Fishing line & hooks in survival kits

Most of the survival kits on the market, do include fishing line & hooks. Which I believe is a good idea.

I had just started fishing as a hobby and are still learning my knots, lines, hooks, sinkers, etc. After several fishing trips, I was looking at survival kits. When I realised that only a few very tiny hooks are included and the fishing line is usally 10 /30 feets.

The length of fishing line seem to be too short to be of any practical use. Based on my limited experience, I guess a lenght of 100 metres may be more practical.

I understand the logic that "small hook may catch big fish but big hook cannot catch small fish". A big fish may be so strong that it will straighten a small hook and escaped.

I think including a fishing rod and reel may not be possible in a survival kit. But a handline with 100 metres of 20lbs line and a dozen hooks for each of several size may be feasible. I am sure such a setup will greatly increase the change of landing a fish of suitable size.

Just my 2cents for a better survival kit.

I agree that if you carry one it should be up to the task.

But can anyone point me to a genuine survival situation on land when the survivors have been fishing or needed a fishing kit?

I just don't see it as being very likely in reality

The recent flood in Burma.

Depending on the size of the survival kit, I think you're right that longer and stronger line and more hooks will get you more food. Plus it would give you the option of setting up a trot line. More like trapping then hunting. For a smaller kit, I would still include more then ten to thirty feet, 100 at least. For the same reasons. Also, in a small kit, if you can make the fishing line and the thread the same, you can eliminate an item. Not very fine thread, but needles come in all sizes and field repairs can have Frankenstein stitches as long as they hold.

To include/exclude a fishing kit seems to be one of those perennial debate's. If your simply stuck overnight then no. If it looks like you have to self rescue then yes, most definitely. In that case 40' of line and 20 hooks seems to be advocated by most experts. Along with a couple of jigs.

The line should (preferably) be a braided one, like Spyderwire. Hooks have other uses beyond catching fish. Like catching small game such as birds or lizards. Line can be triggering trap's etc.
So personally? Yes I would include it.

Well, Burma was more than just a flood, and is a long term kit. For a larger stock, yes, having more tackle and line makes sense, but a gill net is your best bet.

For a small kit, the biggest purpose of a fishing kit... *looks around* C'mere... *motions firefly closer* Don't tell anyone, but *whispers* in a PSK, the biggest role of a fishing kit is to keep you out of trouble and near a clear spot where air search can find you in the first three days.

For that role, little hooks and 8 pound mono line is fine. Besides, you are more likely to get <3 pound fish. You KNOW those are in any healthy pond or stream. I stick a tiny fishing module in small kits, along with about 30' of 12# braided specta, which is similar in thickness to 8# mono and doesn't have the memory. That's enough to get out a few set poles, or rig a trotline with assistance of a sapling or a bit of paracord. To give you some scale, that prototype is with a 2x2" ziplock.

Ron Propeil pocket pro fisherman anyone?

-Bill Liptak

Hi Firefly99,

The NATO Survival Fishing kit NSN: 4220-99-138-8693 is a good starting point for a survival fishing kit.

The USMC survival kit is also excellent; http://www.donrearic.com/milfishkit.htm



This is one I made up myself using a few spare bits of tackle and line.

My fishing experience has taught me that you almost never come home with the same number of hooks that you left with.

Hooks are extremely lightweight and don't take up much space at all. I see no reason not to bring more than you think you might need, just in case. I have approximately 200 hooks, ranging from very small for panfish to very large for catfish.

The same applies to line. Several hundred yards of braided fishing line wrapped around a pencil weighs virtually nothing, so why not have it?

I also have a fishing rod in my BOB. Nothing fancy. Just a simple five and a half foot, two piece rod. Each piece is less than three feet long. It sticks out the top of my pack, but that's fine. I can do far more with a proper rod than I could with a stick or a can. You won't see anyone winning a Bassmaster tournament with a piece of driftwood. And survival is the most important of all fishing tournaments.

Finally, I also have an assortment of metal and plastic lures.

