*Spike's Pathfinder Fishing Kit*
By: Spike
12 November 2009

I admit, I'm not at the top of my game when it comes to wilderness skills. I can do the basics, but I desired to learn more so for Father's day I received a 3 month membership to Dave Canterbury's Wilderness Outfitter's Pathfinder School. Dave provides a wealth of information, but on occasion has something you just HAVE to do that very second.

This is based on the Pathfinder Fishing Kit, but I've added a few pieces of my own gear to it going beyond what the basic kit can do (hence why I called it "Spike's Pathfinder Fishing Kit). The big rule when putting together kits (I believe) is "Use what works for you!" and so I added my own touches.

First off I got a piece of 1" Sched 40 PVC and 2 end caps. The Sharpie is shown to give you an idea of how long it is.

Then I wrapped 2 30-40ft sections of fishing line around the pipe tying it and then taping it to the tube.

Next I drilled a hole the whole way through about halfway down the pipe to string through some 550 cord. This is to provide something to wrap around your wrist in case a big fish gets your hook and the kit doesn't jerk out of your hand. This kit isn't for big fish though, it's for smaller panfish. This is, of course, a survival fishing kit and any fish is food, not just the near trophy sized bass.

As you can see, every bit of room in this kit is used. When you shake it, it's so packed that it doesn't make a sound.

On the fishing end, using pill baggies you can get at Walmart, I've bagged up sinkers, small hooks, a spoon and 2 flies. I'd hope to use worms I'd find in a true survival situation, but in case I'm unable to or it's too cold, I have alternate ways to fish. The black things hanging out are the ends of the zipties you'll see next.

This end contains 4 zipties, 2 homemade frog gigs, a baggie of cotton & vaseline tinder and a lighter. The homemade frog gigs are made out of coathanger wire, just like the ones we used one night in Tennessee to take our fair share of delicious frog legs. The zipties are used to attach the gigs to stick, and the lighter can not only start a fire to cook up whatever fish or frog I catch, but in the other end it has a nifty little flashlight I can use to actually gig at night.

So from actually getting a meal of various types of critter to cooking it up, this little kit can do most of it. It's lightweight, fits in a back pocket and is able to supply you with enough material to run multiple lines at once to further increase your odds at getting a meal.

*Note: After seeing the tips of the zipties all gnarled up, I opted to trim them down a bit. They're still long enough to use but not too long to get in the way of the other side's cap.
Spike

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