Fishing for food

First time poster
Everyone talks about guns for protection and food gathering but when comes to fishing, most people just seem to have some fishing line and a few hooks even in their BOB. I include an ultralite fishing rod and reel with 4lb test line and a small box of lures in my BOB. I also include a small fishing kit in my knife pouch and heavier fishing line for making a pole and fishing for larger fish.
I agree that deer and squirrel and other small game will be quickly depleted in a disaster. Fishing, at least in my area, should provide a supply of food for longer. There are numerous small ponds in my bug out area that will provide both a fresh water source, good place to camp and good food supply.
For bait, I have a few lures that I have learned over time work well and hooks for using insects as bait.

Another thing I haven't seen mentioned in here is that when you shoot that game, that gunshot is going to attract attention in a situation where you are probably wanting to keep a low profile.
Guns are a part of my bugging out supplies, but I like to keep my options open and I really like to eat.

Welcome MOAlan

With my track record as a fisherperson I have never considered fishing much for emergency food, altho I know that it can work. I think that location makes a big difference, the more remote the water, the less chance that the little fishies have already tasted a hook.

And some folks seem to need an Ugly Stick, graphite reel, spyderline, and some $10 lure. Then there is the guy I met one time. He had just come back from a week in the back country of the Sierra Nevada Mtns, and had caught his first trout (several of them), on a BARE hook, which was tied onto a four foot length of line, which was tied to a stick...

First off, welcome to the forum!

You make a lot of good points about fishing. However, I haven't fished in decades, and wouldn't know a good lure if it snagged me on the finger. On the other hand, I shoot all the time so hunting is a far better bet for me. Maybe I need to take up fishing. Yeah, I need another hobby to spend money on. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Good Idea.
Fishing can be done with little effort too.
For survival needs, it's a good choice provided you are next to
some body of water that contains fish.
It's more likely to catch fish in such cases than to snare game.
The Mils Spec survival fishing kits are found on ebay and such and cost about $20. Well worth it or just make your own.
Of course a lot of people may not have the streams or lakes accessible for fishing.
All in all a very good idea plus it may serve to calm a person down and give time to plan the next step(s).

I agree that in most parts of the country, fishing is your best bet for obtaining substantial nourishment. In a survival situation, you are better off going for small fish that you normally wouldn't consider when sport fishing. Small fish are just so much easier to catch and after gutting and cooking, you can eat them head and all. Forget going after the 14 lb. bass. I'm a frequent fisherman and use many different artificial baits, but if I had to eat, I would use natural live baits. Grubs in rotten logs or under bark, worms, tadpoles, lizards, mayflies, caterpillars, crickets, hellgramites, whatever you can scratch up. Fish that turn up their noses at all artificial lures will usually rush to get natural live food they are used to seeing. I always have plenty of fishing gear in my vehicle, but to be prepared for an emergency situation, it really doesn't take much equipment. With a few small hooks, some fishing line, and some sinkers you can catch small fish or large minnows with natural bait quite easily in even very small streams. An very adequate fishing kit can be packed in a 35mm film cannister. You don't even know you have it in your pocket. A small fishing kit can usually provide a reliable protein source without the weight and bother of a firearm. Plus you can take it in Parks where you would get arrested promptly for having a firearm.

"Fishing for Survival" ... The manic fisherperson's dream! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Maybe I should rethink getting one of the GI gill nets. Not legal in most places for "normal" fish gathering, I doubt that even fish cops would go crazy if you used one in a true survival situation. They aren't much bigger than a space blanket...

Yes having a rod and reel can be great but most freshwater fish can be caught on a cane pole.
As far a BOB's and PSK's that is a matter of personal preference.
I tend to go a lot lighter than a lot of other ETS members; so in most cases all I might have is a few hooks and line.
For short time survival food is not an issue.
Longer term scenarios would involve getting food anyway possible. Trot lines in the water and traps / snares on land.
While actively hunting and pole fishing too.

First time poster,

Maybe someone can help me out on the fishing stuff.

Most kits I've looked at have some kind of fishing line and some hooks. My question is, is there anything else you can use that stuff for.

The only year round body of water around here is the LA river and no way I would eat anything living in that place.

