by Ron Foster
These kinds of baits come in a galaxy of colors, try to find out what works best in your area but be aware different conditions have differing success results from season to season and water conditions.
Ok so while you are probably resting up from your long hike before you starting wandering around looking for bait , I can already be fishing if I want to so I head over to the pond to check it out.
While you’re resting you are probably pondering where the most likely spot is to cut yourself a good stick for a fishing pole. I may or may not be thinking the same thing for a variety of reasons. One is that I often carry a walking staff. I have a bunch of those cheap cane pole fishing set ups in my bug out gear that already have your hook, line sinker and bobber attached so it’s a simple matter for me to just tie a line onto my stick and start fishing if I want. The end of my staff is also carved down and narrows enough to attach my frog gig to it should I need to get that adventurous and need a spear. Keep in mind that when you first walk up on a pond your more apt to see a turtle or frog or some such so be alert for any wildlife and particularly alert in the south for poisonous snakes.
Now while you’re trimming branches off your fishing pole, tying the line on the hook and the weight etc you start to cuss the fishing kit because it has no bobber in it and set about to fashion one of those also before you get serious about hunting bait.
Me I have finished my scout of the pond and decide I want multiple lines out for more chances of success and reach in my food procurement bag for a bit of automated fish catching assistance.
Basic rig
(3) Yo-Yo automatic fish reels
This automatic fishing reel is great for docks, boats, or bank lines because the hook is set without you being there. Galvanized reel features stainless steel springs. This reel comes with 60 lb. test line and a brass swivel.
As you see from the pictures you can set it from over hanging limbs etc or use it on a rod if you desire. While you’re not doing anything now, you see that little whole on top of the reel? Go ahead and run about a foot of line through it so it leaves you two loose ends, this reduces the need too perform this task later I the field so you can attach it to something. Go ahead and buy you some pre-snelled hooks also, you can just attach them directly to the swivel.
Now while your doing all that wandering around high profile bait hunting, fishing pole making, sitting on the side of the pond fishing waiting on farmer john or another survivor to wander by and come ask you what it is your doing, I got better things to do.
I can move back in the woods to make camp, gather firewood, recon the area, go hunting etc and check my luck at the fishing hole later or just keep an eye on my automatic fishing reels from the obscurity of some cover while I rest.
Hey by the way when you decide to break camp and dismantle your fishing pole, do yourself a favor and make your self a simple bottle reel.
The simplest of the fishing rigs: a line, a hook, a weight, some bait, and a can or coke bottle. Variations of this arrangement are used all over the world by local fishermen for whom owning a fishing rod and reel would be considered very much a luxury. It works on the same principle as the basic spinning reel. The line is secured to and wrapped around the can or bottle, while the weighted and baited end is swung overhead generating speed, and released toward the water. The line then peels off the bottle or can with as little friction as possible. I am always amazed at what a considerable distance can be achieved by fisherman tossing a weighted hook by hand.
I have no idea how the fishing is in that pond is going to be and neither do you so I decide to hunt and trap some small game while waiting for the fish to bite.
What kind of a gun are you carrying? Humm now well that’s a good question. If we were say traveling in our cars and got busted down out here because a Coronal Mass Ejection from the sun fried the computer circuits in our cars then chances are we only have our concealed carry pistols with us. Some of us more prepper oriented or outdoor types might have a truck rifle or something but what caliber is yours and mine? Now we get to see if you are a “gun prepper” or a practical prepper. My backpack contains a U.S. Survival AR-7 Rifle made by Henry Repeating Arms.
Yes I said my backpack. The entire rifle breaks down and fits in the stock. Worth mentioning is the entire gun will float when stored away – especially meaningful to boaters. Since 1959 the venerable AR-7 has been the choice of U.S. Air Force pilots who need a small-caliber rifle they can count on should they have to punch out over a remote area. Through the years the AR-7′s reputation for portability, ease of operation and reliability has carried over to the civilian world. Today it’s a favorite of bush pilots, backpackers and backcountry adventurers who, like their Air Force counterparts, need a rifle that’s easy to carry yet has the accuracy to reliably take down small game.
Like the barrel, the receiver is also coated with a layer of waterproof Teflon for superior weatherproofing, waterproof protection, even in harsh salt water environments. The .22LR chambering provides the ability to carry lots of ammunition with little bulk and weight. The .22LR is also one of the most versatile rounds affording the user to dispatch a variety sizes of game and if need be can be used for self defense. CCI Mini-Mag’s is a great ammunition diet for these fine rifles. Its tack-driving accuracy, its light weight and compactness make it ideal where other firearms just can’t fill the niche
So perhaps you have a truck gun in some kind of pistol caliber carbine. Good choice, I won’t fault you for it as long as the caliber matches your carry pistol. Those types of weapons are very expensive often times and not something I could afford to be leaving in my vehicle all the time. Gun laws in how you have to transport them can be kind of funky also but hey we are not worried about that here. You get the thing out, load it, hopefully its not to rusty or oily from storage and you are going hunting. What are you going hunting for? You probably got that thing loaded with the baddest, hottest, heaviest miracle hollow point bullet man stopper you could find so deer is your likely target. Problem is you know deer hunting ain`t that easy you are going to spend more calories hunting one than it would be worth to get a lucky shot so you decide to try your hand at trapping and snaring instead.
