Fishing Gear for the Long Haul/After SHTF

[longhaul]

Hey folks - wondering what people thought the best fishing gear would be for post SHTF scenario?
I would think the this would be a rod, reel, line, lure setup that is:
-highly durable
-fixable with parts available to stock up on and mendable in the field (expedition fishing style gear)
-packable for travel...

I have little fishing experience so this is huge help!
Thanks...

[robt871]

i have a pocket fisherman it has a tackle box built into the handle. i havent used it yet, but looking forward to soon.

[LGM30]

I'm not a big fisherman either.  1 or two times per summer if I'm lucky.  But I think that equipment centering on aquiring natural bait might be better than a lure.  I have a lot of luck using live bait instead of expensive lures.  Sure I buy one every now and then, but I get the most strikes with natural bait.  So I'm thinking that minnow traps, electrodes for night crawlers, etc...might be better than a lure.  I think lures might work better in the hands of the experienced, but just a guess.

Also in a SHTF scenario I'm not gonna be too worried 'bout Mr. DNR citing me for multiple lines, or snagging salmon, or running a fish trap.  Having 10 lines with hooks and a meal worm tied to a floating coke bottle it cheap.  10 decked out rod / real combos with lures and such adds up fast.

[Red Dog]

From a durability stand point it's hard to beat an Ugly Stik, as a rule fiberglass rods are less fragile than graphite.  From a reel standpoint I prefer spinning reels but they are more susceptible to problems although I think easier to repair.

[quietmike]

For post SHTF, I'll be using limb lines, trot lines, jug fishing, yo-yo's, gill nets, drugs like rotenone, dynamite if it's handy, etc.

After a major breakdown the rules will definitely get re-arranged and game and fish laws will rank below keeping me and mine fed (in my book anyway). Also sitting on a creek bank with a fishing pole would be much too time consuming when time may be at a premium. Just my .02

[DeltaEchoVictor]

I like fiberglass rods & spinning reels myself.  They're durable & will hold up for a long time if taken care of.  Get a two piece rod so it's relatively packable.  Rods can be improvised from lots of things & the other folks that have posted are right on the money, jug lines, limb lines, throw lines & just about any other manner of getting a line in the water can be utilized.  Buy yourself a couple of spools of nylon string & you'll have a good amount of line for making some of those things...& various sized hooks of course.

You'll want a way to keep yourself supplied in bait.  Check out This Page for some ideas on minnow traps.  I have one & it's a handy piece of kit.  You can use it to catch minnows, crawfish, small panfish & whatever else wanders in there.  I usually bait mine with something stinky & oily like cat food or stink bait.

A cast net &/or a seine net would be good to have also.  I'd probably have a few 3 or 4 pronged fish/frog gigs.  You can buy the heads & improvise poles when needed.  The heads are small enough to store in a tackle box.

Do a google search for trot lines, hand lines, limb lines, jug lines....those are all ways of passively fishing while you're off doing something else. 

My wife is the fisherman in the family BTW.  We spend the summers chasing fish because that's what she likes to do.

[DwightS]

I guess I am not the one to give advise about a few things to grab to go fishing......

I have personally witnessed and older fellow on the bank of a Large Creek that flows into a large lake, catch
larger and more fish than all of us with GPS-Depth Fish-Finders with Lowrance Topo Graphs.......VHS RADIOS.

I personally use a 08 F250 Crew Cab Diesel to drag all my junk to the Lake to Hunt the big ones....
We catch a LOT OF FISH.

It's not all the junK though....it's being at the right place where fish are feeding and making a good presentation
of something that is in their food group and the fish will bite.

Low and High pressure systems really affect the bite.

And example
We leave at 2am and drive 50 miles to drop Hyroglo lights in the water to attract Shad....and harvest them with cast nets put them in 30 gal tanks with shad keeper and o2 infusers and regulate the temp in the tank and keep the foam off at 460gph filtered flow water systems.....adding rock salt as needed.

We fish with @14 down rods @ 20 ft depth this creates the illusion of a school of shad swimming in on hunting fish of prey.
4am till 9am is peak morning bite time....cloudy overcast days extends the bite.
Most evening feeding occurs 1 hr to 2 hours before after sundown.....

Catfish bite best at night. the record Blue Catfish from the lake I fish is 96lbs.....that's a lot of fillets.

Learning to fish is and excellent way to supplement your diet with healthy food.
Get on youtube and watch about 20 videos and along with the great fun you will see that it is a vital part of preparedness.