I mean, when you basically live in a desert is there any use for fish hooks and line? <img src="/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I live in a more urban area and if it was between life and death i would just loot an abandoned grocery store since it would take something of epic proportions to make fishing a life or death issue. And if that did become an issue then i would just go home, or loot another store, and get a fishing pole.

I suppose you can use them for snaring birds, but if you live where there is no water then you could probably do without them. But suppose you occasionally travel outside your area. Will you always remember to put the fishing stuff back in the PSK? If not then you are better off just keeping it in there.

I second the gill-net idea. There's a lot of oppertunities around here to catch fish but I'm a pretty mediocre fisherman. In life-or-death I'd rather run a net through a pond or stream than rely on my skills with a hook and line.

Actually, who am I kidding? I'd use dynamite! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

-Blast

Oh yeah, welcome to the group MOAlan!!

-Blast

"...i would just loot an abandoned grocery store..."

I'd suggest you come up with a Plan B, just in case. Given what has happened in past "riots," you will not be the only person with the loot and scoot idea. And in past riots in Los Angeles (for one place), many store owners did not abandon their stores, they guarded them with shotguns...

I also have a decent little fishing kit in my BOB. Much easier than hunting or traping. The little fish that waste your time when fishing for fun are the ones to go for. I have also thrown some sequins into the kit. A cricket on the hook works, but usually gets nibbled off without catching anything. I've seen a lot of guys set trot lines without using any bait at all. Some of them go a little further and stick a sequin on the hook. A curious fish bites just to see what it is and it can't get nibbled off. Best way is to have the line tied so the hook is dangling in the water and leave it. Check it every couple of hours. Several lines tied around and you won't go hungry.

Plan A: Use the supplies i have at home.
Plan B: Bunk with family that is in the area. (Next town over and next state over.)
Plan C: Government disaster assistance.
Plan D: Looting if need be.


If i ever get to Plan D there better be zombies roaming the streets....

You might has well go to plan D while you are waiting on plan C. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Thanks

In my youth, I learned for a fact that a properly baited fishing hook can snag both small mammals and birds(note:almost no meat on a bird unless it's really big). Birds and mammals must be cooked/smoked well, but, then they are generally safe I think. When we "experimented" with this, we were in the "100 Mile Wilderness" heading to Mt Katahdin. We were living on Mountain House style freeze dried stuff, so we ate any "real" food we caught. (Up there, we could also get good trout in the rivers, bass and pickerel in the ponds. We had a small spinning rig with us.) Come to think of it, we didn't even filter water back then, just dipped our old GI canteen into the rivers. (I guess we were lucky, I wouldn't think of doing that today.)

Even if you're not fishing/snaring, etc, the fishing line may serve as nice lashing material when cobbling together a shelter. Larger hooks could be straightened to attach to a stick for spearing small things that crawl about. Fishing line is also handy for repairing clothes, packs, etc.

Oh yeah, if you're ever going to eat small game, it's a lot more palatable with a little something to hide the gamey flavor. We used to carry some "Crazy Salt" to put on virtually anything.

Yep-yep.

Even if you are like me and only go out to fish maybe two or three times a year with a borrowed rod (it's a social thing), you know how much food can be in the water. YOu can make a capable fishing kit (2 miedium hooks, 6 little ones, 5 sinkers, 2 swivels) in a vial the size of a large pistol cartridge and some line. I like the idea of putting some sequins in there- most fish will bite on shiney. By the time you are up to a match case in size, you've got all the basics covered.

Ron, I agree that some type of seasoning is nice to have when you must eat survival foods. Mountain men and early explorers always carried their salt block and a few peppercorns. Most "survivalists" only read books and theorize about eating wild foods. Until you've actually tried it, you don't realize how important seasoning can be. I always carry a few bouillon cubes in my PSK or on my person when camping and hiking. I often experiment with scavenged food and have found that a bouillon cube in the pot makes all the difference in the palatibility of minnow chowder, pine needle tea, inner birch bark soup, boiled poke salad, squirrel or wood rat stew, etc. A little "crazy salt" or something similar would be just as useful and can make the difference between being able to get down nourishment or puking.

And don't forget the Taco Bell hot sauce packets: small and don't require refrigeration. Always ask for extra.