My survival fishing kit is all on my hat. I have a straw cowboy hat that I took the hatband off of. I took a small spool of firewire, I think it's about 25lb test. I wound it around where the hatband was and connected it in the back with reusable sinkers, to keep it from getting it tangled I put about 5 snap swivels on the line all the way around. On the inside of the hat band I put various sized hooks and taped them down. I put the hat band back on , covering the fishing line. On the front, I took a couple of feathered jigs and a small snap swivel and attatched them. It looks good and I have enough fishing supplies to actually do some good and it doesn't take up any room.

Interesting concept. Hopefully your hat won't blow away. Been there, done that, more than once...

I've had it for years and havent lost it yet, never even came close to losing it. It is starting to look like it's been camping way to many times though so I may get a new one for next year.

For a survival kit, I like eagle claw #374 treble hooks from #12 to #8 size, 20 lb braided line, a jar of powerbait, and maybe a bobber or two and a couple split shot, but nothing too fancy. Most of the time, I prefer natural bait, but powerbait keeps well and seems effective for most things.

I like 3-20 m of heavy line and small and med hooks.

For what a homemade "emergency" fishing kit weighs, and for it's small size, why not have one with you BOB or a small fishing setup with your PSK?
Besides a food source on land a water, the fishing kit has many other uses, such as line for tyeing things, lures can be used as small hanging "flashers" that may or may not attract attention, etc.. If stranded, the fishing gear could keep your mind active, and give you something to do.

I will always have a fishing kit in my BOB, and PSK (personal support kit).

Can anyone name a single recent survival situation where anyone was saved because they were carrying a mini fishing kit?

I can't. But I have seen people starving on the TV show "Survivor" because they couldn't catch any fish. LOL!

I think I read somewhere that most survival situations don't last more than 72 hours. No one is going to starve to death in 72 hours, although you may feel like it. Me personally, I don't like the idea of depending on other people to save me. What if I'm out there for a long time? I'm going to look for every opportunity to feed myself. Large game, medium game, small game, insects, plants, fish... they're all on the menu.

My goal in a wilderness situation isn't to just survive but to thrive. I keep my fishing kit with me anytime I am in the wilderness. It comes in handy for more than fishing and I have been stranded for a week with no food, and while that isn't really a long time, it was made easier by fishing and kept us fed.

My philosophy is that I already have some nice strong upholstery thread in my kit for sewing repairs, etc. Why not throw in a few small hooks?

I think it is a big mistake to prepare your survival kit or BOB for 72hours and expect help to come within that period. Seriously, in recent disasters such as NO floods, Burma flood, China earthquake, help or rescue teams took as long as 2 weeks or longer to reach disaster sites.

Totally agreed.

Very cool concept.

I had something very similar. Will post a photo shortly.

As promised, here is my emergency fishing kit.

I will admit I am one of the people who hasn't included line or hooks in my BOB or PSK, though I usually throw my tackle bag and a rod in my vehicle when we drive out of town.

What I love about the ETS forums is some questions really make you consider your preparedness posture and what your motivation is.

Damn, and I love to fish too. Thanks

Since we try to be prepared for the unexpected, and being stuck for longer than 72 hours might be one of the unexpected things that happens, I feel that at least a minimal fishing kit has a good enough weight/space to possible usefulness ratio to warrant its inclusion in my BOB.

With that said, I carry approximately 25-30 pounds of stored fat with me at all times, so I could probably last for more than a few days without food. Yes, I tell people that my fat is part of my survival strategy.

I would think that it depends on what part of the country you are in. Obviously, you cannot always predict where you will end up, but if you spend most of your time near the coast as opposed to the interior your gear should look different.

In salt water, a bait rig would be a great way to get many small fish. It has about 10 hooks prefabbed on line and feathers or beads as attractors.

Inland, your best bet is likely small trout in small streams or small pond bobber fishing. Line, hooks a bobber and maybe a bit of artificial bait or planning on using insects, grubs or worms.

Without a rod, I just don't see hooking and landing anything larger than 8" or so.

Outside of that, it is an excercise in passing time - like fishing is for me most of the time anyway.

For an offshore marine kit, fishing is a much bigger deal as one could spend quite a bit of time in a raft as history has shown and a fishing kit could easily make the difference between survival and the alternate.

