Fishing supplies for PSK

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May 23, 2006
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Hey guys, was wondering if ya'll would give me some info on what would make up a good fishing kit for a PSK. I have absolutely zero experience fishing so I would appreciate some advice on the best all round line, hooks including sizes and ect. Brands would be nice too. I live in Arizona, so using it in a actual situation may be kind of rare, but I would rather be prepared with the best! Thanks.
 
I live in Arizona, so using it in a actual situation may be kind of rare, but I would rather be prepared with the best! Thanks.

It really depends on where you're planning on "getting lost";) If it's mountain hikes where there might be small streams or ponds, 10' of 6lb test mono or even better spider-wire and a few No. 8 or 9 hooks (long shanks) and small shot. These will hold crickets or small worms and be great for little stream fish (trout, chubs, shiners, etc.) You can make a pole or 5 set lines with 2' of line each.

If it's a bigger river or lake area, I'd add some 20lb test and number 1/0 hooks for setting trotlines overnight for catfish, bass or carp. (you'll need to catch little fish for bait, first, tho!)

my $.02

J-
 
Yup, what Thomas said (not that HomeBru's reply isn't a good one, a fishing kit like that takes up almost zero space and weight). I'm no Babe Winkleman, if I ever need to fish for survival, I intend to cheat, cheat, cheat! Gill nets, set lines like HomeBru described, even those picket-fence-looking "corrals" made of sticks pushed into the riverbed are likely to be way more effective than the ol' Huckleberry Finn routine with a string tied around your toe ;)
Plus, as fans of snares and traps will tell you, you don't have to be there every minute, just check it often.

On the other hand, if you happen to have a hand grenade, I bet that would work even better... and maybe a game warden would hear it and "rescue" you.

Speaking of game wardens, the only problem with netting/trapping or even spearing is, most folks in most places can't practice it, legally.
 
Set lines are a good idea but if in a lake or something similar, set them at different depths, then see which one catches you a fish, Different fish feed at different depths.
 
My advice would be to try and get out when you can and do some fishing...while there is some luck involved with fishing, there is no replacement for experience.just my 02 cents. my psk fishing kit is small it fits entirely inside a film canister. there are 6 small hooks an assotment of 12 spitshot of varying weight 2 rather large salt water hooks which can be used for giging or if lashe to a pole as a gaff or to help compliment an improvised fishing spear I have 1 gummy bodied worm lure and 1 small spoon lure with a treble hook, I also have several snap swivels of varing size. the outside of the canister is wrapped in about 30 feet of 10 lb monofilament fishingline and covered with a single layer of duct tape.. if you cant get out fishing Maybe try to read up on it alittle if your lost that would be an awful time to have to learn..and besides it's a great sport and you get to spend quality time outdoors.. thanks have fun
 
If you have friends, aquaintances, or coworkers that fish, see if they'll donate some gear for your kit....you dont need much. I'd suggest a couple of size 6 baitholder type hooks, 20 feet or so of 20# "Spiderwire", a couple of small splitshot, and maybe a trout fly or small spoon. Wrap the line around a straight bottle cork with a small closed eye hook (like used to hang pictures) screwed into one end. Stick your hooks in the top of the cork, and just drop that and the loose items into a 35 mm film canister.
 
You know, up here in Alberta ( northern Alberta ) we have to buy worms, That came as a huge shock coming from Nova Scotia. I would just go dig up the garden, Not how it works here, unless you have a large planter with good soil in it, thats an Idea :). But the soil is more like clay, so there not much to it.
 
Listen to TL - a net!

Doc

Oh Grasshoppa.. Hit nail on head!!

Gill nets are illegal in most areas, unless you are a native American. So using one may bring the Authorities to your location that much faster!!

That said, they are absolutely the best thing for fishing in a survival situation.

Try to "channel" the stream (something small.. Not the Mighty Colorado or the Columbia Rivers!!) into your net, and leave the net alone!! Check it one or twice a day.

This is hard to describe, and may be illegal to pratice in real life, but it's da bomb.. so good luck!
 
Oh Grasshoppa.. Hit nail on head!!

Gill nets are illegal in most areas, unless you are a native American. So using one may bring the Authorities to your location that much faster!!

That said, they are absolutely the best thing for fishing in a survival situation.

This is hard to describe, and may be illegal to pratice in real life, but it's da bomb.. so good luck!

And, of course, they can be used for birds and other critters, such as Snapping Turtles. They also don't have to be used as a gill net. You could use them as a sweep seine, or a lift net.

A covering for building a blind.

A carrying net was used by a lot of early peoples. I know I've harped on this before, but a net is a primo survival tool.