Now to be honest
It gets pretty complicated...if you use a lot of equipment planer boards downriggers etc......some times a can of worms dug up with a  Cane pole and a hook sitting on a bank fishing is sure a lot easier and a lot less expensive.

I've got LOTS OF PICTURES IF I KNEW HOW TO POST THEM....

I COULD FEED A FAMILY OF 4 EASILY FISHING.....IF THINGS GET BAD FISH ARE  GREAT TO BARTER BECAUSE EVERYBODY DOESN'T KNOW HOW, AND IT ADDS VIRETY....BAKED BROILED....GRILLED....FRIED.

They sundry and smoke well to extend their shelf life.

I USED TO HUNT DEER-RABBITS-BIRDS-SQUIRELS ETC....THAT WAS OK BUT,

FISHING IS MY THING.

I USE PENN SENATORS REEL'S- PFLUGER REELS- PENN INTENATIONAL REELS (EXPENSIVE) DIAWIA OPEN FACE...PENN RODS,
UGLY STICK 7FT IS A GOOD LIGHT ACTION ROD.

SPINNER REELS ARE PROBABLY BEST FOR BEGINNERS.....COMBO'S UNDER 50 BUCKS ARE NORMALLY GOOD FOR A YEAR OR 2.
YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR JUST LIKE IN RIFLES AND SHOTGUNS....THE GOOD ONES LAST A LONG TIME, THE CHEAP ONES HAVE PLASTIC GEARS AND THE DON'T....LOOK FOR 6 BALL BEARING REELS.....

LEARN TO THROW A CAST NET....YOUTUBE HAS GREAT VIDEOS.....WHILE TRYING TO CATCH BAIT WE CATCH 5-6 LB BASS AND LARGE CRAPPIE.....WITH THE CAST NET.

WARNING: KNOW WHERE YOU ARE THROWING YOUr NET BECAUSE WHEN IT GETS HUNG ON UNDERWATER DEBRI YOU EITHER HAVE TO GO IN AFTER IT OR ABANDON IT. I keep 4 on the boat and replace them when they are lost or torn.

CRAPPIE LOVE SM MINNOWS THEY ARE GREAT FISH. GET A FLOATING LIGHT AND WATCHEM COME TO THE DOCK YOU FISH OFF OF.

When you attract small fish with lights wait a while and the big ones show up to feed on the small ones.

LOOK UP HYDROGLO LIGHTS ON THE WEB AND WATCH YOUTUBE VIDEOS AMAZING!

NIGHTCRAWLER WORMS AND A CORK WILL CATCH TONS OF BREAM AND CRAPPIE.

HEY JESUS ATE FISH COOKED FISH MULTIPLIED FISH FED 5 THOUSAND WITH 3 FISH AND 5 LOAVES, AND TOLD HIS DISCIPLES "FOLLOW ME, AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN".

MOST OF THE WRITERS OF THE NEW TESTATMENT WERE FISHERMEN....LEARN TO FISH YOU WILL BE IN GOOD COMPANY!

AND KIDS LOVE TO FISH.....

[longhaul]

thanks for the advice all...

[Stein]

It depends on where you are at.  Here in salmon country, a fish wheel would be worth 10,000 pounds of fishing gear.

The biggest problem I see is that mono has a relatively short life.  Braided lines would likely store much, much longer.

[jackiebeans]

I am not a big fisherman, however, in a SHTF situation, I realize that it may be a primary source of protein at least for a short period of time (in my geography).  I went out and purchased a collapsible rod that collapse's inside itself until it is about 12 inches in length.  It came with a small tackle kit, as well as an inexpensive reel.  However, I may swap out the reel for something else once I test it and understand it's durability factor better.  You can find them at Amazon.com or I picked mine up at Sport's Authority, like a Dick's Sporting Goods, etc...

It packs nicely into a pocket on my large Alice type BoB, and do not have to worry about it.

Here is a link so you can see what I am talking about:  http://tinyurl.com/n6o6j3
 

[johnnyb_good30]

Look get u a big mess of hooks at wallmart and a crap load of line.to start off.now any thing can be used for the pole or can the pole and hand line the dang thing. Start out in your compost pile and get some of the worms and or do what we do let some thing rott and get the magets of it and use them. or use a sharp stick and some boxer shorts to speer them. DONT OVER THINK OR SPEND ON FISH bears dont and thay eat a lot of them

[Klapton]

Canned yellow corn is some of the best, easiest trout bait there is.  I don't even bother with bait fishing because it's so easy it isn't fun.  Now FLY fishing is a real artform.

But I wouldn't rely on fishing as a reliable food source after TSHTF.  Way too many people are going to be doing it, and most places will be fished out very quickly.  If you REALLY love to eat fish, and want to have it after TSHTF, look into aquaculture.