Another fine example of multi-purposing.

Due to some medical notion called 'healthy living' my doctor wanted me to eat only 1800 calories a day and lose a little weight. Clearly, after reading Grouch's excellent post, I realize I have fallen victim to a fad. I have now begun a "rebuilding process" so that my EDC includes an amount closer to 20-25 pounds of AWMIASS (Above-Waist-Mounted-Internally-Accessed-Survival-Sustenance).

Firefly, read all of my post. I primarily mentioned my small kits, like the PSK that is ALWAYS with me in my EDC bag. I did mention that I have more in my bigger kits.

For bugging in supplies, I've got a 5 gallon bucket full of line, hooks, spoons, flies, soft baits, leaders, swivels, sinkers, bobbers, a few frog gigs, and a couple of nets. Along with rat traps, wire, screw eyes and small, shiny dangly bits to use as bait. Never seen a squirrel that didn't investigate a shiny. But in this case, my "fishing" is more like trapping, set it up and leave while you take care of something, check it two or three times during the day. That's why I've got the nets, and know how to make various fish traps.

For BoB, I have an altoids tin full hooks, sinkers, swivels, and some soft baits (frog, crawdad, small worm). There is also a couple of leaders, and a several yarn bobbins with 20 and 50 pound braided specta, and a couple of small jingle bells- put one of those on the set pole, and when you get a bite, you go take care of it.

*grins* Better? Now, I should point out a small philosophical difference. For me, BoB gets me home to my folks if where I am isn't tenable. The heavy bug in gear is there, just because I don't have good storage here- thus, my 5 gallon can is there. But to me, these aren't survival kits. If I'm going home, it's to stay, that's living gear. BoB gets me home if the car is screwed up.

Also keep in mind, I hate fresh water fish.

C'mon, it's all part of a bigger plan. Multiple options can increase the chances of success. When one needs food, "too many irons in the fire" doesn't apply. Catch fish or squirrels with the tackle. It's all tasty when properly charred.

"...a 1000 dollar rod..."

If you lose interest in fishing, can I have your gear???

I'm a firm beleaver in it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If you go up to a body of water that may have fish it's worth a shot but then you also shouldnt count on it alone. Theres many rivers and ponds around here where you wouldnt catch anything but crawfish but thats not to say that you couldnt find a stream, lake or river with some edible fish in it and you never know where you might have to survive so why not have a small kit that you could at least try.

sockpuppet:
I have caught a nice trout with my survival fishing kit. On the return from Nv. to Calif. I stoped at black rock creek and took a break from driving, just for the heck of it I got out my fishing kit and threw it in the creek with a grasshopper on the hook. The line drifted about 10 ft. when the trout hit it. By the way I returned the trout to the stream. Next time I may need it.

I've been working on a series of card kits. These are based on credit card blanks. The whole series are for a wallet based pocket kit. Since credit card companies send out blank cards to the point of at least one or two a week. They use to be real plastic. Now days they send cardboard facsimiles. But I have a couple of stacks saved up. Here is my writeup of fishing and sewing kits.

Wallet Fishing and Sewing Kit
Rich “Raspy” Shawver

Fishing and sewing kits are made the same way. The only real differences are the components used.

First you need to notch the upper third to half. Maybe a bit more depending upon the amount of space needed for the metallic components. These notches are to hold the thread or the fishing line wound around the card.

You can cut out the notches in several ways or shapes. They could be sliced or scraped out with a knife. Be nibbled out with nail clippers or side cutters. Or they could be sanded out with sand paper or a file. Any way that happens to be convenient. Finally they could be melted into plastic credit cards. This can be done with a hot soldering iron or with any piece of metal heater in a flame.

The notches can be simple V shaped, rounded, squared or rectangular. The size and shape would depend upon personal choice plus the type and amount of line to be wound around the card. For mine I used my soldering iron and are rounded semi-circles because it was convenient. Regardless of size or shape you want the notches to be as smooth as possible. This is so the line doesn’t snag or is nicked, which would weaken it, on any sharp edges.

