That being said, I know the basics, and I can clean fish. I just haven't fished since I was little.

So, I need suggestions as to what to put into a PSK, and a larger kit. The PSK is based on an altoids tin, and I'm looking for a package about the size of a tinder quik or two. I also am looking for a larger fishing kit, about the size of a sparklite box.

If I use it, it will be as part of a trotline or something similiar, or to catch small game or birds. I figure I'll be using the same basic items for the two kits, so for the two, I'd like to keep the price under 20 bucks for the fishing stuff.

On two related notes, for those of you who have the Wallyworld LED bobbers, have you any idea what thier SKU is? My local walmarts dont' have them, but if I had the SKU, I might be able to find them through thier online site. Or, if you could tell me the name of the manufacturer, I could track it down that way.

And has anyone tried dying a tinderquik? If I could add some color to them, a tuft from one might be decent bait.

This is always a bit hard to figure for others, but here is what I did for my small kit. I found a short plastic vial (thin plastic) about the size of a 123A battery. I put several hooks of each size ranging from size 16 to 4, several split shot lead weights, a couple of swivels and 3 or 4 flies....specifically Hare's Ears, and Stimulators. Around here Hare's Ears are a great general nymph pattern and Stimulators are a good general dry fly with hopper/stone/caddis looks. I carry a braided tapered leader about 10' long, a good bit of 8 or 10 lb monofilament and about 10m of braided nylon line. The nylon cord that I carry is heavy enough to be fashioned into a trot line using droppers of the monofilament which are then tied to the hooks.

I also have an 8/0 hook for a gaff.

The tapered leader and a fly or a baited hook, and possiblilities for a trot line are covered...all for a tiny amount of space and very inexpensively.

I think the flies are an overlooked bit that can really add value to a kit, but your location and stream types are really the big factor for these as is a bit of fishing skill or knowledge. Big water without a rod and fly line these are going to be harder to use.

I'm not either, haven't fished since I was a young teenager, and was never very good at it. So what I have in my bug out bag is a gill net, illegal to use in most areas for fishing, but I figure in a survival situation, who cares? I need whatever edge I can get.

Here's a quickie pic of one of mine...



In a SparkLight container: Two bobbins of line - one 6lb, one 12lb. A bunch of small sinkers, several tiny bobbers, an assortment of small hooks (#6, #8 and #10), a few ice fishing jigs, and a couple stainless gaff hooks.

M

The LED bobber that has been mentioned on the forum before is

Thill™ Nite-Brite™

For folks living near, traveling over and around large bodies of water...There are some relatively small lifeboat fishing kits on the market. The good ones are USCG approved. They would be overkill for a PSK, but, you had mentioned a larger kit you were considering also. I know that DATREX, makers of a lot of survival gear for marine use has a Lifeboat fishing kit. As I mentioned, it's more than you'd want for PSK, but, would be reasonable for a larger kit, BOB, etc. You can see a picture of it at:

http://www.datrex.com/products/viewproduct.asp?pr=16&ca=3

They also produce an assortment of survival rations, water, flares, etc. I don't know if you can actually buy from them direct, I have bought their gear at a marine supply place near me, and seen them on various web sites.

Personally, I have a subset of the Datrex Lifeboat kit in my BOB, and only a really minimal combination of hooks and some line in my PSK. Something to consider is that lifeboat survival kits are generally set up for salt water use. If you're not floating on the "big blue wet thing" <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />, but stranded inland with only lakes and streams around, you'll want much smaller tackle than the kit I referred to.

FWIW -

Virtually ALL fish in US Inland Waterways are badly contaminated with heavy metals and other nasties. Don't count on fish for LTS, they are basically poison after more than a few servings a month. Mercury, Cadmium (from Ni-Cad Batteries) and much more nasty stuff settles out and into the fish.

All of which will still be in the water after you boil it, and most filters small enough to fit into a PSK, even a biggish one, can't do much for. All of those and more will be in any rain water you collect, much less get into your eyes and on your skin. There is only one way to avoid the pollution we've created, and that is to live in a bubble.

I know the risks, and I know the odds. I'm willing to throw the dice- survival and evolution rely as much on pure blind luck as they do the subject's supperior mental and physical ability and training to determine if they get to contribute to the gene pool.