Well you got lots of brass wire and read lots of books on trapping and snaring go try your luck. Me I have different plans. I have me some rat traps put away in my food procurement bag that need to come out and play and that grove of oaks over there looks like a likely place to start setting up. Course if I see squirrel while setting a trap for one I could just shoot them with my .22, I hope you don’t decide to do the same with a 9mm or better. Which reminds me, when I go back to check my fish lines I hope them turtles I saw basking on a log are back, maybe I can get a shot off at one with my survival rifle.
The new rat and mouse traps they have got out nowadays that have a little cup in them to hold the bait are so much easier to bait and use but they don’t pack down good. I have both anyway and I strategically put six of them out baited with MRE peanut butter for this set. Ok I have at least 3 fishing lines in the water, six squirrel traps (oh yea tie those squirrel traps off something bigger might get in the trap and then carry or drag it off) now for bigger game. A few commercial premade rabbit snares on the edge of this pasture should do the trick and I have only spent about an hour out here so far. How are you doing? Are you still looking for fish bait or building your first snare?
I could go sit off in the woods or rig up a shelter with my poncho and wait but I think I will go back to the fish pond and see if I caught anything yet. If I did get my a fish, I got plans for its head and Mr. snapping turtle that cost me the loss or the noise of a bullet.
Trying to keep a low profile and stay in the shadows is a important part of survival evasion and escape. I want to limit my exposure in this open field around the pond as much as I can.
Ok back to the story at hand, you needed to know a bit about how David thinks about his own bug out scenario so you can try to guess how he is planning to over
come other people’s different levels of preparedness or gear in a community prepper scenario.
“What’s in the grenade box David?” Crick said watching David carrying a small wooden crate with tarred rope handles in his and Loomis’s direction while wearing a sly knowing smile.
“Guess! Come on now you two, I will give you three guesses” David said chuckling as he set it down on the porch with a mischievous grin in the two men’s direction.
“Looks like it might have some weight to it” Crick said skeptically nudging the crate with the toe of his boot to test its weight and raising one eyebrow in David’s direction as the crate didn’t yield or slide across the deck boards when a bit of pressure was put upon it.
“You don’t really have hand grenades in there do you?” Loomis said thinking it might not be out of the question for David to have some strange notion of doing a bit of dynamite style fishing.
“Nope, you got two more guesses.” David said with his eyes a twinkle and hugging a bemused Julie who was watching the pair studying the box like they had x-ray eyes.
“Can I pick it up?” Crick asked trying to figure out what it was David had called his “Nuclear Option”.
“Oh I suppose you can and you can shake it some also if you like, nothing breakable in there, but I am not answering any questions on its contents like the possibilities of “animal, vegetable or mineral.” David declared looking over in Loomis’s direction who was studying the box intently and reading the military stencils painted on it like they would give him some clue to the contents.
Crick picked up the small crate and hefted it a few times, gave it a shake, studied it at every angle and then set it down for Loomis to do the same with it. Both men looked puzzled and alternately eyed the box and David for further clues while pondering its contents.
“Its dang sure heavy enough. Crate says a box of grenades weighs 24 lbs. so you got me stymied. Did you fill it full of lead? Lead huh? I bet it has a shitload of 12 gauge birdshot and you’re going to organize a Dove hunt!” Crick said thinking he had figured out the mystery boxes contents.
“Nope wrong again! One more guesses left.” David said delighted at playing his game.
“We better be careful and discuss this next guess.” Loomis said picking the box back up and shaking it again.
“Hey no peeking you bunch of cheaters!’ David said laughing as Crick tried to lift the little bit of slack the lid had up to get a quick look through the crack..
‘Humm heavier than hell, let’s see Loomis do you think it might be a bunch of steel arrow points? Maybe David here has been out in the sun too long and fancies himself William Tell or something and is going to teach us all how to be English Bowmen?” Crick said with a snide look at David to which Loomis guffawed.
“Hey rattling my cage isn’t going to help you out none, let’s put a little wager on you all guessing right to make this more interesting.” David said looking at Julie who beamed a smile at David’s two guessing game contestants like they were in for it now.
“Like what? I don’t like to bet on another man’s game and particularly not so when it comes to anything David dreams up.” Loomis said frowning.
“Oh let’s see, Crick you had a half gallon of Ancient Age whiskey on your kitchen counter, if you lose its mine. Thanks for leaving it out by the way. Now then Loomis, if you lose, I like nothing better than a big roaring campfire to sit around and drink that bottle at. You have to gather the wood and tend it until that Jug is gone.” David said studying them with a poker face at first and then lost it and was back to being all smiles.