Sue

Learning to cast a flyline is a worthwhile skill. Even hard worked fish are suckers for a fly, and a light rod tip kills more fish.
A flyrod works a lot more water, faster, and you can instantly drop a fly to a rising fish, rather than reel in, cast, and crank repeatedly.
A roll cast or a sidearm cast will lightly work a lure under overhanging limbs and banks, and the beauty of it all, is that you don't actually need a flyrod.
Line, leader, tippet and fly can be cast by hand, (well, by arm), and you can make your own flies and lures out of almost anything.

My No.1 protein choice in the wild, is froglegs.
Walk along any pond, stream, swamp edge, creek bank, feeder ditch, and you'll find frogs. Tie a line to a pole, with a hook on the end. Dap a hook off Mr. Bullfrog's nose, and he'll bite. Haul him up to you, and you now have tasty legs, and lots of guts as bait for bank lines and trot lines, and bait for snares and deadfalls on dry land.

Yes, they do kinda taste like chicken, incredibly sweet, tender chicken.

Why do you think I carry both salt and chili powder in my ditch kit, and in it's big brother BOB, I"ve got those, plus peper, mesquite shak on, garlic powder, lemon juice crytals and bullion/ramen seasoning packets? Venison, bear, those are great. Woodchuck, muskrat, fisher, fishy duck, those all taste like *censored*- if I thought the bulk was worthwhile, I'dd add fried onions (the canned kind) and shelf stablized bacon bits for that kind of eating.

Dude ! Fly fishinf withour a rod ! What a concept!!

I gotta try that,and soon..

Oh ,btw for the frogs, a bit of red cellophane is THE stuff

Frogs and turtles were some of the other critters I consider for food without having to make any noise. It is also something I have grown up doing. There are hundreds of lakes, streams and the Missouri River all within my buggout area.

As I get older and my eyesight gets a bit worse, seeing through sights or even a scopes takes a bit more work while fishing or gigging can be done even if something happened to my glasses.

Your point about using the guts for bait afterwards is excellent. I don't even consider that when I fish most of the time, I like the sport of fishing then.

In a survival situation, changing my mindset may be the biggest challenge of all.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but check the local restrictions before you pack a fishing kit.

I have previously had a gill net confiscated by game wardens while on a fishing trip. The net was unopened and packed in a survival kit. I managed to talk my way our of a ticket, but was surprised by the reaction of the game wardens. Gill nets, speed hooks, premade snares, scent baits, and other items may be illegal to simply possess in certain jurisdictions. Possession of fishing tackle without the requisite license can also result in confiscation and fines.

A bored game warden could have a field day with your bob.

M

Tie a length of yarn to a stick, to practice indoors.
As you get smoother, choke up on the stick and/or lengthen the yarn.
It also helps your flyrod casting rhythm.

/and amuses the cat.

I think you can get some very small packages of bacon bits at some fast food places, for use on salads. I've a few in my kit.

Fish cops do not have a sense of humor. You are about the first person I have ever heard of who managed to talk himself out of a ticket from one...

A fishing kit is something I've neglected in my kit. I have fishing gear, just not in my BOB. I think I'm going to get out my stuff and put together a fishing kit for my pack. One thing that I use to do when I was younger was go to the public fishing places and poke around for a bit. Usually in a few minutes I could gather enough line, hooks and sinkers to tie off a good pole and fish all day. That however is not very reliable.

I live in an area where dams are prolific ( there are four major ones within 45 minutes of my house) so usually there is plenty of gear that can be found on a bored afternoon of wreckage hunting, and there is usually no shortage of wrecks around dams. Most of my early tackleboxes were stocked in this manner and I got some really good lures that way. If you live in an area where there is alot of public fishing, you might try looking in trees overhanging the water to see those expensive lures that people lost. It's a cheap way to stock a tacklebox, and it's fun to just get out and enjoy nature. I'm gonna go get my gear out now and make me a fishing kit.

I failed to mention that they had already hit us with $250.00 CN per guy ( 3 guys) for being 2 walleye over the limit. I think the confiscation without a fine was just being merciful.

Those were some expensive fish.

M

I have seen fish cops take the game, give a ticket, AND take the $500 shotgun that was used by the unlicensed hunter. And sometimes the judge does not give it back!!! Having a license and staying within the limit is a good idea...

