Learning to Fish

"Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him For a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, Feed Him For a Lifetime" - Lao Tzu

I'm a terrible fisherman. The other male Kibbles in my family: father, uncle and grandfather all love to fish but I've never had the knack. Two years ago I went creek fishing in Idaho with dad and he caught several nice trout. I don't think I got one bite.

If you saw the movie Crocodile Dundee II you may remember the opening where Paul Hogan fishes by tossing a stick of dynamite into the water and the dead fish pop up all around the boat. As the camera pulls back you see a Coast Guard boat approaching, siren wailing, and that the coastline is New York City.

If I had to survive by fishing I'd follow the example of Crocodile Dundee. Securing food is of a higher priority than having a good time or playing "fair". Since I don't have any dynamite on hand, I'll have to rely instead on the techniques covered in Fishing at the End of the World.

• Jug Lines - setup involves nothing more than a jug, a line, a hook and a sinker (no bait?!). Set afloat dozens of jugs and those that bob have caught a fish.
• Limb Lines - lengths of line with the end opposite the hook secured to an overhanging tree limb. This technique is probably better suited for rivers because limbs overhanging lakes will more than likely be located in shallow water.
• Trotlines are simply limb lines with more than one hook per line at different depths.

The article Fishing at the End of the World continues to discuss hooks, lines, fishing location, best time of day, and cleaning the fish you catch. Don't miss it!

Bottom Line

Don't confuse fishing as a sport or hobby with fishing for food to survive. The techniques described above (as well as net fishing, fish dams, fish traps) are strictly regulated and illegal in many states. So you might find it tricky to practice but some day your life may depend on knowing these "unsportsman" skills.