[Angie]

I added a fishing box to my BOB.  Its the size of a small mint candy tin.  All I have is some line, hooks, weight and float.  Also some dehydrated bate stuff.  I saw such a kit on a YouTube video and thought  -   I might not be able to hunt, but I could sure catch a fish.

[ClarkB]

Angie has the right idea for SHTF and bugout purposes.  If you are situated so that you can use a conventional rod and reel (beter for casting distance and fighting a fish) then stick with fiberglass rods (Ugly Stick = "pretty") and a sturdy but not fancy open face spinning reel.  Definitely use the braided line since it is indestructible and has other survival uses.  I have about 10 rod/reel setups, with about 5 of then being graphite.  The graphite is better for feel and such, but they are fragile; so go with fiberglass for survival.

The Pocket Fisherman is a piece of junk, so if you don't fish much and you think that the Pocket Fisherman will fill the bill, you will be very disappointed.  DO NOT rely on the Pocket Fisherman (junk, junk, junk)!!  Instead, get a 5' telescoping spinning rod and an ultralight reel .  I have one that fits into a (semi-large) fanny pack along with a bunch of hooks, weights, and bobbers.  People are amazed when I pull the setup out of the fanny pack, extend the rod, and start fishing.  It is about as small as you can go with real equipment.

[deer knitter]

Well I absolutely love to fish, so here's my take on it...We have fishing rods for every member of the household and more, there are 8 of us...we all have tackle boxes.  If you are planning on fishing deep water or off a boat or dock, sinkers with gulp baits work.  We use plain hooks, bobbers and worms/corn/gulp baits.  Or spinners with corn, since in our immediate area there are 3 fishing holes that are stocked with trout in our experience that works the best.  The other close fishing hole has perch and we use bobbers with hooks and worms and are very successful.  I would suggest though that rather than wait til a SHTF time, you hone your skills before anything happens.  It is called fishing and not catching for a reason.  I have used a fly rod for the last two years also, with limited success due to my limited ability.  It all takes practice.   I have a small Humminbird fish finder also that attaches to a rod, and it seems to work in locating them, but like horses to water, you can't make them bite.  We carry our fishing gear in the Jeep all spring, summer and fall.  We have collapible rods, two part rods and multipart rods.  I personally love my collapsible rods.  I also have a two part, simple from walmart that works just lovely. 
Essentials - rods, reels, hooks in various sizes, bobbers, bait, sinkers, stringer, fire starter, tinder, knife, multitool with pliers.  I carry all my essentials in a backpack with a tool belt for standing by the lake.  It has a hammer/tool holder where i hang the multitool clipped with a carabiner for easy access.  And depending where you fish/hike a pen bear banger/flare set may be a good idea along with bear spray.  My hubby keeps his attached to the outside of his backpack...it is no use if it is inside hidden,

[StillAlive]

I'm on the coast in Central Florida and I quickly figured out that in my area, surf fishing is the best source of protein "off the grid' so to speak.

I'm using a Penn rod and reel combo, and catch sand fleas for bait, caught a nice pompano and a whiting so far as I polish up my skills.

[Craig67]

Although I usually fish from a boat, I caught this guy last year from shore.

I used a 6.5' light action Daiwa pack rod and a small reel with 6 lb test line. Bait was a willow leaf spinner with a worm.

Took a good 5 min to play him into shore.

This is 100 yds from the Trans-Canada Highway just off of Montreal.

I say go with a light action pack rod, a small reel with 4-8 lb test line and a small pocket sized tackle box with an assortment of hooks, sinkers and lures for occasional use. If you really need to fish for survival, get some yo-yo's and a gill net.

[deer knitter]

nice Northern...so did you eat him?  they are edible, bony, but edible...

[Craig67]

Thanks deer knitter !!

Nope, 99.9% of the fish I catch in those waters I release.

I ate a pike once from this water, very bony and tastes like the river 

I'll eat the walleye in the early season or the perch in the winter, but that's it.

[ClarkB]

That looks like a blast on such light tackle!  way to go ...

[Craig67]

Thanks ClarkB , big fish on light gear is a blast !!!

[longhaul]

Thanks All...
Yeah, where I am fishing is very limited to small streams and the rare small pond - which will be fished out to be sure.
We'll be 22-ing small game, most likely. 
Good thread though for those of us who may bug out Canada - land of thousands of lakes over most of it or live near a lot of water, like coastal.