‘What do we get if you lose?” Crick said speculatively looking over at Loomis to see if he was going to play along.
“I got a couple pints of that jet fuel I have been known to occasionally conjure up. Got myself a couple liters of real Coca Cola also to mix it with also so that’s a pretty sweet deal I am offering.” David said ready to parlay.
“That sounds to me to be a bit one sided, are you saying that you are going to tend your own fire while we all sit around and drink up your libations if you lose?” Loomis said looking for any hidden glitches in David’s favor he was sure were built into this deal somehow.
“Well yea, don’t you think that is fair man? Seems to me the only one sidedness about the bet is that it is all in your favor because you get to have a drink either way.” David said winking at Crick.
Crick didn’t know what David was up to but on the surface the deal sounded fair to him. What did he have to lose anyway? David probably had put a hell of a dent in the bottle of whiskey before he had even left his house and knowing him had most likely brought it along with him anyway for safekeeping or some other made up excuse. David would probably tell him he had brought what was left in the bottle with him as a favor to Crick because he just knew he had inadvertently forgot to bring it with him himself so that he and David could share it as a celebration of rescuing the survivors.
“Ok I am in, how about you Loomis? We got one more guess but David has to agree we are guessing what the majority of that box is, not every item. Seems like there is some light stuff sliding around over the heavy crap at the bottom of it.’ Crick said tapping on the lid of the crate like the sound it was giving off was giving him some kind of sonar indication.
“I guess so, are you sure Crick? David doesn’t always play nice you know and he tends to try for an advantage.” Loomis said grinning at David who feigned indignation that he would make anything other than an honest bet.
“So it’s a deal then?” David said offering his hand to both man to seal the bet.
“I guess so.” They both chorused and went back to speculating after shaking hands.
Loomis and Crick conferred for a while in private trying to deduce just what in the hell David had stored in the mysterious wooden crate. Loomis thought it must be books, books that held knowledge that could solve their problems. Crick thought that was a good angle but since David was a writer that had authored a few books of his own on preparedness skills he couldn’t see David hauling around the extra weight of what he already carried in his head. No, David would have that box full of whatever parts he needed for whatever scheme he dreamed up.
“ I say you got a box full of them heavy duty conibear style traps.” Crick finally said.
“Nope! But there is a couple in there I am donating to the cause.” David said grinning.
“Ok so what’s in the box?” Crick asked
“Well you know how build a squirrel trap with picture hanging wire? Well I brought along the nuclear option for that task. We going to have us a rodent rodeo, Check it out. I got 1550 feet of that picture wire stuff stored for an occasion such as this. Yea I know, I am a prepper nerd, but be glad I plan for strange stuff like this.” David said proudly opening the box and pointing at a whole big industrial size spool of it.
“We need to organize the preppers to building traps all along the pasture line. I mean atomic Annie the hell out of it and put squirrel traps out like telegraph poles in every direction. Use the brush they will create or accumulate making squirrel poles and use it to make V shaped funnels on the edge of the woods to channel rabbits and other critters into more snares we can construct.
I don’t know how such a drastic move will affect the game population but it should take care of the food problem for several days and the excess can be smoked and cured for use later or as traveling rations for those that are going to try to bug back home. Leave a few 50 ft. wide or so clear pathways in between the long stretches of traps and snares for me though.
Quail snare
Small game noose
The other end of the pasture leading in leave alone entirely and I will show you how to rig some deer snares if you don’t already know how. You got to be careful where you place them and how many we set or you will screw up the deer herd and hunting around here for years. I have some commercial grade aircraft cable snares with cam locks for that. That kind of lock will choke them out quick; they us
e them for wolves in Alaska. Even though those things are strong they will be tore up and kinked beyond use after a few catches. I have ways of minimizing that snarling as well as releasing snare locks meant to just hold the animal until I get there to dispatch the animal also that have their purposes. For example in the summer time if it’s going to be awhile until I can get back to a set, keeping the animal alive will keep the meat from spoiling.
Several of these pole traps can be placed in areas where there are active squirrel signs or sightings, other places guesstimate about.
Refer to the diagrams above to see how a squirrel pole is made. The loops for the snare should be approximately three fingers in diameter. The wire length should be approximately 4 inches long after being tied off to the pole. This is to allow the squirrel to dangle far enough away from the pole when it falls so that it cannot reach the pole with its feet. If it is able to reach the pole, the squirrel can actually chew through the wire and escape.
The loops should be placed at different intervals around the pole. One pole can actually catch more than one squirrel. The poles should be placed at an angle propped up against a tree that shows signs of squirrel usage. Squirrels are prone to take the easiest path up a tree, which would be the pole trap.
Traps should be checked at regular intervals so as not to leave a dead squirrel for too long of a period making it useless as food.
Cleaning a squirrel after you have trapped or shot it is a very simple process. Prior to cleaning any animal, ensure that you have any open cuts on your hands covered so that you don't get an infection of some type.
