Mid-section – The middle part of a rod.
Mark – An area of the sea or shore that produces fish on a regular basis.
Main line – The line which is wound onto the fishing reel.
Maddie – This is a small member of the ragworm family that lives in dense colonies. It is a useful bait for flounders in particular.
Mackerel flapper – a widely used bait for conger and tope. Produced by cutting the sides of the mackerel to remove the backbone but retaining the head.
Lure – An artificial bait used in motion to attract fish to strike. Can be made of wood, plastic, rubber or metal. Examples include Redgills, jellyworms, plugs and spinners.
Lugworm – Probably the most common bait used in the UK and Europe. Found in sand and clean mud it lives in burrows and throws up sand casts as it digs. There are at least two species of lug worm found around the European coastline, blow or common lug and the larger black lug.
Low water mark – The lowest point along a coastline that any given tide recedes to.
Low pressure area – In an area of low pressure the air has a tendency to rise. This general upward motion means that there is less pressure from the air pushing down on the earth, in other words there is low pressure. As air rises, it cools and if there is enough water vapour it may condense to form clouds and rain.
Live-well – A special compartment on a boat that keeps fish alive so they can be released at a later date. See aeration tank.