Why do they always show fishing hooks with one hook or point in the survival kits. Wouldn't the treble hooks, the ones with three points have a better chance of catching something.

While I am not an expert fisherman by any means, I would imagine the fact that the single-pointed hooks are one dimensional is one major reason why they are included in many PSKs. It's a lot easier to pack the flat hooks in somewhere than the three dimensional, three-pointed hooks.

This is just a guess - I may be way off...

Yes, you have a much better chance of catching something - tree branches, bushes, sticks underwater in the stream, old tires, plastic buckets, weeds, rocks, your face, - well, you get the idea.

Yes, a treble hook is more reliable, but not as packable.

The best way to catch fish, barring the use of poison, concussion grenade, or electricity, is a gill net.

They are quite illegal for sport or commercial fishing, because they work so well.
The military pilot survival gill nets with 1" openings on eBay are a little large for most freshwater fish, but the net is more than long enough to cross a creek so that everything, including turtles can be driven into one.
I have a gill net in my abandon ship bag, as well as in my plane.

We're allowed to fish with gill nets up to 300' recreationally here in Virginia provided we have a liscense and follow the seasonal restrictions during spawning. Maryland and Delaware follow the same guidelines I believe.

How do you use a gill net?

Essentially they are nets that hang vertically in the water and are called gill nets because fish swim into them and become entangled by the gills, fins etc.

You would either "hang" them in the water by attaching something that floats to the top part of the net and something that sinks to the bottom part of the net, or you would stake them across a stream and anchor the bottom of the net with rocks.

After that they can either be left alone and fish will just swim into them naturally and become entangled, you can "herd" fish into them by basically splashing around like a nutcase, or you can lure them into the net .

Basically the net is left hanging like a curtain in the water instead of being dragged through it.

Think 35mm film case. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I carry single, and treble hooks in my frisking kit. If you have room, a plastic hook protector, or elect. tape will save a poke or 1 in the fingers, and keep the hooks from sticking your other gear.

"Wouldn't the treble hooks, the ones with three points have a better chance of catching something?"

The answer is a definite yes, no, or that depends.

There are more small fish than there are large fish. At least where I am (Southeastern US) it is easier to catch small pan fish (fish smaller than your hand) with simple tackle and live bait. A small single hook will work on a wider range of fish sizes. Unless you have a tiny treble, small fish cannot get it into their mouths.

When I fish for catfish in ponds where most of the fish are 1-3 pounds, I use a #6 treble. The main reason I use a treble is because I use dough bait and the bait forms a ball and sticks better on a treble. When I use chicken liver for bait, I use a #2 single hook.
I really cannot say that I hang more with the treble than with the single hook.

Artificial baits (crank baits) are a little different from live bait. With live bait the fish is trying to eat it, making it a little easier for the hook to be inside the mouth. With a crank bait the fish is hitting a moving target and is more likely to spit it out. One or more trebles makes it more likely that you will snag something when the fish makes the strike.

Answer depends on the size of your hook, the size of the fish, type of bait ....

I have very little experience with salt water fishing. That said, I would rather have 3 assorted size single hooks than one treble. Of course, I keep both in the tackle box.

Murphy's Law of Fishing: If you have only one hook, you will loose it on the first cast. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Part of why I don't carry trebles, and I'm not a fisherman so I could be wrong, but I would think that trebles would be more likely to snag on something. It's basically a tiny grappling hook, after all. I'd rather loose a fish than loose my last hook, there are more of the former than the latter.

The versatility of a single hook is more important than any advantage of a treble hook using live bait. Treble hooks are specialty hooks.

Tru-Turns seem to work well for me. And the .mil supposedly uses them in their kits as well.

A selection of small single hooks take up less space than two or three treble hooks.



Tru Turn hooks

I would go with the Aberdeen style hooks in smaller sizes for freshwater use. Add some bigger stuff and steel leaders for saltwater critters.

That is great info!

Thanks!

First, go with the gill net already mentioned, and as for hooks, stick with the single hooks for the reasons others have mentioned.

In addition, if you’re buying bare hooks, consider including some circle hooks. With regular hooks you must “set” the hook, which requires practice. With circle hooks, the fish sets the hook for you (I’m guessing circle hooks are much easier for someone hand-lining, as might be the case in a survival scenario). In the interests of full disclosure, there is some disagreement about the benefits of circle hooks. I recommend them in the ETS context because I think they’re easier for non-fishermen to use, plus there are fewer snags and thus fewer lost hooks, at a time when you can't afford to lose hooks. Experienced fishermen don't like them as much because it is so hard to break the habit of setting the hook, a habit that will cost you the fish on a circle hook.

Lastly, bend down the barbs with a pair of pliers. Again, there’s some disagreement about this practice, but a fish that might be lost due to a bent-down barb just means you have to keep on fishing. A barbed hook stuck in your own flesh when you’re trying to survive is a show-stopper and can be a genuine medical emergency. A single barbed hook stuck in you is bad enough; imagine being caught on a barbed treble. Here’s a sample pro-barb-bending article. This article doesn’t address the safety issue, which is the main reason I’m a barb bender.

I fish quite a lot and I would take a small #6-#10 single hook, over the treble Everyday ending in Y. It simply a matter of being able to hide the hook IN the bait. This provides a much higher strike/catch ratio, especially on smaller fish.

your absolutly right, maybe the price...