Survival Fishing - Where to Find Fish

This is a quick and dirty series of tips for the person fishing for survival. Where fish are available, you'll likely find that a more productive of food than dry land resources. Make the most of this opportunity

Survival is based on a simple equation...expend fewer calories than you produce. Fishing can be productive and not costly, in terms of energy expenditure.

You can, of course, use a variety of means to catch fish from hook and line to improvised scoop net to spear. You increase your chances by constructing a weir, or fish trap, to assist you by concentrating fish. For more on these options, you can check out my article here.

Improvisation is key. Even hooks can be made using various combinations of bone, metal, or wood, with thread (as unraveled from your clothing) or sinew to tie it all together. The Mohave of Arizona made fishhooks by steaming and bending barrel cactus spines. As an alternative to a hook is a simple gorge, a piece of bone, sharpened at both ends, the fishing line tied at the center, both ends baited.

Where the Fish Are

Here's a slew of basic tips to keep in mind about where to find fish. It's not presented as a complete list but you should find it helpful.

A couple basic principles here. First, in spring or fall, fish will be found in warmer water. Also, any knowledge you have of the structure of the pond or lake you are fishing, however elemental, can be useful.

Iif the pond or lake is fed by a stream or river, the mouth is a good location to fish. Both above and below a dam is good hunting ground preferred by some of the largest fish. Large catfish, for example, will hang out along the drop-off into the main channel downstream of the dam. The original channel of the stream or river that created the pond or lake will provide the deepest water favored by most fish so the drop-off into the channel is the best place to try your luck if you can determine it. Another drop-off area might be found close to shore where you find a steep drop on the land, perhaps continuing into the water. This can be a productive area to fish. More easily discernible are the rock piles in shallow water which attract spawning fish while in deep water they provide access to deeper water. Deep holes or springs are good spots to try at the drop-off, again if you can locate them. Submerged tree stumps and fallen trees can be good spots if they provide shade as well as access to deeper water. Spring fishing might be fruitful in the warmer waters of backwaters or bays of rivers or streams. Islands can be good areas to try on the side opposite the main channel. Piers and docks can be good spots because of the cover they provide fish.

Weed beds and lily pads are excellent. The outer edge of the bed provides access to deeper water while the shallows on the inside are good in spring and fall when the fish are seeking warm water. Expect bass or pike in early spring reed beds, especially if adjacent to marshy areas or the mouth of an incoming creek.

All freshwater fish are edible.

Minnows, Crayfish, Frogs

Even very shallow stream or pond environments will still yield numerous minnows which can be eaten whole if you can harvest them as with a net, perhaps improvised from a forked stick and your shirt. Even better might be crayfish, or crawdads, miniature relatives of saltwater lobsters, which can be boiled and their tails snapped off, deveined, and eaten.

One catching method popular with country kids is to dip a line with a piece of bait on the end down into an easily recognizable mud tower and slowly pull them up when they grab it with their claws. (They use the tower to get down to the water level so they can stay damp.) You can also find crayfish in the stream, usually darting out from under rocks when disturbed. Best tactic: run a seining net, if available, through the water along the streambed or bed of the pond which should turn up plenty of both minnows and crayfish. You can also gig smooth-skinned frogs; don't eat rough-skinned toads.

On the Ocean

In an ocean environment, survivors on a life raft will have to rely on fish for their food and perhaps the fluids from fish for a water substitute. Although there are some ocean fish that are unsafe to eat, but if out of sight of land, you are generally safe. Example, stonefish or puffer fish. Another: barracuda or red snapper can be poisonous if taken in the waters of atolls or reefs.

Clean catch immediately, dry strips of the fish not eaten right away. They'll keep for a few days while uncleaned fish will begin spoiling within a half day.

At night, fish with a flashlight which will attract fish. During the day, fish under the shadow of the raft. Try to get close to schools of fish when you spot them. Rule of thumb on saltwater fish: avoid any that have an unpleasant odor or pale, shiny gills, sunken eyes, or flabby skin and flesh.