enrollar
/enroˈʝaɾ/
To reel in (fishing) in Spanish is enrollar.
The verb enrollar refers to the mechanical action of winding. While 'enrollar' is the literal translation for the mechanical action of winding, in many Spanish-speaking regions, fishermen might use sacar el pez (to take the fish out) to describe the complete act of reeling a fish in.
Meaning: (fishing) bring out of the water (verb)
How do you pronounce it?
/enroˈʝaɾ/
Did you know?
- The root rollo in enrollar is also used in modern Spanish slang to describe a long, tedious story or a complicated situation, as if the conversation is being 'rolled out' like a spool of line.
- A fisherman might use the verb recoger instead of enrollar when talking about the line. This translates to 'to gather' or 'to collect', treating the fishing line as something to be tidied up.
- In some coastal regions, using enrollar to describe catching a fish can sound overly mechanical, as if the speaker is winding a carpet rather than fighting a live animal.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are fishing at a lake.
- Elena¡Mira, Mateo! Algo está picando.Look, Mateo! Something is biting.
- Mateo¡Rápido, Elena, empieza a enrollar!Quick, Elena, start reeling it in!
- ElenaEstá muy pesado, no puedo enrollar más.It's too heavy, I can't reel it in anymore.
- MateoYo te ayudo a enrollar el sedal.I will help you reel in the line.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry enrollar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
