Fishing is a terrific way to procure food. Fish is a great source of lean protein, a very important nutrient in survival. Many survivalists think that fishing is too difficult, too unpredictable, or not reliable enough to consider a viable option as a consistent food source, but if you understand a few basics about fish, fishing can be an extremely reliable way to meet your nutritional needs in a survival scenario.
Fish are very basic creatures. They are far less intelligent than most other game animals. So why do they seem so elusive? Well, probably because they are under water. Unlike deer, rabbits, squirrels, pigs and such, fish are not seen running around on land. Many of us have hiked through the habitat of these other game animals and have encountered these animals face to face... but not fish. Fish live in another world where few of us have gone for any length of time. We are separated by a glass-like barrier. We know
More than any other factor, your ability to catch fish is going to be most determined by your access to quality fishing waters. Not every body of water contains quality fish suitable for eating. Fish thrive in certain types of waters and are scarce in other types of waters.
In a survival situation, you are going to have to be even more cautious than usual about pulling your food out of polluted waters. Waters will become more polluted in a SHTF scenario, so you are going to have to choose your fishing waters more carefully. Other careless survivors are going to be dumping waste and relieving themselves in the water you are going to use as your source of drinking water and as a food supply.
Types of waters to look for
Fish can’t just live in any kind of water. Fish require oxygen just like we do, but they use gills to extract this oxygen from the water they live in. Not all water is oxygenated.
Fish also don’t generally prefer strong current. They tend to be opportunists that conserve energy until a quality meal comes along, waiting in “eddies” (breaks in the current) for a meal to swim by them. They will however make sure to stay in close range of a food source at all times, whether that comes in the form of smaller bait fish, crayfish, insects, or other such food source. This need to feed plays a huge role in where the fish are and whether or not they will by “lured” by your offering.
Let’s take closer look at the Equip2Survive Pocket Fishing Kit!
Survival Fishing Kit (Pocket Fishing Kit) Part 1
In this video, I cover the different components of my Equip2Survive Pocket Fishing Kit. I quickly run through the tackle selections I made and why I made the choices I did. For a more comprehensive look at survival fishing tackle choices, visit our more comprehensive survival fishing page.
Survival Fishing
Survival Fishing Kit (Pocket Fishing Kit) Part 2
In this video, I show the nearly completed Equip2Survive Pocket Fishing Kit. I quickly run through the assembled kit and how I used the small plastic tubes with vinyl end caps to organize the kit. For a more comprehensive look at survival fishing tackle choices, visit our more comprehensive survival fishing page.
NOTE: This kit is not for sale. It is merely a design that I put together to give you an example of how you can create a kit like it yourself! Please feel free to copy anything you have seen in these videos for personal use, but do not copy this kit with the purpose of selling it. The Equip2Survive Pocket Fishing Kit is the intellectual property of Equip2Survive.com and may not be copied and sold without the express permission of Equip2Survive.com
Survival Fishing Kit (Pocket Fishing Kit) Part 3
In this video, I demonstrate the completed kit in the field and catch fish with it. For a more comprehensive look at survival fishing tackle choices, visit our more comprehensive survival fishing page.