

Triggerfish - Also known as "banjo" and "fudpucker," the triggerfish is dark gray in color and can sometimes have darker blotches on the sides. Average catch is 1 to 3 pounds.

Trolling - A method of fishing in which bait or a lure is pulled slowly behind a boat.

Vermillion Snapper - Bright red near its dorsal fin fading to pinkish then white near its underside. Average catch is less than a pound. Also known as the mingo snapper.

Wahoo - A fish identified by its long, slender body marked with zebralike stripes and elongated, narrow mouth. Typically found in deep blue water.

Warsaw Grouper - A dark brown fish with light brown near its undersides and a square, yellow tail. The second-largest Gulf grouper, the most commonly caught warsaw are 30-80 pounds.

Weighmaster - Bruce Cheves, the Rodeo's longtime weighmaster, oversees the weighing and recording of fish for entry into the Rodeo. When the scales get slow, the weighmaster becomes the de facto entertainment and Cheves is famous for his fish tales.

White marlin - Similar in color to the blue marlin but has a lighter tint to its body. White marlins average 40-700 pounds. Don't expect to see any of these landing on the docks; marlin are a federally protected species and are traditionally tagged.

Yellowfin tuna - Also known as "ahi," this tuna is identified by its large second dorsal and anal fins that are typically yellow and crescent-shaped. The yellowfin tuna can run from a few pounds to more than 200 pounds.