rough fish

American

noun

any fish that is not valued as a sport fish or considered a significant source of food by sport fishers.

rough fish British

noun

a fish that is neither a sport fish nor useful as food or bait for sport fish

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of rough fish

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

rough fish

Saturday was rough fish day, which meant spearing primarily nonnative carp.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 11, 2015

Some Michigan devotees, in non-trout waters, were taking so-called "rough fish," e.g., carp and suckers, by an ancient method: lantern fishing with a bow & arrow.

From Time Magazine Archive

Americans throw back "rough" fish like sheepshead and mullet, but the Vietnamese live on them.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023