I have often pondered how similar a rubber band is to a worm or perhaps they can be fashioned into a bug or minnow.

Using my knife I fashioned a small minnow and thought I might coax a pan fish that typically hang out around my dock. To my surprise I caught a good sized bass instead. As I pulled it up to the dock it broke the line! I was dismayed but it did prove that my improvised lure worked!

For now I exercise catch and release when fishing at my pond and I’m quite sure that I’ve caught this one before as illustrated by the photo of our last encounter.

I made another improvised lure using a smaller hook and to my surprise I hooked more bass but they they all got off and I concluded that a larger hook was needed to be effective with bass.

I believe that a small hook works well with pan fish but a different rubber band shaped more like a grub or insect might appeal to them better and perhaps using it at a different time of day may yield more success.

I recommend experimenting with rubber bands for fun and with the prospect that rubber bands might be a good addition to your tackle box or survival kit.

Although I am not an addictive fisherman, I have gained some fishing experience in different ways over the years.

In my youth when I visited my grandparents in Minnesota we would troll for Northern Pike using spoon lures and at other times we used leeches for Walleyes.

As a teenager while hiking in the Sierras I used flies to catch trout in both streams and lakes.

In my pond I have both bluegill and bass and I’ve used soft lures, spoons, plugs, and live bait but I’ve never used kernels of corn and decided that it was about time to try it out.

Kernels of corn on a hook worked outstanding! As soon as it hit the water it was hit and the fish were hooked! This bait works wonders with pan fish. Recently my son brought my grandchildren up to the pond and they used dough-like “power bait” and had occasional success but next time corn kernels will insure immediate success.

Strategicly, bigger bait catches bigger fish so decided to stack several kernels on my hook and I caught larger fish.

The bass that lurked nearby were not interested in the least but kept an eye on the smaller bluegill. Perhaps if a small bluegill could be caught with the corn it could be used to catch a bass. We’ll see what the future holds by using that strategy.

If you have not used corn kernels as bait yet for fishing, give it a try and be amazed.

A trip to the local dollar store provided the mitt so I removed one of the many protruding parts and attempted to attach it to a fish hook like I would mount a worm, but as similar as it looks like a worm, it is not hollow but rather a fuzzy string. The tip of the hook could pierce some of the fiber so it had to be in effect woven throughout the length as illustrated in the photo.

To my delight a large pan fish took the bait and I landed it easily. Because of the tenuous attachment to the hook the fuzzy fabric came loose in the process but of course it’s purpose was fulfilled and the task was accomplished.

These microfiber washmitts come in different colors and are very affordable to experiment with. You might not normally pack a washmitt in your gear but it might not be a bad idea to clip a piece off of the mitt for backup to natural bait or lost lures on a fishing trip.

I used my Leatherman Wave to do the work in fashioning a hook. The walls of the wishbone are thin but usually one side of the bone is a little thicker so you will want to favor that side when cutting away the material to form the point of the hook. Although the portion where the two sides meet is important for strength, it needs to be reduced in size to slip bait over it in order to be secured to the hook.

In order to fasten cordage to the hook I ruffed up the upper shank area to produce some friction on the smooth bone surface. I use plain dental floss as the cordage to fasten to the hook using a whipping knot normally used to secure rope ends. This knot provides a lot of surface area on the roughened area and is very tight and secure.

As with conventional fishing hooks it’s important to match the appropriate size to the type of fish that you are angling for. I have made hooks from chicken bones for use with smaller fish. When I mount the worm bait I skewer it lengthwise past the hook’s bend then poke the point through the the side and pull the pierced area down to the middle of the hook. For other bait I poke the hook through the side and slide it down to the bend.

Although you can use a fishing pole I like to hold the line in my hand when fishing off of a dock. There’s something unique and exciting about hand fishing. Because the hook is barb-less you need to know when to pull the line to keep tension long enough to land the fish on the dock or the bank. A barb could be fashioned but I question the structural integrity of the bone’s point and its subsequent durability.

If you haven’t made a hook in the past, now is a good time to try. If the bone should break, you can always use it for a fish gorge… that works too!

I began a search around our location for resources with a thought toward cups but then I spotted an empty water bottle and an idea began to emerge. If I could cut the bottle three quarters of the way through where the cylindrical body meets the neck, the remaining attached plastic would act as a spring loaded hinge. The top could be tilted back in order to load the catch and the top would spring back to a closed position.

The improvised bug bait box worked wonderfully. Once we caught a sufficient amount of bait we headed over to the pond and were able to fulfill our goal of catching the brim and ultimately the bass.

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It’s in me to share my passion of outdoor skills and knowledge with others and so I attended the church service the next day. Afterwards they fed the boys and men some grilled hot dogs and beverages and when we were finished we headed over to the pond. Various men brought gear to lend to those who didn’t have some. I decided to show the boys “hobo fishing with a soda can” I knew that the first line in the water usually gets the fish but I wanted to set up the young man in the photo first so that he could begin fishing before I made my first cast.

With that task completed I made a couple of casts and got a bite but while I handed in the line it broke and my lure was gone. I tied on another lure but without any further success. I could hear the men in the distance say “I guess that can rig sure costs less than a rod and reel but if it works, why not?”. The bait of the day was chicken livers, worms, and power bait. Out of the total group effort who fished that day only two fish were reeled in. the young fellow that I had helped to set up had two strong bites, one of which also broke his line. He was using the loaner pole from the library and the line was too light for the size of the fish. Lesson learned… bigger fish require bigger line.

