I was out fishing last weekend and I decided to put down my rod and play, um, I mean practice with the fishing kit in my PSK, and I got to wondering a couple things I've seen on this board. The first is fairly straight forward, What is included in the GI fishing kit i've seen several people refer to? I've looked around a little but can't seem to put my finger on one.
Also, why do so many people put a gaff hook in thier PSK? I've been wondering about this for awhile now and can't figure it out on my own. The only time I've ever known gaffs to be used on a regular basis is when fishing for big game fish, especially salt water, that can't be lifted out of the water without breaking the line. If I was caught in a survival situation and had to go fishing, it would be for small panfish, bluegill and the like, which certainly wouldn't snap my line. Is this different in other geographic areas, would I be more likely to catch bigger fish if I were in another part of the country/world?
LIke I said, I just couldn't figure this one out on my own, thanks in advance for your help.

Chris.

About the gaff.

I don't fish very often. But, when i do, the fish that i lose seem to be as or close to when i lift them out of the water. The gaff would help retain more fish by securing them before they break away. I've never used one, but i think that that is its main purpose.

That pretty much sums up what I've read on this site and elsewhere. There may also be times that having a larger hook on a stick could help you collect fruit etc. that may be out of reach, particularily if injured. As with most of our kits, multiple purposes abound, especially when we get placed into an out of the normal situation. I looked around and finally settled on #7/0 hooks. One per kit, along with a short, sharp wood screw that I verified would go through the eye of the hook. Believe me, I would not depend soley upon the screw to hold the hook to the stick though, definitely need to wrap some cordage around the stick and the hook after installing the screw.

I use a phillips head screw, that now has a slot cut in it (Dremel tools are wonderful things). Figured that while I might not have access to a phillips screwdriver, it is very likely that one could improvise a flat head screwdriver from something else if needed.

HTH

Regards,
Comanche7

The "TRA-CON" Military issue fishing kit is displayed in full on the website. Just read Doug's gear list about food gathering equipment. TRA-CONS are best had on EBAY. I have acquired several this way. Virtually all will be the plastic box, which does have the more complete assembly. The average price is @ $25+ S/H, sometimes less. Pass on anything that appears to have been opened. Even if it is stated as complete, some of the components are prone to rust if handled and repacked. Just do a search under "survival, survival fishing kits, and TRACON. I am working on another fishing boat owner to complete the salt water evaluation of various kits.

Ha, maybe if it had been hidden a little better I would have been able to find it <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Thanks,
Chris.

I always wondered, even if one decided a gaff was necessary, how it would be attached, because it always seemed to me the gaff hook would have more of a chance of coming loose than the fishing hook. I hadn't thought of including a screw, that would make it much more feasable.

Thanks,
Chris.

If you don't have a screw - or you just dropped the dang small thingy into the drink - you can improvise the same effect with the bent tip of a needle or safety pin from your sewing kit or the de-barbed hook of a smaller hook or the sharpened end of a paper-clip or some snare wire or large amounts of thin cordage or small zip-ties - or for a short period of time - duct-tape or adhesive tape from your FAK.. My PSK / FAK / EDC would supply all of those options. <img src="images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Hutch,

I also didn't know how to set up a gaff hook, but if you look at the review for the WSI Gold Label kit Doug has included a pic of they're instructions for putting one together.

Here's the pic

Dave