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Survival fishing - what do I need?

G

Gadgetaholic

Joined
Nov 5, 2009
Messages
1,711
OK first of all I'd like to explain that I am not interested in fishing and have no gear. But in a survival situation I don't really care what I am interested in or not interested in - if I am hungry and could get a meal out of a river then I might as well.

I presume that having a spool of fishing line and some hooks would be pretty useful so I should get those and add them to my gear. Is that all I need?

Let's assume that I could dig in the ground and find earthworms or peel the bark from a rotting tree and find grubs or find some other bait somehow. Also assume that I have some knives and there is wood about. How do I go about catching me some dinner? Do I need a float and if so then can I use a piece of wood that I find lying about? Do I need a sinker and if so then can I use a small rock lying about?

I don't want to spend much and I don't want to carry many pounds of extra gear, but I don't mind being better prepared and a few hooks + some fishing line wouldn't take much money/space/weight.
 
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The easiest way to fish in a survival situation is with the set line or trot line. You don't need any bobbers just a few sinkers, line and hooks. and some bait.

google trot line and you'll find lots of info on how to set one up. Many survival manuals include very detailed info on where to set them up.

Here is the problem. If you have no interest in fishing then you won't know how to tie the knots to put it all together, nor will you have the knowledge of where to place the several lines which would need to be set in order to obtain enough food.

Now is the time to gain some interest and knowledge. Then the gear will do you some good. Gear without knowledge is just a false sense of security.
 
IMO, all you need is about 30 meters of fishing line (that's strong enough for the species your likely to catch) and a dozen hooks (bear in mind that a small hook will also take larger fish). This will enable you to rig up 6 x 5 metre set lines and leave you with some spare hooks in case of losses.

Add a dozen very small hooks and thread one of these on the line "free running" above your main hook. This can be slid down to the bait on the main hook to act as a bait keeper. As well as holding your bait you will be suprised at how many fish you'll actually hook with the small "baitkeeper".

A small piece of light wood will act as a float. I wouldn't suggest tying it on but rather use your knife to make a slice along the edge of the piece of wood and slide the line into the slice at the appropriate distance from the hook.

A sinker can be readily improvised from a ball of mud that is formed around the line above the hook. It won't matter that the mud dissolves once it's in the water, 'cause it will have served its purpose of taking the bait below the surface.

If Eels are a possible catch, a trace of stronger line will help resist the abrasion from their mouthfull of needle like teeth :D

If your using set lines, tie the end to a springy streamside branch and leave about 30 - 60 cm (1-2 feet) as slack line out of the water. As the fish takes the bait, it will be able to move off with it (due to the slack line) and set the hook itself :thumbup:

Hope this helps.



Kind regards
Mick
 
Interesting to me also...
...are we talking small streams, big rivers, lakes or ocean?
OP is in New Zealand - possibly needs different info than I do in the Rockies of Alberta/BC.
I've suspect that fish traps are likely better choice than line & hooks in the small trout streams where I wander. I suppose they are illegal.
 
Dry flies and nymphs that you would use for flyfishing are a great add on to a fishing kit. They are small, you can pack a bunch of them away. They are dead ringers for bugs and saves looking for bait. A great small water option for creeks lakes ponds and rivers.

They shouldn't take the place of plain hooks though. Nothing beats a nice big grub or worm. Put hooks and dry flies in your kit.:thumbup:

Flies.jpg
 
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Lots of good information coming in - great stuff. It is giving me plenty of stuff to think about.

Hand fishing/hobo fishing - that sounds like what I had in mind when I was thinking about what I would try in a survival situation.

I think most of the time I would be near a river - hopefully one that contains fish and/or eels.

fasteer said:
I've suspect that fish traps are likely better choice than line & hooks in the small trout streams where I wander. I suppose they are illegal.
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In a survival situation I don't think we would worry too much about what is illegal - you do what you have to when you want to stay alive!