I was prepared to demonstrate flint and steel firecraft at the end of the fishing session but a downpour of rain sent us all scurrying to our cars for cover. It just wasn’t going to happen that day, but there’s always the future. When folks get together for outdoor activities it’s alway fun to share my craft and help to teach and prepare the next generation basic skills for survival, not to mention it’s just fun!

I contacted a friend to share my discovery and we conspired to find the best source to combine our orders for purchase. Our search led us to Ebay that offered multiple models of varying sizes and styles. They come in 10, 8, and 6 opening sizes and some are double-deckers. They can be used for catching smelt, eel crab, lobster, minnow, shrimp, crawfish, etc. Our thoughts were to acquire one that was small enough to carry in a pack for hiking and so settled on a simple 6 opening design.

We took it to a pond and baited it with refrigerator leftovers, some bread and bits of sausage. I tied on a line and lowered it into the water and waited for about a half hour not knowing what would appear at it’s retrieval. When I pulled it up it contained bass small fry that wriggled all over the bottom. Depending on what is caught the contents could be used as bait or if large enough for eating.

I look forward to placing this portable folding net trap in various locations to see what exists and of course to enhance my fishing capabilities. Further research revealed comments from other users who mentioned that the side zipper, while sewn onto the net, had to first be unzipped to allow cutting open the mesh behind it to allow access into the trap. Also, some folks added some weights to allow the net to sink faster into the water as well as providing a better anchor in moving water. I found that once the trap got wet it went down okay for me and I want to keep it light for packing.

I recommend this for any fisherman or even for use by home-schoolers to discover what lies beneath the waters surface. It is simple and easy to use and I look forward to the next outing to employ it.

Some years ago I acquired a used cast net but never took time to unravel it to explore it’s dimensions or how it was used. While watching various survival programs I noticed how significant a cast net can be for survival by catching fish for bait or for consuption. So I decided to learn more and began to look up videos on-line and discovered that there are as many ways to throw one as there are people who demonstrated them.

After viewing many videos I learned about the parts of a cast net that include the hand line, swivel, horn, braille lines, netting, and lead line with weights. Gathering the net to throw is called “loading” and is basically held by the throwing arm or by the opposite arm from which to spool off. Many of the demos used eight and ten foot radius nets whereas my cast net has a five foot radius but the approaches for each are basically the same. In the past many folks used their teeth to hold part of the bottom lead line but there are newer approaches that eliminate that method.

After many throws I couldn’t get the net to open properly and so went back to the videos to look for the details of loading it up. The break-through came when I met a fellow who had casting experience and mentioned that the net is not thrown level but slightly upward, about thirty degrees, and that did the trick for me. Having a mentor can make a significant difference.

As of this writing I haven’t settled on a favorite method but I am an advocate of learning more than one way thus giving options for differing net sizes or casting situations. Here are two links by “Fisherman Alex” and “Salt Strong” that I have found helpful. I would be glad to receive comments from experienced net casting enthusiasts on their favorite method.

1 Waterproof EDC container
1 Paracord
3 Fishing lines
2 x Hooks
2 x Weights
2 x Floaters
2 x Sinkers
2 x Swivels
1 Knife
1 Tinder cotton
1 Ferrocerium rod
2 Safety Pins
1 cable saw
1 Whistle
1 Carabiner

I decided to take this PSK to a private pond to see what it could do. Knowing that it had fishing gear I decided to use the cable saw to cut a fishing pole from a nearby sapling. Although I chose to just hold ends of the saw in each hand it could be implemented with toggles at each end or affixed to a curved branch to make a bow saw. I found that the cable should be kept under a ninety degree bend for best cutting results. It did a great job of cutting my pole.

 
The hooks and line came in three parts: 12 feet of just line and two 12 foot lengths with hooks attached. The single line unwrapped easily but the lines with hooks became tangled and took some time to untangle before I could use them but no matter how long that took they were vital parts for fishing so definitely worth the effort. I attached one of the hook lines to the end of the fishing pole, attached a worm and began to fish. I caught a bass!

I decided to try and make a fire with the ferrocerium rod and used the saw/knife blade as a striker. I gathered some dry fluffy weeds for tinder but was unable to get a flame. Then I remembered the tinder cotton and fluffed out one end. It caught the sparks immediately and I had a fire going right away.

I was able to cut a fishing pole, attach a line and hook (and caught a fish!), and built a fire upon which I could cook. The paracord and cable saw could have been used to construct a shelter. I was impressed that a kit so small had so much to offer in providing food and shelter in a survival situation.

Click HERE for more information about this EDC Keychain. Survival Hax is offering a discount to my readers so if you decide to purchase one (or more) be sure to use the promotional code EDCKEY50 on the checkout screen.

This is an eight foot entry level kayak in a market that offers differing purposes, qualities, and price ranges. On my inaugural voyage I noticed some significant differences: I sat straight-legged, it had a smaller draft line with less stability, gear space was limited, it used a dual paddle whose technique differed than a single paddle, it carried a single person, and it was light enough to carry in one hand. It weighs only 27 lbs. and I can easily load it by myself for transport which enables me to store it safely at home.

Initially I tried to apply my canoe paddling techniques to the kayak but wobbled all over. Subsequently a friend has helped me to learn the ways of kayak paddling and had great suggestions for various accessories to make a more safe and pleasant experience.

I realize that the pond is a peaceful environment and someday I may want to graduate to a placid stream or white water river but that will require additional safety gear and training. That endeavor may also lead to a higher grade of kayak but for now I am getting acquainted with the fundamentals and I’m looking forward to making new memories with this versatile and affordable water craft.