Have you ever wondered how long you would survive if you become lost in the wilderness? If you are unable to eat, you will last a maximum of 3 weeks. Now imagine, you, a healthy person with three proper meals or more a day, suddenly being forced to survive on nothing. It is common sense that it will not be the most pleasant experience of your life. In fact, it may even be hard for you to believe that you would last three weeks.
However, assuming you have access to water sources, you can use a simple trick to make survival a little more bearable. By the end of this article, you will be confident and equipped enough with primary survival fishing skills that can help you remain alive and thriving in the wilderness.
So keep reading if you are interested in becoming that version of yourself. And if you are already into fishing and everything related to it, you can check out products from Life of Interest.
Survival Fishing Tips You Should Focus On
Your first and foremost goal should be not to get lost in the wilderness. However, it is better to prepare for the unexpected by keeping in mind the worst possible scenarios. If you continue reading, you will find out exactly how to do that.
Not Packing Extra, Unnecessary Stuff
It is absolutely vital for you to pack smartly. First, pack only those items that are absolutely essential, leave everything else out. Think of all the ways the situation could go wrong. Do not take it too far though, you need to enjoy the trip and the most fun part is the planning and preparing.
Make a priority list, even if only in your mind. Then, slowly add each item to your pack according to your plan. Try to pack in a way so that you can carry all your tools whenever you move from one place to another. If you include all-purpose tools, it will be easier for you to catch a variety of fish from any kind of water body. It will also make survival in general relatively less stressful.
Ensure you bring as many of the essentials as possible
You can feed yourself for a very long time if you know the right survival fishing tips.
You might be wondering why we are contradicting a point we just made. Even though we advise against over-packing, you should not under-pack either. Both can be hazardous since your survival quality and extent depend on it. You may be confused about the limit.
In some cases, you should trust your intuition. If you feel like you might need a particular tool, pack it, even if it does not seem that vital. What may look like something not necessary enough in your bedroom might end up saving your life in the wild. While being careful of the weight of your luggage, pack as many fishing tools as you can.
Becoming Familiar with the Nooks and Crannies of your Destination
Imagine how difficult and time-consuming it would be if you had to start searching for methods of survival with no idea of what exactly you should be looking for. Try to learn as much as you can about the destination of your fishing trip.
Some basic starting points are its distance from civilization, what or how far the nearest civilization is, potentially dangerous flora and fauna you may come across, natural sources of water available, and so on. Your knowledge is what will speed up your thinking and deciding process by yards, making fishing for survival somewhat convenient.
Research on the Species of Fish Available
This is related to getting an in-depth knowledge of your destination, however, we have mentioned it separately because of its sheer importance. If you are not familiar with the kind of fish you will catch in the first place, it will be difficult for you to decide on the type of fishing tools to pack and which method to implement, and when?
If you cannot find specific information, you can try looking into the different water bodies available at your destination, and then look for fish that grow well in those locations.
Guaranteeing the Prerequisites of Fishing
Suppose you have perfected the art of fishing for survival and have enough quantity of fish to feed yourself. How would you eat it? You need to prepare and cook it in some way. Where would you cook and eat your fish? More importantly, you will need a place to rest after a fulfilling meal.
You need to arrange a safe shelter. You can’t just survive on fish, no matter how filling, right? Furthermore, you need to be hydrated, so you have to ensure your access to a clean source of drinking water. Do not forget about other essentials of survival whilst arranging for sustenance.
Asking Yourself if you are Actually Ready
You need to be prepared mentally and fully accept the fact that you may get lost and have to implement the tips and tricks you are going to read below. If you are someone who loves nature and thrives off adrenaline, this should not be too tough for you. You have to brainstorm every possible method you can resort to if you feel helpless or have lost your way. All in all, along with tools that will help you survive, don’t forget to pack your willpower and determination.
Where do you Find Fish to Catch?
Now you know what to focus on while preparing for the trip. You are ready with all your tools. However, where do you find fish? You should have some ideas from your research. Keep in mind, though, out there, fish do not live in every body of water. You have to know where to look if you plan to survive on fish.
Look for areas where the concentration of fish is high. Note that fish change their location throughout the day, so they may be gathered around the shore at night but in the middle of the water body during the morning. One effective way to spot them could be to look around shallow, weed-free places.
What are Fishing Hints?
Since you are going on a fishing trip, you might have a little idea about how important it is for a fisherman to be familiar with the behavior of fish. A lot of time and patience is required if you want to survive off fish. You should spend some time observing the movement of your targeted fish.
As mentioned before, they could be found in various places at different times of the day. Experienced fish experts advise that the most suitable time to catch fish is before dawn, after sunset, or just before or during the aftermath of a catastrophic climatic event.
Fishing Techniques that will Help you Survive
You are familiar with just about everything related to survival via fishing. You may be wondering what the most efficient fishing method would be when you are doing it in order to survive. Let’s have a look at a few fishing techniques now.
Angling
It is one of the most common fishing strategies. In angling, a hook is attached to a line and the line is attached to a little weight which brings the hook down. A float is also required to enhance how well the weight floats. Since you are lost in the wilderness, you have to make the best out of what is available and look for an alternative for a float. You could use a little scrap of wood. Be cautious of your safety while casting, you need to be safe in order to survive.
Using a Spear
This should, in ideal scenarios, be your last resort. Unless you are super energetic, have plenty of experience, and strong persistence. Since you are already quite lost in the wilderness, every ounce of energy is precious. You should thus spend it cautiously. Your targeted fish should be clearly visible and in shallow water for you to use a spear efficiently. You have to move slowly towards your catch and strike immediately when you think the time is right.
Using Fishing Nets
A simple yet very efficient technique. You cannot fathom how easy it is to make a fishing net from objects you unknowingly packed in your luggage or can find literally lying around the ground wherever you are lost. You can use an under-vest and a y-shape branch to create your landing net. Now that you have your net, you may be wondering how you could lure fishes into it. The purpose of a spinner bait’s existence is to help you do exactly that. A little browsing on the internet can help you learn some basic knots and the steps on how to utilize one.
Conclusion
You have way better chances of surviving in the wild now than you had at the beginning of this article. That is undoubtedly a feat. Here’s to the skill that can help keep you alive when you may feel like all hope is lost. May the odds be in your favor.
source : Guest Contributor