Talfuchre said:
Follow the link in my signature - I got you hooked up.
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Hmmm, that looks like a nice tidy kit containing pretty much everything needed to do the job. Do you ship international?
 
wildmike said:
Now is the time to gain some interest and knowledge. Then the gear will do you some good. Gear without knowledge is just a false sense of security.
Click to expand...

x2. you might want to go fishing a few times if you plan on relying on it for survival. Even with good gear, catching fish can be a challenge if you don't have a feel for when, where and how to catch em.

I haven't caught a fish with a line and hook since I was twelve years old. Maybe I will give it a try for fun.
 
oilSlick said:
I haven't caught a fish with a line and hook since I was twelve years old. Maybe I will give it a try for fun.
Click to expand...

Yeah, for me it is similar - close to 3 decades ago.

For what I have learnt on the internet about fire making, knot tying, hut building, catching fish, chopping wood, etc - I plan to try most of it for real in the bush in a non-survival situation. I have no intentions of getting into a survival situation and then seeing if I can figure out what to do. It may be that I never need to rely on any of these skills for survival - but this is an interesting exercise and you never know what might happen one day.
 
Like wild mike said. Line hooks and sinkers for limb lines. Also consider small marabou jigs.They are much hardier than soft plastics. Make a long pole,add string and jig next to shoreline cover . Tipping the jig with a small piece of worm , grub or minnow will make it more effective.
 
Thanks Revolverman.

The best thing I have done - is talk to a local fisherman in the area - and then stock my kit with a few things he suggests.

Here is how I do it - I have a kit, like the one I sell, that has room in it. I ask a local 'I don't care about species, type, or size that much - if you NEEDED to catch a fish to save your life, besides what I pack already, what would YOU pack.'

Once the get the jist of what you are trying to do - they will recommend one or two MUST HAVES - more often than not - they give them to you. Fisherman are cool like that.

I then try those on the local water. I almost always catch things with their suggestions.

I carry, as well as small hooks and the like, a spinner bait, a curly tail with extra bodies, a few WET flies (as I cannot properly use a dry fly) Artificial bait (tailored to the area), and a few minnow baits - takes up no room and I love to try stuff out.


TF
 
Talfuchre said:
Thanks Revolverman.

The best thing I have done - is talk to a local fisherman in the area - and then stock my kit with a few things he suggests.

Here is how I do it - I have a kit, like the one I sell, that has room in it. I ask a local 'I don't care about species, type, or size that much - if you NEEDED to catch a fish to save your life, besides what I pack already, what would YOU pack.'

Once the get the jist of what you are trying to do - they will recommend one or two MUST HAVES - more often than not - they give them to you. Fisherman are cool like that.

I then try those on the local water. I almost always catch things with their suggestions.

I carry, as well as small hooks and the like, a spinner bait, a curly tail with extra bodies, a few WET flies (as I cannot properly use a dry fly) Artificial bait (tailored to the area), and a few minnow baits - takes up no room and I love to try stuff out.


TF
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After the first of the year, I will contact you about purchasing a kit. I forget the price, but I thought it was fair.
 
If it's going to be a few days out and along or on water I bring a gill net buried away with the last ditch survival gear.

A trotline or the makings for one is a good way to go also...you never know what it will catch or snag...

SnapperSprinfieldfishing.jpg
 
countryboycansurvive said:
Dry flies and nymphs that you would use for flyfishing are a great add on to a fishing kit. They are small, you can pack a bunch of them away. They are dead ringers for bugs and saves looking for bait. A great small water option for creeks lakes ponds and rivers.

They shouldn't take the place of plain hooks though. Nothing beats a nice big grub or worm. Put hooks and dry flies in your kit.:thumbup:

Flies.jpg
Click to expand...

I agree with having a few small flies as bait is not always easy to come by, especially in the winter. Fies should include some attractor patterns, chironimids and a few bead head nymphs. A small spinner or two (Panther martin or Mepps) would have you covered for most situations.
 
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