Even without looting; when stores are still open and selling; essential items like gas cans, water cans, fishing gear, generators, food, animal feed, and anything else you can think of will disappear immediately. I was a witness to this effect during the recent midwest ice storms.
Do not even think of depending on what is on-hand in the stores during any kind of emergency.

Have it on hand, have it ready and maintained, be prepared.

Jon Davis

Dynamite? Now you're talking my language! Rather than possessing and illegal gill net why not carry a jungle hammock - it will work just like a gill net and it's LEGAL.

Like i said, looting is only for when i can't get out of the area for some reason and/or when my current kit is exhausted and i can't buy what i need. You can be prepared for a long time but you can't last forever on what you got, you need to think what do you do after all your supplies are gone.

I'm not saying breaking the law and stealing is ok and i'm not saying you should steal supplies from other people, but if your city is half under water and everybody has left and you , for some dumb reason, are still around you still need to survive. I much rather go to jail for awhile for stealing gas and canned goods than die. Stealing TVs on the other hand are a whole diffrent story...

Methinks perhaps "scavenging" or "salvaging" might have a better connotation than "looting". Not that either is a good plan.

In a true survival situation, going fishing is probably not the most effective or efficient means of gathering enough food to survive off of.

I find that there are alternatives where legalities become a luxury, so would suggest the following, all of which I've tried in the past with desirable results:

Dupont spinners
Rotenone
The magneto from an old crank phone

The best one was the magneto. If you can get out in the water and insulated from it (like a boat), then the magneto is fairly discrete and localized enough that, when applied,you simply reach over and scoop up what floats to the surface. Nice and quiet, no spectacle, and fairly portable.

In survival mode, I don't tend to worry quite so much about sticking to the rules. You do what you gotta do.

O.K. You got me. What is "Crazy Salt".

Crazy Salt, great question!

It's made by "Janes Krazy Mixed-Up Seasonings", the real name is: Janes Krazy Original Mixed-Up Salt.

(There is also Krazy Pepper, great for rubbing on fish, I love it on Stripped Bass)

Anyway, the back of the container says it's distributed by Flavor Delite, Inc in Richburg, SC. I get it at the local Stop & Shop or Shaw's Supermarket. I think it's been around since dirt. I found a website with a photo of the container if you want to find it in stores:
http://www.spicesgalore1.com/jankrazmixsa.html

In general, any of the spice blends would dramatically improve small game, this was just what I was always able to grab out of mom's cupboard as a young buck heading out into the world. Once I was out on my own, I guess I just had made it a habit. Try this stuff when you make home fries... to die for on an old iron skillet over a nice bed of hardwood coals on your morning cooking fire. Yummm.

As has been said before, I wouldn't put much hope in looting, or whatever you want to call it. You will not be the only one with that idea...

Thanks Ron:

I have not seen that product on the west coast, or maybe I just wasn't looking for it, but I will now, and with the info you gave me I can order some.

Not a bad idea. Might be larger to pack around, but will do double duty come nap time...

Also the Seasoning Packets from Ramen Noodles and the like. Save them up! I do so for ordinary household purposes, -to say nothing of Survival, Outings, and etc.

There's a several year old Thread here, in one of our Forums. If I remember the title right, -its "Salt Packets in the PSK". It contains my very first post, -or very nearly so. Of which this then Newbie remains Monumentally Embarrassed! As regards Writing Style and such. So much so that I later actually re-wrote it, and posted it in that thread as well. (being unclear on self-deleteing procedures). I'm of course Embarrassed to have to give basic mention of it even now! And Forget my also very early "Saluteing our New Space Resolve"! (in Around the Campfire).

Real and Relevant Point here though, is-the Thread's Content of some Good or Helpful Info on such "Vital Seasoning and Flavoring Needs"! Just Klick on my Username somewhere, -and go to "Show all User's Posts". (I'm also Embarrassed to say!, -especially regarding my earliest ones!). You will soon find the said Salt Packets thread so.

But Save these Puppies up as well! They are Oh so readily Available!

Cheese Powder packets from Mac & Cheese boxes too! And those Gravy Powder packets. (Regarding these latter, -at a secondhand food store or section, -you can get a good amount of these rather Cheap!).

*Don't* be Stuck with something Boringly Blase and Bland!, -when out in the Woods! If you can Help it! And you very Easily can! [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email] [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ScottRezaLogan[/email]