The number of notches would depend on the different weights of fishing line or the number of colored thread desired. Of course each notch is pared with a mate on the opposite end of the card.

The fishing card carries 5 sets of hooks. Though if you would cant them a bit more you could probably make it 6 maybe 7. But that would be really crowding things. The Idea came from Ron Hood. In his video he strings several hooks between two strips of masking tape. The idea is to lay the hooks spaced along the bottom half or so of the card. Then you cover them with tape to hold them in place. The choice would be masking, scotch or packing tape. This hold can be improved by heating the card and then vacuform it around the hooks. Even if you do this you would still want to cover them with tape.

As to the sizes of hooks chosen is a balancing act. The old saw is that you can catch big fish with big hooks but only small hooks will do for small fish. Yet you can still catch larger fish with small hook, to a point that is. Also since you are catching for food rather than some artificial size limit or trophy fish. A handful of fingerlings will feed you as well as a single big fish. The choices I have made are a compromise giving a choice of sizes and more hooks being available.

The set or assortment selected relies on the fact that if you use all the same style or model of hooks the progressively smaller ones can be nested inside the largest one picked. Using short rather than long shanked hooks will allow more hooks. The hooks can be lined up the length of the card. But since hooks are generally taller than they are wide if you rotate them so that the shank is more vertical. More can be fitted on the card. The sizes I have picked for my card are 6, 8, 10 and 12. With 5 sets on the card this gives me 20 different hooks. Plus I have variable sizes to fit the fish available.

I also include one ocean sized hook just small enough to fit on the card. This goes around the perimeter of the card. This hook is to act as a gaff hook.

For weight you could glue and/or tape a line of split shots along the card but that would be a bit bulky to fit in a card slot. I suppose you could field improvise by tying small rocks to the line. But I have found an interesting solution. I discovered a product that looks exactly like a book of paper matches. Inside of matches inside the pasteboard cover are two sheets on lead cut like paper the matches. To use you tear off a strip and twist it around the line. The two sheets will fit nicely and are taped on the back of the card. Because there would not be much of an access problem these extend up under the line wraps.

For expedient field floats small pieces of stick can be tied to the line. For carry along floats there are small plastic zip seal bags. I’ve seen them as small parts bags as small as 1 x 1 and up in various fractions of an inch both ways. To use you melt a small hole above the seal. The best way to do this is with a small nail or pin heated in a flame. Sure you could simply poke a hole in the rim but melting it makes the hole much stronger so less tear out. To use you inflate and seal the bag and tie the line through the hole. These are slipped under the wraps of the line.

You finally wrap the line or different sized lines around the card in the notches. The number and size of the notches determine the number of different sizes of lines or the amount the notch can hold. I use spider line because it is one of the strongest lines for its size. The stronger the line the less likely it is to break during use. Remember this is not for sport but for food. A broken line means the loss of a hook and maybe a missed meal.

The sewing card is made in much the same way. Except you use needles instead of hooks. The thread is wound as the fishing line. Instead of different weights you can use different colors of thread. Although matching color is not as important for field expedient repairs. Heavier thread is generally better than weaker thread.

Since you will not be engaged in fine needlework small sewing needles are not really needed. Generally you want larger needles with the largest eye available. This is so you can extend your sewing thread with other forms of cordage. These would be like dental floss, cordage teased from other cordage like the inner strands of 550 cord or field acquired fibers.

A couple of specially needles I have included in my kit are mattress or upholstery needles. These are curved needles used for sewing along edges and around corners. Then there is the needle from the stitch awl. This is like a heavy duty sewing machine needle. You could use a sewing machine needle instead. Another possibility is to include a leather stitching needle. I didn’t

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This is my smallest fishing kit.
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12lb and 6 lb line on plastic card, about 20 meters of each; a few bits of powerbait and a small tackle box.
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4 sizes of hooks, sinkers and slit shot, small pieces of foam amd a floater, two wet flies, one spinner bait, asst swivels.
This is the smallest kit I would carry; it is best suited to freshwater creeks and dams. But it would catch fish in most types of water if needed.

