Teach a Man to Fish

Hi all , Give a man a fish and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish and he can feed his family for life.

That is kind of how the old saying goes however like any blanket statement there are holes in this theory. If fishing were easy everyone on Naked and Afraid would thrive. Most cant catch more than a few minnows and big fish elude most if not all.

Fishing requires first a body of water be it stream, river or lake and a fishable population of edible fish. Then comes the hard part HOW do I catch them. I see fish traps used, nets, and modern fishing tackle. Ill stick with fresh water game fish as they are my expertise. I own a small fishing lure company and build fishing lures by machine and by hand. The art of tackle making is not lost and can be found all over the fishing community from people who tie flies to guys who build giant wooden lures like me.
The age old method of a worm on a hook is still one of the best methods of taking fish. Most small game fish (panfish) eat many different things from worms and grubs to any type of bug, cricket or minnows. The wiggler or Mayfly nymph is a great bait found by digging in mud along stream banks.

I would like to see this thread used to post your best fishing tactics in your A.O. Have fun.

 

Dupont spinners

I've never fished for bass but it's huge down here. My biggest thing here is catfish. We use trotlines baited with chicken liver or cheese balls. The other method is boxes baited with cheese. A person can catch a huge amount of fish this way. Not as sporting as when I would fly fish trout ,salmon and steelhead but it fills the freezer in short order and that is the goal in this case.

When I lived in the PNW I used a bit of everything from roe and shrimp to flatfish and spinners. In Colorado fly fishing during the mayfly hatch was outstanding. One of my favorite flies was called a scud. KILLER on the high mountain lakes for both German Browns and Pike.

 

I'll bite.....here are my 20.

starting with Knowing the fish that you are seeking to catch.....

1. Know their habits and preferred habitat,
2. Know their preferred prey,
3. Know the water conditions at the time and location being fished, particularly in tidal estuary and beach locations. Some fish are best on the bite on a falling tide, some on a rising tide, and some at slack water, some at spring tides or king tides, and some after a flood, when all sorts of edibles come along for the fish to feast upon.
4. Know the lunar and solar light conditions when fishing is optimal, and least productive for the species being fished for,
5. Some species like their water cold, while others like it warmer,
6. Some are surface feeders, and some are mid or bottom feeders,
7. Be aware of seasonal and migratory habits,
8. Match tackle size and strength with the species fished for, mismatched tackle often leads to failed hook ups and lost fish,
9. Be prepared to make judicious use of burley when bait fishing Berley (ground-baiting) Basics to Increase Catch Rates
10. Know which lures the targeted species of fish tend to prefer, and be prepared to experiment with alternative lures if the fish aren't following the pundit's best advice,
11. Know your bag limits, and legal regulatory obligations and adhere to them,
12. Share your knowledge with youngsters, and impart the value of ethical fishing; and knowledge of when survival fishing that otherwise might not be ethical, may be necessary to keep oneself alive.
13. Keep your fishing gear well maintained and a wide range of tackle stocked.
14. Time spent sharpening hooks is a good investment, particularly when your life depends upon it,
15. Take care to ensure that you have adequate creature comforts with you. The enjoyment of fishing can be lost if cold, wet, hungry, thirsty, sunburnt, or being eaten alive by blood sucking insects
16. If taking inexperienced anglers with you, don't be too surprised and frustrated if you don't get a lot of your own fishing done.
17. If on a fishing expedition with family or friends...have a camera of some sort with you...expressions caught on the faces of family and friends are probably more priceless and remembered longer than the fish caught,
18. Have a first aid kit with you....slips, trips, falls, hook and cuts injuries are all foreseeable fishing risks.
19. Know what species are edible, and which ones are poisonous / toxic
20. Fish safely, be aware of the conditions that you are fishing in and wear the appropriate PPE necessary to return home safely with your catch. Similarly, if fishing from a boat, ensure that the boat, at a minimum, carries the necessary regulatory safety requirements, particularly if fishing in open waters.

 

What, ya'll don't put a worm on a hook under a bobber and toss it into the lake and pull out fishes until your arms get tired?
Bass, bluegill, perch, the occasional pike that nabs the too small perch and crappie. Depending on if I want to hoof it to the spring fed lake, some 7-10 inch rainbows.

If it were survival fishing .. live bait and a hook.
Sport fishing is a whole 'nother story.

Hey, did you know that you can find live bait in the dead of winter in the northern tier and use it for ice fishing? It's called a Goldenrod Grub.



cut the gall open and you'll find a delicious wiggling grub in it

 

give a man a fish and he will eat for a day
teach a man to fish and he will ride around at 70 knots, drunk, wearing a funny hat.

