In survival scenarios, food is vital. The rule of threes states that you can survive about three weeks without food. However, you start being affected by starvation within the first few days. Without replacing the calories that you burn each day you will become weak and clumsy. Depression can set in with severe body aches, migraines, confusion, and disorientation. This makes other survival tasks like collecting water and firewood very difficult.
Not all food in the wild is going to help your body in the same way. Foraging for wild edibles is an easy way to get food in your belly if you know what to look for. However, these plants are low on calories, fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. You can get some calories this way, but you really need something more substantial. Primitive hunting and trapping can score you some meat, but your odds of success are low. These activities also take lots of time and energy. Fishing is often the best way to get a substantial meal.
It would be great if you had a rod and reel with you, but that probably won’t happen unless you get lost on a fishing trip. Any time I head into the wild, I like to keep one of my pocket fishing rods with me. These are small enough to fit in any small pack, and they extend out to function as a full fishing setup. However, most survival scenarios occur without any fishing gear on hand. This is when primitive fishing can save your life. In this article, we will discuss fish trapping along with some of the oldest and most effective ways to fish without a rod and reel.
Net Fishing
Nets are one of the most efficient ways to catch fish, and they have been used for thousands of years. Commercial fishermen still primarily use nets to bring in their catch as there is no other way to be more effective than net fishing. Nets let you catch lots of fish at the same time, and they can be used passively or actively. They do not allow you to distinguish between different species of fish and different sizes of fish, but in a survival scenario it really does not matter.
Gill nets are set up vertically to hang up fish that try to swim through the area. They typically work best in coastal waters where you can set up the net at low tide and let the fish swim in during high tide. Then you can come back at low tide to collect your catch. Gill nets can also work in rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes. They are just a bit more difficult to set up. You will need to use cordage to tie onto floats, weights, trees, or rocks to keep the net vertical. Just be sure it is secured so it does not get swept away.
A seine is a small version of a gill net that is designed to be dragged by two people through shallow water. You simply drag a section of water with the base of the net running along with the mud at the bottom and work your way towards the shore. Throw nets are circular nets with weights around the edges to make them expand when thrown. There is also a draw line hooked to the center to drag in the net. It takes some technique to throw a net, but basically you put it over your shoulder and then fling it as you rotate your shoulders. Then it sinks to the bottom and tangles up fish as you bring in the net.
Cane Poles and Hand Lining
You can still fish with fishing lines, lures, and hooks with live bait without a rod and reel. Hand lining is the most primitive way to accomplish this and is still a very common method of fishing around the world. You will need a bottle, can, or rock to use as your spool. Simply wind your line on the spool with your hook or lure attached at the end. Give yourself a few feet of slack and be sure your line has plenty of weight.
You will then swing your weighted line around in a clockwise circle and release flinging the line out towards your desired fishing location. Your spool will need to be turned so that the line flies off freely. You can leave your line out there for a while, but I like to stay active and start reeling in the line. That movement can get the fish excited. Simply spool up your line as you reel it in. If you get a bite, set the hook like you normally would and then reel in the fish. Just be careful not to cut your hand with the line.
You can also fish by attaching your weighted line to a wooden pole. The pole will let you extend out your line further from the shore. Any pole will do, but bendy poles from green trees or bamboo are perfect. Your pole should be about 10 feet long, and your line should be 15 to 20 feet long. You want to be on a point up above the water if possible. Just fling your line out as far as you can and then jig it up and down at whatever depth you like. Once you set the hook you can simply raise the fish up out of the water with your pole.
Trotlines, Jug Lines, and Bank Poles
These ways of fishing are still commonly used especially in the wilder parts of the country like the Ozarks and the Appalachian Mountains. A trotline is simply a long leader line with lots of shorter lines tied on. These lines have baited hooks attached at the end. Typically, the leader is 30 to 50 feet long and is tied off or weighted to keep the hooks in the right spot. The shorter lines are two to three feet long with live bait on hooks. Once set, you just need to check the line once or twice a day to rebait hooks and collect your catch. Just be careful as many anglers have drowned because they accidentally got hooked by a trotline while checking their hooks.
Jug lines are similar to fishing with a bobber. You just take a bunch of two Liter or Gallon jugs and attach weighted and baited lines to them. Then set them up so they will stay in the same spot. This technique is often used for catfish. Again, check your line for fish and rebait hooks a couple of times a day.
Bank poles are simply a passive way to fish with a cane pole. Instead of actively fishing with the pole in your hand, you shove it in the mud in the bank and throw out the baited line. You can do the same thing by attaching your line to a tree branch still attached to the tree. Just check your line periodically.
Fish Traps
There are a few different ways to trap fish in the wild. They all rely on the fact that fish have a hard time finding their way through small openings. An easy option is a bottle trap. Find a two Liter bottle and cut off the top just below the taper. Then cut out the spout portion so you have an opening just big enough for a fish. You can cut the edges of the opening into strips to make it easier on the fish. Then invert that piece of plastic and shove it back down in the base. Throw in some stones for weight and some bait and sink it to the bottom. The fish will swim in and get too confused to get back out.
You can do the same thing on a larger scale with rocks on a V trap. This is where you use rocks to build a wall in the shape of a V sectioning off a small portion of water with fish. Then you leave an opening at the cleft of the V so fish can swim in but cannot find their way back out. Bait the water and start making noise to chase fish towards your trap.
Getting ahold of fish in a wilderness survival scenario is a big win. You really get all of the calories, proteins, fats, and healthy oils that you need to keep going. If you are creative and patient, you can always find ways to catch fish. Even without traditional gear, I have completed several survival challenges on which fish was my only source of food. Just take the time to practice some of these techniques and you will have fish as a potential food source when it counts.