Preppers: Stockpiling Fishing Gear
Kevin Felts 04.11.17
Preppers, let’s take a few minutes to talk about stockpiling fishing gear. Gear will vary depending on location and the type of fishing that is local to your area. Since there is no way we can cover all types of fishing in a single article, we are just going to cover some of the basics.
People have been fishing for an estimated 40,000 years. Cultures all over the world have fished in some form or another. As preppers, we must consider every viable food source in the event of a collapse.
Where do we start? We start by knowing the local fish and the gear needed to catch them. Fishing equipment for salmon and catfish are going to be different. Rather than focusing on one type of fishing, let’s take a wide angle picture.
Hooks
Personally, I like to stockpile stainless steel hooks when possible. The hooks may stay in storage for several years, maybe even decades. Keep in mind the stockpile is above and beyond what I normally use for fishing. When I run out of certain hooks, I will take replacements from the fishing gear stockpile, then buy new to restore the stocks.
Here in southeast Texas, we have a wide range of fish going from perch to large catfish. Because of this, I stockpile a wide range of hooks. This is for perch, bass, and hooks for trotlines.
For catfish I use circle hooks. Unlike a regular J hook, when a catfish swallows the circle hook, it comes back out and hooks the catfish in the mouth. If the catfish is too small it can be safety released.
The circle hooks also help protect turtles. I do not fish for turtles, but they do get on my noodles from time to time. The circle hooks catch the turtles in the mouth rather than gut hooking it. The turtles were unhooked and safely released.
When a Bowfin gets on a trotline, it can be safely unhooked and released when using circle hooks.
Line
Personally, I stockpile 10 pound test, 30 pound test and trotline string.
- 10# – perch and bass.
- 30# – larger reels for catfish.
- Trotline – noodles and trotlines.
This covers just about everything I need here in southeast Texas.
I have a couple of open face Penn reels that I use for coastal fishing and for catfish in a local river. This is where the 30 pound test line is used.
Other Fishing Gear
Besides hooks and line, I also have a couple of tackle boxes and storage shelves in the closet where extra gear is kept.
When I make a trip to a big box mart, I may pick up a few lures here and there.
Spools of trotline string are picked up from time to time.
After a few months, or even years, all the gear slowly adds up.