Doc
 
Another thought along the line of gill nets is Rotenone. Rotenone is sold in garden supply shops as an insecticide. If Rotenone is put into a standing pool of water it displaces all the oxygen dissolved in the pool-presto the fish float to the top. Since the fish are suffocated they are safe to eat. I mention this as a life or death scenario option only. Use of Rotenone is strictly illegal-but in my area its what game and fish officers use to clear a pond.
 
With the advent of spider wire, I switched from 10lb mono, to 20lb spiderwire. Its ~ the size of 4lb mono. Supple as hell. I put a BUNCH of it in my BOB, and psk's. It takes up very little space. 10' of line would have me worried as hell. With an abundance of 20lb line you can set lines and forget it. I can't see using anything with less tensile strength. Breaking a line and loosing a prescious HOOK rather than eating well for the evening would be bad IMO.
 
Oh Grasshoppa.. Hit nail on head!!

Gill nets are illegal in most areas, unless you are a native American. So using one may bring the Authorities to your location that much faster!!
Sveral of us have made this observation: they are illegal for most of us 'cause they work so well.
 
Hey guys thanks for your advice.

So, then I am gonna add

20lb spiderwire
6 hooks Number 12?
some small splitshot

Try to find a gill net. Any resources for these? Also would they be effective in a lake?
 
. . . Any resources for these? Also would they be effective in a lake?
I last bought one a couple of years ago. A Google search will disclose vendors. Prices vary as do sizes.

I practiced with a net too tight to "gill" the fish. If the lake bed slopes gradually, you can set the net at an angle to the shore and "drive" fish towards it. If the fall off is too great, you can "drive" with thrown rocks or a long branch. Results vary. I trapped (and released) as many as a half dozen pan-sized fish at a time. After a while, the "catch" dropped to zero (dumb but not THAT dumb). (If it had been a gill net, some would have been trapped by their gills and possibly damaged. This net had 1/4" openings and merely contained them.)

Net "reach" and be extended with walls of brush/sticks that funnel towards the net.

Streams are easier, especially if you can arrange things so that all traffic going down stream hits the net. Then the "drive" is efficient, or you can let current do the work.
 
Fishing???? How did I miss this post?

Everyone has givin you some great advice, there are a few things I would suggest. A good gig, my choice is a B&M brand, it can be used for small game too. A good supply of hooks of different sizes, they are light and don't take up much room, like the gig, they can be used to catch small game and birds as well. Also a couple of large hooks, 3/0 or bigger of heavy gauge, to be lashed to a stick and used as a gaff, or again to pull game out of holes. Now bare in mind I would only suggest this in a serious situation, it is illegal and cruel unless it is life or death. Spectra line is bar none the best put in as much as you can, along with a role of dental floss, jig spinners or beetle spins very small, light and very productive, a small assortment of flys and nymphs absolutely deadly on small fish that can be eaten or used for bait. If you can't practice read up everything you can on the net, and remember nets, gigs, limb lines, twitch ups, trotlines and yoyos are your friend and work 24/7 nothing is illegal when you are starving to death.

BTW this stuff I have described is smaller and more compact than you think, here is a pic of mine. Chris

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Gee runningboar, I thought I was the only one here that uses Johnson beetle spins. 1/32 oz. size is the best. For me anyway. My favorite color was black with a yellow stripe, green with a black stripe and yellow with a black stripe. I used 4lb test on a 6'6" light or ultra light spinning rod. Just cast that little puppy out, try different sink rates 2,3 or 4 second count should work. I got over a school of crappie and had to let it sink 12 seconds. But they rewarded me with 17 fish on 17 casts. (This is where you learn to keep your hooks sharp.) I would give mine a good twitch as a started reeling in to start the blade spinning. Reel just fast enough to keep the blade spinning. You can still catch some big fish with this little lure. It was my favorite way to fish. Even in the river. But you had to wait till late in the summer to let the water drop and clear up some. Here in Washington you can't catch a pan-fish big enough to use on a limb line back home. (Georgia) Good luck!

I added this to get you started catching fish. This would not fit in a PSK. Someone said fishing is luck? No way. It is a skill that can be learned just like everything else. Even the way you put the worm on the hook makes a big difference in the amount of strikes you get and your number of fish caught.
 
Well it may come as a surprise to you but I have lived most of my 39 years in the great state of GA, and a bit in the mountains of Western NC. How is this for a beetle spin catch, first one is me, second is my long haired son. Neither fish will set any records but they sure will put a meal in your gut, beetle spins are one of the most versatile baits I have ever fished, even picked up the odd cat on one:thumbup:

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