 

I have always used a pole with lure or bait. I prefer stream fishing and find it more challenging then fishing in a lake. I recall catching pumpkin seed and bullheads at the lake. We would throw those ones back. IMO river fishing has more of the good edible variety. There is a place up in the mountains that has beautiful large rainbows.

 

Sorry, couldn't help it
(warning language)

 

This is an interesting beach fishing rig......


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Note.....this method of fishing / casting may not be legal in some jurisdictions.

 

the only thing anchovies are good for is catching perch and crappie

 

We used to use them for Sea Bass off the coast of Washington State.

 

And all this time I thought it was as an ingredient for Worcestershire Sauce...

 

lol @Witch Doctor 01 and Cesare salad dressing but other than that, chum for fishing

 

We used to catch a lot of pizza eaters with'em..... (never cared for them myself) sadines and kippers though, are staples here.

I bought a casting net (still need to get some practice with it) and a net stretched across a moving stream works well for bait fish. (Two people with speaders on the ends of the seine, will scoop up a lot of bait in just one or two passes.)

 

During a survival event and you've fished out the local waters what then? you not the only fisherman in the world.
People see what your doing and they will do it as well. under normal circumstances that's what people do.
If I am forced to live off the land , then I'm not just harvesting fish , I'm doing my best to grow them.
Volt lake in Ghana west Africa the fish they get are not mature and have not had a chance to procreate, thus the lake is almost void of fish now , and that is one big lake.
The same in their part of the ocean .
There are no laws being enforced so regardless of size all are taken and the seas are not so plentiful any more.
Greedy stupid does not pay off in the long run. that's what liberals do IMO.
I also see the value of growing food in the woods as well ideally for the critters but also for some future event one may be faced with living among the wild.

 

And what would this have in common with the purpose of the thread? Which is.... "
I would like to see this thread used to post your best fing tactics in your A.O. Have fun. "

 

Best Tactic for small stream Brook trout. My favorite method is to wait for three sunny days in a row then I go on day 4 no matter what the weather. With no rain for three days trout get hungry and will be very aggressive. Even on bright days Brook trout will come right out of cover for a fat worm. I fish from an upstream position using a #6 bait hold Mustad hook. 6 pound mono line and no weight added. I thread the 3 inch worm or half of a night crawler onto the hook and use the current to carry the worm into a place of cover like an undercut bank or under a log. Brookies hold in deeper dark areas of the streams. Log jams make nice holes as do areas where the creek is funneled into a trough. Sharp bends in the stream coupled with logs and such create deep undercuts where big Brook trout hide. By using no weight you can drift your worm into these holes. Keep a light hold of the line and have your reel in free spool so when the fish takes the bait he does not feel you there. Let him take the worm and run back to his cover. Tighten up your line a little a time to feel for the tugging bite. Slow heavy feel means big fish light ticking tapping is usually a smaller fish. so dont let those fish swallow the worm or you will gut hook them and kill them. Set the hook and pull them out of the cover fast or they can wrap you up in roots, ,logs and other debris. Keep them wet by using green grass in your creel and dip it in the water every couple minutes to keep these fine eating fish fresh. Brook trout in the range of 8 to 10 inches can be cooked whole after removing the innards and the head. salt and pepper and roll in flour fry in oil like crisco with a small chunk of butter added for flavor. Cook till golden brown . Eat skin and tail. Larger Brookies we like to fillet the meat off the bones and cook with skin on. same way. Enjoy.

 

Sorry some times I get a one track mind thinking about survival.
Under normal circumstances for lake fishing I use 6 lb test line no weight at all, merely a 2- 3 lb test leader and a size #18 treble hook for trout. and what ever bait I happen to feel like using. For bass I use lures of different sorts .
Creeks and beaver ponds I use a small spoon and a treble hook inside, a very short poll and open faced reel.
Rapid down hill streams I use hellgrammites found in the rocks in the stream bed. on a #14 single 3 Lb test line.

 

Fishing is part of survival and it is not as easy as some think. Tactics are key. Time of day or night, Moon rise moon set , sunrise sunset. Weather and having the proper tackle to complete the mission. Even in a P.A.W. situation the best fisherman will still be taking fish when others are starving because they cant seem to get them. I see it today and fish are plentiful here. Some can and most cant. This thread is for sharing HOW to catch them. Tactics and equipment. Bait and presentation. etc etc.