Tips on survival Fishing

Today I'm all packed to spend a week up in Kansas...
going to work on the new house up there but as I have a small bass filled lake in my back yard I also loaded up on several hundred dollars in fishing gear...$$$$

That got me to thinking about a thread in survival fishing, gear baits how to's...

Back when I was a kid I used to take one of mom's old sewing needles heat it over the stove until it was cherry red then carefully bend it into a hook shape. It was perfect as the eye let you attach some old fishing line... A snapped off tree branch worked as a pole, wine bottle cork as a bobber...used what ever bugs I found at bank side for bait.... thought I was high styling...

well that's what I did like a million years ago.... and thought others might like to share what they've done, ideas tips or tricks... remember, my way was just a dumb kid killing a lazy Saturday afternoon, my life wasn't on the line here, unless mom found out I was in her sewing stuff again...

I'm going to be gone for a week or so... I wont be making comments about your posts for a while... remember to star and flag posts you like or find interesting

with that said ....DaddyBare is taking my granddaughter on her first Fishing trip!!!!!!
See you all in about a week

[edit on 8-11-2009 by DaddyBare]

A good tip for ground baiting to attract some fish is to dig up a few shovels full of dirt from the bank and throw it in where you plan to be fishing.
It may not work all the time but it definitely does bring the fish in to investigate. Its a good trick when you have limited bait and no attractants.

reply to post by DaddyBare

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This brings to mind one of the survival shows on Discovery channel. It was Les Strouds program where he spent time in a swamp.

He used a straightened then bent wire spring as hooks, and bubble gum as a float.

I guess he didn't know that wood floats too. Bubble gum would have made a great thing to add to the float tip to indicate hits, but not as a float by itself.

And I guess he never heard of a gorge before either.

I pack plenty of small hooks, like 10s and 12s because smaller fish are more plentiful and easier to catch. I also pack heavier line and larger hooks for bank lines.

One thing I have heard of but never tried is to take a maggot filled rotting animal and hang it over the water. The maggots drop in and attract fish.
It makes sense though.



[edit on 8/11/09 by PSUSA]

Good thread,

With regards to bait, have a look at any tree's that are around the lake, if they have berries on them, they can be used as bait. Over here in the UK elder berries are a good bait that can be used.

wetting an area of a couple of square feet and giving it a bit of time is also a good way of attracting earth worms.7

Search the Survival forums, they are other ideas on here about survival fishing.

Regards.

Colec

Hope you and the granddaughter had, or are having, a great time...

Learning to make traps for the little fishies should be considered as well... I actually learned how to do that sort of thing from an Aleut a few years back. It works, and isn't that hard to do. ...and if I can do it, anyone can.

There is always the Pen Type fishing pole.

I bought one for my survival kit not too long ago and have actually used it to fish. It works very well.

I think its a good idea to buy some fishing "nylon", "leader" whatever you want to call it and keep it in your emergency kit with some hooks.

along with some earthworms and a stick its all you need to catch tasty fish!!

G.

I always love this topic( i am an avid fisherman). truth is, though, in a survival situation, forget the pole. Technique depends on where you are, but the best survival fishing technique is net-fishing.

Use a sturdy peice of faberic(heavy shirts and sweaters work best). Cut it so it is one solid peice. Then find two sturdy branches, and attach one to either side of the fabric.

Abracadabra, you've got yourself a fishing net. Next, if you are working a stream or river, find the channel, walk next to it, against the current, dragging your net in the channel. You'll have plenty of fish.

Then take the fish heads and innards, dig yourself a 3--4 foot deep pool on the side of the river(still in the water), and throw the guts and things in. You will then have a standing fish pool to choose from, full of crawfish, fish, etc. Time to get out your trusty net again.

A mirror reflection or flashlight shown into the water in patterns also will attract fish for you.

I have heard that you can use large thorns from plants as hooks as well. Also one can take his pants, tie the legs shut, use rope or what have you to keep the waist open, submerge the contraption in the water and pull up when you see a fish over it.

I too love to fish. The homemade net idea from above is Great if you don't have a cast net. Homemade cast nets are hard to make without sewing skill but if you can obtain one, learn to use it. This will catch you many fish and bait fish. I consider it good survival equipment to have on hand before the emergency.

In a lot of countries people fish with out a pole. They have the string wrapped around their writs or a stick and learn to feel the tug of the bite through their arm. They just throw the bait end of the line out as far as they can. Sometimes they don't even use thin fishing line as even any good string or twine will work. The good thing about this is in almost every state in the U.S. you can fish without a fishing license if you do not use a rod and reel. The hand fishing method is perfect for Free fishing anytime. Hooks can be made out of barbed wire if you don't have a sewing needle or fishing hook. This will make a bigger than normal hook so you can fish for bigger game like large catfish or small sharks, garfish, large black drum or any other fish that grows large. If you need a float device, any airtight container like a plastic coke bottle will work, just tie it to the string.

Fish can be attracted with a small can of dog food with holes punched in it. Tie it to a string so you can remove the can from the water after use. This is called chumming the water.

While we talk about fish, don't forget the crabs! Homemade crab traps are easy to make and are very effective. You can find instructions for homemade crab traps lots of places on the net.
lmgtfy.com...

Here's a pic of the kit I will carry. It's an old spool filled with premium line and the base is filled with hooks. Heavy plastic and a band keeps everything in order. It's nice and compact.



I like the idea of using fish traps, but if I am ever forced to bug out, fishing will definitely help with the stress.

And another thing is that, from what I have read but never done, is that baited hooks can be used to take birds.

Just got back to New Mexico so It be a while before I get caught up...
but I did love some of your ideas.. the one about the net got me thinking... we have cherry trees and to keep the birds out we buy a nylon net we through over the whole tree... they are really light and if you leave them in the package they wrap up pretty small...See Bird Netting here... A big fish would tear right through I'm guessing, but smaller bass and most trout would be just about right...

PS we didn't catch anything only had a couple hours to drown worms... but my granddaughter had a blast chasing squirrels through the woods...