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Most of the survival fishing kits I see are comprised of a couple of lines, a winder, a few hooks, a bobber or two and a few sinker weights. OK... at the absolute minimum this sort of line fishing is certainly better than nothing, but most line fishing won't keep food on your table. (There are some exceptions).
Rod-n-reel fishing (of any type) is a great past-time, and certainly worth a few beers on a sunny afternoon; but it's completely ineffective in a survival situation. You need to CATCH not FISH.
Most of those lines you see in the survival kits are basically glorified rod fishing contraptions. They require you to physically manipulate the line to lure the fish, or at the very least stick around to keep an eye on it to set the hook when the fish takes the bait. They also are normally limited to a single fish per line per cast (if you're lucky).
In a survival situation, you need to get enough fish to provide (at least) one or two full meals for your entire party as quickly as possible or at least completely unattended so you can use your time for other things. While slightly larger than the tiny commercial jobs, my recommendations for your BOB's fishing kit are:
1. A packable gill net, especially one that's diamond weave mono-filament with a pre-weighted bottom line and flotation top line. The "emergency" or "survival" sizes are light and compact enough to stow easily in any pack, and are worth the extra space compared to a small "tinned kit" given how much more effective they are. They can be anchored in the surf, stream or pond and left unattended. The ends & edges can be tied together to form a purse net or attached to poles to make a dip net/seine. They can also be laid in a V or box form to make a fish trap. They can be used for any relatively shallow waterway or for surface feeding fishes, but also for shore crab/crayfish and some mollusks, and even as small game/fowl snares in a pinch.
2. Speed Hooks and/or Yo-Yo reels. These are about the only line fishing methods that are effective enough for survival situations. You anchor the line and bait the hook, but the spring-loaded hook is designed to snap open and set itself when the fish bites so you don't have to be there. If you set several of these hooks on a single line or several lines on a stick or floating line, you can get more than one fish per excursion (i.e. a highly effective trotline). They can also be used to snare small game/fowl in a pinch.
WARNING: these devices may be illegal to own and use in your area, so check with Fish & Game beforehand... although most regulations have exemptions for true survival situations as opposed to sport/recreational fishing.
3. A local fishing/anglers guidebook, preferably one with area maps and seasonal data with tips. Fish & Game normally supplies these for free along with their regulation pamphlets at the licensing office.
4. Some sort of bait/lure so you aren't relying on being able to find something appropriate or use your valuable foodstuff. For a BOB, synthetic baits and scented lure are probably more appropriate than nightcrawlers and minnows These normally come in a handy can/jar or resealable pouch and are shelf stable... just check the expiration date of any scented lure to make sure it keeps maximum potency.
For best success, set up your net or lines with bait/lure in areas and at times that are appropriate for the species of fish common in that body of water. This is why it is critical to have LOCAL species, season and waterway information... you won't catch sockeye salmon in a southern lake or catfish in a fast mountain river no matter what you do!! Know what you're fishing for and when they're running or else you'll just be wasting time and effort!
Last edited by MissingAll4Seasons; 12-20-2011 at 01:39 PM..
That's what I always say...buy a coupla cast nets and learn to cast 'em either from shore, a boat, a pier, or what-have you. You'll bring up all sorts of stuff, much of it edible. What isn't edible for humans will be fine for dogs, as fertilizer in the garden, or bait for catching somethin' big enough to eat! YUMMM!
Keeping a small pouch or two of synthetic bait/lure in your BOB follows the same reasoning as keeping a small pouch or two of dry tinder or fire tabs... while you might easily be able to find something to use in your environment, you shouldn't rely on that in a survival situation. Bugging out in a hurry isn't like going camping.
You can normally turn over a rock or log and find worms, grubs or bugs that would make halfway decent bait, but they might not be the most appropriate bait for the fish in the nearest creek. Or you can live somewhere, like I do, where there are no earthworms; or like TX, like I used to, where turning over a rock or log was a serious safety risk because of venomous snakes and insects. Plus, searching for bait takes time that would be better spent setting up your shelter or getting wood, etc. If you have your net/trotline and bait in your pack, you can set your net/trotline in a matter of minutes and then get on with other chores before it gets cold or dark.