[longhaul]

Forgot to mention - we've made three ponds here and stocked them with bass, perch and bluegill - they are designed to promote alot of amphibians and other fish food - we haven't started to harvest yet, but this summer we will.
I'll keep all posted on how much protein we can pull from these ponds - i imagine a fish or two every week or so for the growing season - a nice supplement to be sure from what was inundated poor land for much else. 

[The Professor]

For post SHTF, I'll be using limb lines, trot lines, jug fishing, yo-yo's, gill nets, drugs like rotenone, dynamite if it's handy, etc.

After a major breakdown the rules will definitely get re-arranged and game and fish laws will rank below keeping me and mine fed (in my book anyway). Also sitting on a creek bank with a fishing pole would be much too time consuming when time may be at a premium. Just my .02

^^^^ What he said.

Single rods, etc. are not worth the time spent gathering the food.  Rods, reels, etc. are all meant for recreational fishing.  Otherwise, you'd see commercial fishermen hiring tens of thousands of employees to fish with rod and reel.

Even for your BOB or PERK, fishing with a pole is secondary to setting up a proper trot or jug line.

Just some thoughts.

The Professor

[KYdoomer]

^^^^ What he said.

Single rods, etc. are not worth the time spent gathering the food.  Rods, reels, etc. are all meant for recreational fishing.  Otherwise, you'd see commercial fishermen hiring tens of thousands of employees to fish with rod and reel.

Even for your BOB or PERK, fishing with a pole is secondary to setting up a proper trot or jug line.

Just some thoughts.

The Professor

I'll say this, not to argue but to give a different viewpoint.

If the SHTF would you trust leaving a line in the water unattended for long amounts of time?  You will also find that you will waste a lot of cut fish as bait that you could have ate to begin with.  A lot of people don't know because on a trot line you don't feel the fish you miss, but you miss a lot.  A fish has to basically inhale the bait to hook itself.  If you cast a trotline and leave it on a bad spot you won't know until you pull it up.  Single line fishing is very adaptable and you can change baits, hooks, depth or line very quickly in order to catch fish.

I just watched an episode of Modern Marvels about tuna fishing.  There is still a cannery in the US that uses fish all caught by basically cane poling.

Plus without freezers, exactly how many fish can be preserved with salting?  I know catfish and most other freshwater fish don't take to it like a saltwater fish like cod would.  I'm afraid that many liners will be out there pulling more fish than they can eat out of some of these small lakes and in the end, neither they nor I will be eating fish.

I'm not saying lining is the wrong thing to do, I'm only saying that choosing one of the other limits your choices.  For my money, if TSHTF, I'll be sitting behind a single line and looking out at some distance at a few jugs.

J

[TheRoot]

I love to fish and I am by no means a "Fly Fisherman" but my BOB fishing kit is a small 5/6 wt fly rod that is in a 2' tube that has a cigar case with flies and some tippets etc. It was inexpensive and can get the job done in small rivers and streams.

The thing is the fly rod and reel have few moving parts, and the reliance on bait/tackle can be a burden as well (winter). With my fly rod setup I can catch fish with the flies I have or use some of the hooks I have to DIY a fly, I can even fish with real bugs or bait if I wanted / needed to. 

This is a pretty good book if you are interested.

[joeinwv]

I live in WV - they stock most rivers monthly starting Jan / Feb and go to weekly or biweekly in Mar / Apr. This just keeps up with the recreational fishing. In SHTF, with no DNR stocking program these trout streams are going to have no fish, in no time.

[Docwatmo]

I think its another case of don't rely on any one item or method.  I'll have materials in my kit to make both a drop or trot line as well as bank fishing.  You may have a spot where you can drag dozens of tiny bluegill or shad etc out and eat well (Much easier on a cast line or dip line) or to use as bait on a trot line. 

I'd love to keep a dip or sein net (I have both at home), but for carry kit or to store in the vehicle or BOB, the other materials for both trot lines and bank poles is much lighter and more easily carried.

Great, I just found another reason to buy more fishing gear (My wifes gonna be mad at you guys LOL).

[KYdoomer]

I think its another case of don't rely on any one item or method.  I'll have materials in my kit to make both a drop or trot line as well as bank fishing.  You may have a spot where you can drag dozens of tiny bluegill or shad etc out and eat well (Much easier on a cast line or dip line) or to use as bait on a trot line. 

I'd love to keep a dip or sein net (I have both at home), but for carry kit or to store in the vehicle or BOB, the other materials for both trot lines and bank poles is much lighter and more easily carried.

Great, I just found another reason to buy more fishing gear (My wifes gonna be mad at you guys LOL).

You never can have enough and don't forget that crude fish traps are super easy to make.

J