'Round these parts, the ponds are fully of sunnies that you can catch with a few yards of line, a small hook and piece of plastic/fabric/tinfoil/insect/worm for bait.

One time they just weren't biting and I kept thinking "What could they be eating today? What are they waiting for? What would I eat if I was a fish? There shure are a lot of japanese beetles on the weeds near the edge of the water. What... Oh, duh!"

We used to go to the Boundary Waters when I was a kid, and there were spots where we could drop a bare hook in the water and catch a bluegill. It kept us boys out of trouble while my step-dad fly-fished from the back of the boat. The fish were so thick around the small islands that it seemed like you would step on them when you went wading.

I'm not a huge fish fan, but bluegill are tasty buggers.

I failed to comprehend from the above quote, that you had bigger kits. You only mentioned you included "tiny fishing module" in small kits. I agreed with most of your statements. I disagreed with your statement on the role of fishing kit in PSK.

I would like to echo bigreddog's statement.

I had many similar experiences (minus 1000 dollar rod) of returning home emtpy handed.

Well said.

I agreed.

But in this context, the fishing kits must be practical & useable, so as to enhance your survival chances. Whether you can land any fish is another issue.

My smallest fishing kit is in a .410 shell. Hooks, split shot, leaders, swivels, line and rubber worms. There is a bright pink foam earplug that closes the shell and keeps the stuff inside from falling out which gets used as a bobber.

That's a rather ingenuious idea. I'll try that out. Thanks!

fishhooks weigh nothing, cost next to nothing, and are hard to improvise a good version in the field.


Why not?

Monofilament doubles as thread.

I hadnt thought of that in years! That is how my grandfather carried his matches and other stuff that he would stow away in his fishing vest. That is a great idea, I guess that is why it has withstood time...

Brilliant! I need to copy that idea, which of course means I need to go and buy a nice little .410 shotgun or maybe the Taurus Judge...

-Blast, who doesn't know how much longer he can afford this place

The .410 shell kit is inside my PSK which is in a Whitman's Sampler candy tin - just a bit larger than an Altoids tin.

My second fishing kit is in a stainless still pill carrier that I got at CVS. It has a triangluar attachment loop on top and seals with a rubber 'O' ring. Attached to the ring is a flint and a P38 (for opening cans and as a striker for the flint) as well as a lanyard made of 10 feet or so of paracord.

Like this one:

I have nothing against folks having "smallest fishing kit / survival kit". If you believe a bit of line and some hooks is sufficient to land some fish for you in an emergency. Cool, I am totally fine.

I firmly believe a person need to have proper tools to do a good job. This post is created to discuss how feasible/practical is the so called "10/30 feet fishing line, hooks" in a survival kit.

This extremely popular idea of packing multiple items into the smallest container and calling it a survival kit is flaw. It give a false impression that you have covered all bases when you are nice and cosy at home.


Farmer, Have you ever use it and catch any fish?

I release them the next morning. Um, er ... somewhat changed by then.

There's nothing "non-survival" about my shotgun shell kit. I have about 30 feet of 10lb test line in there. The only thing that may be difficult is that the hooks are fairly small. Good for trout, not as good for some of the bigger fish.

I can also bend some of the hooks (I think there's 6 in the shell) and attach them to a stick to make a spear for grabbing frogs, lazy fish, slow birds etc.

Admittedly I'm not going to go after pike on Lake Erie or catfish in the Missouri with the kit, but it'll catch about anything in a smaller stream.

And yes, I have caught fish with nothing more than a stick, some string and an old hook. Baited the hook with a grasshopper and used a twig for a bobber. Got several bluegill the size of my hand.

I much prefer my breakdown rod and reel, but I could get by with the little kit if I had to.

And yeah, the containers do seem to be waterproof so far. I closed one up and put it in a cup of water for a couple days and it didn't leak. As long as that 'O' ring stays good you should be okay. Don't leave it sit out in the sun, don't expose it to harsh chemicals, don't expose it to ozone (just in case the seal actually has rubber in it - ozone destroys rubber) and it should last quite awhile.

Here's Ray Mears fishing with a soda can. The first part of the video he makes a squirrel trap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvRR5MTBBQI