Unfair Game.

[Wayland]

OK first of all I don't want this to start a flame war, this is a serious project.

There are numerous threads on BCUK about the legality or otherwise of fishing methods that is not the point of this thread.

I'm looking to put together an emergency fishing kit, but I don't know a huge amount about fishing. ( Did a bit of fly fishing as a kid and that's about it.)

This kit would be stored in my canoe emergency kit and would only ever be used in an survival type situation.

What I am interested in, is equipment and tricks that will catch fish effectively in a variety of different waters and conditions.

Down and dirty is fine but preferably non polluting, even in an emergency I have my principles.

I'm currently basing it on a handline, which I know is illegal to use in UK inland waters, but this may be used abroad or in coastal waters. Again the object is an emergency kit.

I have a telescopic fly rod and reel but these are a little longer than I want the kit to be.

If necessary the kit could be broken down into fresh and salt water bits but I'd prefer to keep it together so I can pack it and forget it.

Bait suggestions would be useful but a long shelf life would be necessary.

Lures are something I would very much like help with.

So, with all that in mind can anybody give me some ideas?

 

[Ahjno]

Since you're talking emergency kit / techniques, I'l start with:

Kit:
- NATO fishig kit (covers basic fishing), added: more nylon line and some small hooks

Techniques
- Tickling, which you really don''t want to do in a survival situation IMHO, as you've got better things to do

HTH

 

[scanker]

Longline is good for fishing a beach, and usually a good reward for little effort. Legal too AFAIK, with some requirements that I can't remember off the top of my head - how often it's checked, that sort of thing. No special requirements, just hooks and line with limpets or worms for bait. We had a couple of dogfish last time we set one.

 

[sam_acw]

What about a gillnet?

 

[ANDYRAF]

The much hated silver foil can be used to try for sea fish, wrap it around you hook and leave a flappy bit. I have had a certain amount of success with this method, rod or handline from a boat/canoe. Pick a strong line though as some times quite large fish are attracted by it.

Andy ( always the cheap option)

 

[Shewie]

Not very helpful I`m afraid Wayland but this is what I carry these days ...

https://www.instantfisherman.com/ver1/index.asp?refcode=Fisher1


I first saw one on telly when my Dad first got Sky tv in the early nineties, I`d forgotten all about them until I saw one pop up on ebay one day.

More robust than you would imagine and I`ve had a number of decent fish with it so far.


Rich

 

[BOD]

A handline is illegal????

What on earth could the reasoning be ??

Please tell me someone!

 

[scanker]

It was mentioned in a thread recently - it was said that it was mainly to do with preventing poaching - a rod is very visible, but a handline can be easily hidden. Sounded reasonably logical.

 

[loz.]

These are tasty, and catching simple,

We used a lenth of cord ( was nylon, but anything would do ) , and a very small net bag fuilled with leftovers ( again we used a washing machine net thingy, but anythng would do )

Folded up volume about 2 inches cubed. - and weight next to nothing.

[/IMG]

 

[C_Claycomb]

Long lines, or trot lines are good. There have been some small pack size gill nets which were discussed on here some time ago. My only experience with a gill net caught nothing but leaves, so some study probably is needed on how best to use one.

For a hand line you want to be sure that you have a means to cast a lure, something like the Coke-can hobo reel. I met a lady in Norway who had a commercially made hand reel that looked pretty good. It allowed a heavy spinning lure to be thrown a surprising long way.

For lures, as much as I like little wooden minnows, I have caught more fish on small Mepps spinners. Get them in both silver and gold, at the least, and a few weights/sizes. Spoons cast well, but I have only ever caught on the Mepps Timber Doodle, which is non-snagging and can be worked around snags. Jigs can work well under the right conditions, when fish are deep, or suspended around rocks. They are also really simple.

You could look into something like Berkley Power Bait for a bait will good shelf life. Never tried it myself, but seen it for sale. Most other things don't last well, or aren't very robust. If I were in a survival situation and had something like a tin of corn for bait, I would be hard pressed not to go and eat it myself!!

 

[Tripitaka]

Fish trap made from either willow or finely split timber. Quick(ish to make) and will catch all manner of fish and crustaceans wherever you are.

My point is that you would never pack it - you would just make it, or them on site.

The advantage, given that it is an emergency situation you are looking at, is that it can be replicated for multiple sites, it is reusable, it is adaptable and is low effort once made. You can set it and leave it whilst you do other tasks or forage for other food.

They are very effective (think "lobster pot") and will catch several things at once. In a clean inland stream, I'd expect fish, eels and crayfish. In the sea, it would be mainly small fish, squat lobsters, lobster and crab.

 

[Wayland]

Some really good ideas here lads.

I guess a small net bag for crabs could also double up as a landing net or a bait catching net for minnows etc.

I had thought about power bait but the choice is bewildering, which type would be best do you think?

Long lines sound like a good option, any good sources of info on them?

 

[Tripitaka]

I could make you one up, Gary. They aren't too difficult.

I use a 30 hook one occasionally to see what fish are around on the beaches I want to fish with a rod and line. Problem with these though is that they are easily tangled.

 

[Tripitaka]

In fact, if you ever fancy a day on Anglesey, I'll happily take you for a days seashore foraging.

 

[scanker]

I'm currently struggling to find any decent info on long line beach fishing, but am fairly sure we googled for info when we did it.

Low tide was in the evening so we went down and tied one end of a line around a large rock at just about low water. This line then went up the beach at a slight diagonal, tying off loops every 6 or 8 feet. I can't remember what knot we used. We then cut one side of the loop close to the knot to make a single length off the main line to which a hook was attached. We did this all the way up the beach and tied off the other end. Went to bed and got up at 4am (low tide again) to check the catch, our reasoning being that no one would snag any hooks or nick any catch during the night. We used "lazy rag" and "lazy lug" with limpets to secure the bait to the hooks. As I said, 2 doggies for our (little) trouble.

http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/fishing_knots/knots_dropper_loop.html

 

[hammy]

Crude I know, thin line, strong line and hooks and bits and bobs in the center.
The things you make when your bored

 

[korvin karbon]

a yo yo fishing reel along with a speedhook are some useful tools


YOYO fishing reel
http://www.survival-gear.com/yo-yo-fishingreel.htm

SPEEDHOOK
http://www.speedhook.com/servlet/StoreFront

 

[Wayland]

In fact, if you ever fancy a day on Anglesey, I'll happily take you for a days seashore foraging.

Now that sounds like a cracking idea. I'll drop you a PM

 

[Mesquite]

Nice thread Gary, I'm going to enjoy reading the replies

As for things to use when I was on my woodlore course the instructor showed us weighted hooks that had been painted bright colours with eyes on them. We then attached little jelly bodies to them and used them on a makshift hobo reel.

He didn't say where they got them from but I'm sure all good fishing tackle shops could help you out. He did say they were very effective and only the previous week he'd caught 3 small pike and a couple perch with one inside 2 hours. The one pointer he did make was that don't bother with large hooks. You can catch a large fish on a small hook but you can't catch small fish on a large one. His suggested maximum size was no bigger than a size 8 and ideally 10 or 12 would be better.

He also showed us a small survival gill net he'd bought off of ebay. Apparently it was designed for going in US airforce pilots survival kits and packed up nice and small. It was very effective and was catching trout up to 2-3lbs when they tried it out.

 

[Ahjno]

I've got a whole series of these weighted-jelly-bodied-with-eyes-hooks in my kit. Got it for 3Euro in my local supermarket 10 years ago. I think every decent tackle-shop will have them available.

If you're interested in them Wayland, and can't find them overthere drop me a pm and I'll try to sort you out mate.