Fishing is a great way to get food for survival. But one drawback to fishing for survival is that the most common method of angling requires specialized equipment. A pole without line won’t catch any fish, and in a long term grid down scenario fishing gear will not be widely available. Even if you do have fishing equipment you should have alternate methods to supplement angling to make your gear last longer and keep the fish guessing. One great survival fishing method that can be done with salvageable material is pipe fishing. Here’s how.
- You will need to get a PVC pipe with a diameter about the size of the width of you hand.
- Cut this pipe into length of about 18 inches. It doesn’t need to be exact.
- Find an area of slow moving clear water that you have seen fish in.
- Observe where the fish seek shelter when you make a disturbance in the water, then remove as much of the natural shelter, such as piles of rock, as you can and then replace the natural shelters with the pipes you have cut. Weight the pipes down with a rock to keep them in place.
- Allow the pipes to sit in place for a few days so that the fish can get used to them. During this time you can still use a pole to fish the area, but don’t go in the water or scare the fish by disturbing it.
- After the fish have become comfortable with the pipes, get in the water slowly and search with your hands for fish in probably hiding spaces that were too large for you to remove. If nothing else this should drive the fish to your pipes.
- Starting at the pipe that is furthest downstream, place a hand on each end and lift it out of the water. Spread your fingers just enough to allow the water to empty out. Carefully check for a fish.
- If your success rate diminishes over time, move your pipes to a new area and let the fish get used to them again before trying to trap them.
This method is great because the only gear used will last a lifetime and no bait is necessary. You might even get crayfish in some areas.
Here is a more advanced method, using a larger diameter pipe with a funnel shapped “throat” that allows the fish to enter, but makes it very difficult for them to leave.
Have you had success with this sort of method? Let us know down in the comments.
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