DIY Survival Fishing Pole (Please add other DIY tools)

I have not made one yet, it would be good for a B.O.B.

reply to post by Tygart


Neat deal!

I may have to make me one of these.

When trying to survive, you often have the issue of having to choose whether or not to get food, or maintain shelter, or any other number of needs of daily living. To be able to somewhat automate food acquisition would be invaluable to a small group trying to make it. That is why the following is the most superior option I have yet to come across:

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/04f4954d9f1c.jpg[/atsimg]

You find a sapling near the shore, strip it of its branches, and you have a solidly anchored fishing pole. Then you fashion two pieces to fit together as in the above notched pieces. Tie a string to one, bury the other fairly deep (so it can handle the load of the sapling pulling up on it). Bait a hook and cast it, securing it to the far end of the sapling pole.

When a fish takes the bait, it will spring the pole trap, and set the hook. Return periodically to check your trap and claim any fish, resetting the trap as needed.

That is awesome!
I could see loading it with a spring inside to make it auto-cast.

I think fishing might be overrated for survival since everybody is going to be down at the water trying to catch some dinner. Ponds are going to be fished out pretty quickly but there will still be turtles so some gorge hooks might be a good thing to have as well.

BFFTexan: That is a great idea! I could see using the kit in the video and tying it to the sapling.

I love the amount of creativity that goes in to many of these survival skills. That is precisely the kind of thinking that will help keep your butt alive.

then all you need is tin foil to make a solar cooker and bake the fish. A box or what line it out inside with foil turn towards the sun and cook. The foil must reflect all light on the fishy.

Take plastic bag or paper box had some water in it and you can boil water in it hence the flames doesnt touch areas of the plastic/paper that does not got contact with the water. Smoker grab a lighter, plastic and water try it

reply to post by Asktheanimals


I didn't think it up. It was something i picked up from someone I know. He described it to me, claiming to have used it to catch a good amount of fish while he was tending to other issues of the camp. It wouldn't work well on a switfly moving body like a river or rough sea/lake/ocean. But it would work quite well on many slower creeks, wide slow rivers, and lakes on a calm day.

A simliar tactic is used with gators (i have seen it on some tv show). if gator meets your palate, that is an option.

The point is to automate your food gathering to a degree. Our brains is our advantage. Surviving is not easy with all our other disadvantages. If survival is to happen, it must be done with cunning, not brute force. Using brute force, most humans will die quickly.

Thus, setting traps seems the only logical solution. As well, agriculture based on planting plants in their natural patterns, but tending to them in an "open plain" environment, is likely to increase yield for small group survival. No need to till up the earth when you can just tend to plants already growing naturally. Just replenish what you eat by replanting seeds as you harvest.

So many problems that are put before us in survival situations only requires that we approach it as a puzzle, using logic and reason.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan

Thus, setting traps seems the only logical solution. As well, agriculture based on planting plants in their natural patterns, but tending to them in an "open plain" environment, is likely to increase yield for small group survival. No need to till up the earth when you can just tend to plants already growing naturally. Just replenish what you eat by replanting seeds as you harvest.

That is an excellent strategy and one that i've been working on for a while, My name for it guerrilla gardening. If you pull the leaves or fruit off the sign you leave looks exactly like deer browsings so if you don't leave blatant tracks no one will be the wiser.
You can even increase the size of a patch of plants by careful thinning and planting seeds in order to spread the patch size outward. I've tried this with many plants like toothwort, indian cucumber root, amaranth.
Plants like toothwort where you eat the root you can cut part of it and replant it while still getting something to eat.
People who have little knowledge of wild plants will not last long in a survival situation, Wild game and fishing can only supply so much of your diet plus you will need to learn the medicinal qualities of some plants for self-treatment.
great point you made.

Fishing poles are overrated..

All things we typically think of as hunting and fishing these days has been made purposefully harder than it has to be to increase the "sport" of it, and it is designed to expend as many consumables as possible. While hooks and line are good to have, they're not going to last you an infinite amount of time and you can't easily reproduce them.

Trapping is good. Funnel them into a smaller shallow area, close their exit off, then keep shrinking the size of the confinement until you can net or spear them. Black walnut and buckeye crushed up, bagged up, and thrown into the water will float them as it releases toxins. And on and on.

Oh, and as far as a DIY recommendation:

reply to post by PayMeh


Sweet, gotta build me one of those then. I wonder if it's really a 60# draw weight though, he seems to draw it with little difficulty. One way to find out though.
Be handy to have the materials around to make several should the need arise but I've already got 3 bows.
That guy make any other righteous weaponry?

reply to post by Asktheanimals


I have yet to build it myself as well. I ran across the video a couple of weeks ago and just haven't had the time finishing up this summer's remods. I'm skeptical about the draw weight too, but hey ya never know. If it is 60lbs she's legal to hunt with. I don't know if he's got any more how to vids or not, but here in a few weeks I'm going to get back on making my slingbow too. Just waiting on the whisker biscuits to go on sale.

I have a few basic tools
listed on this thread
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Cool posts, I will check out the link to the other thread, lots of fun great ideas.