Once your camp is set up and you've secured food, water and shelter you can use other things (like entrails, etc) as bait for your net/trotline, and keep the remainder of your synthetic in your BOB for the next time you might be forced to move.
I am not a fan of synthetic baits, but at least they don't spoil or rot in your pack adding other problems.
One problem I have found here is that some synthetics are basically the same stuff they feed in the fish hatcheries, and hatchery raised fish will really go for it, but wild fish have no idea what it is and pay no attention to it.
One thing that I have found that works well on many species is salt or even spitting on the bait.
The salt or saliva gives off a scent in the water that mimics blood, so fish that prey on minnows or small fish think something is wounded and will hit better and come in farther.
On a rubber worm or whatever, you can cut a small hole in it, put your salt in and then it will seep out instead of just washing off.
I throw a lot of hardware here, spinners, spoons and have pretty good luck. A couple of flys or other attractant lures also are a good idea for a kit and even if you only have line, you can "dapple" the flies by just swinging the line on a long pole and setting the fly down gently on a pool or at the head of a riffle to drift into slack water. Don't have to cast.
Montana is a big fly fishing state, but I always use a spin rod with ultralight monofilament and dapple with my spinning rod on creeks and streams. A grasshopper fly can really work well this way floated along the banks where the real ones fall in so the fish are looking for this kind of meal.
A muddler or wooley bugger wet fly is also a good addition. They work with a small weight and just bounce on the bottom.
Artificial lures can be used repeatedly, don't require bait, don't spoil, and are easy to carry in a small box so are a good addition to your kit.
I agree though that this requires you actually be there. A gill net or trap will produce more with less effort, but just dropping a line in a creek while you take a break can get you a meal you can carry to your camp while you are traveling.
A lot of the techniques will depend on what kind of fish are in your area. There are no catfish close to where I live, but we do have burbot that are bottom feeders, and they're really tasty if somewhat ugly
The only salmon we have are Kokanee which are a land locked sockeye, and the scent that works best on them is WD-40. True story! They have small mouths and really soft so it is easy to pull the hook out when you are landing them, but a wedding ring lure sprayed with WD-40 will get them more often than any other rig.
One other option we use on Paddlefish or Kokanee when they are running is snagging. Throwing a weighted hook and jerking it back, then settle, jerk then settle. This works on fish that don't bite on bait or lures.
Mmmmm burbot... better than catfish any day IMO They're mostly what we get ice fishing on the river and are a really nice break from all the chinook, chum and coho in the freezer! There are sheefish, grayling and char in the creeks, and occasionally dolly varden in some of the creeks with a lake or pond but not so much this far north and it's nice to get some white fishes in the freezer to balance out the salmon. Nearly everything up here will hit on salmon roe (real or synthetic), including salmon, so we're lucky in that respect. Casting the net and then chumming the water a bit is all it normally takes for everything but burbot... those we long line with a chunk of frozen gore on the weight.
Sometimes I wish I lived on the coast with a good boat so I could go deep sea and get halibut, cod and crab. Yeah, those aren't exactly survival situation fishies for most folks; but there are plenty of mollusks on the shore and salmon in the inlets.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTSilvertip
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One thing that I have found that works well on many species is salt or even spitting on the bait.
On a rubber worm or whatever, you can cut a small hole in it, put your salt in and then it will seep out instead of just washing off.
Artificial lures can be used repeatedly, don't require bait, don't spoil, and are easy to carry in a small box so are a good addition to your kit..
Just some options.
Most soft plastic baits used for bass fishing already have salt in them...
I've caught fish on a gummy worm, a bare hook, a stick, alot of fish out there are just ultra aggressive and will bite anything that moves, they dont usually live long enough to become Lunkers though...
Burbot are related to cod and are very good eating! I don't like catfish that well, OTOH.
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These normally come in a handy can/jar or resealable pouch and are shelf stable... just check the expiration date of any scented lure to make sure it keeps maximum potency.
