Fish (term)

From WikiPOBia

Fishing is a way to temporarily repair a split or damaged spar such as a mast or yard. Reinforcing pieces of sound timber are bound to the spar so that they bridge the damaged area adding their strength to the weakened section.

A wholly separate use of the word, fishing the anchor describes the process by which an anchor, hauled up to the height of the bows by the cat-falls, is hauled aboard prior to being made fast to the bows.