First go to this url and watch the salmon fishing video. I don't recommend this method because bears can hurt when they hit you.
http://www.dicksfavoritesports.com/funstuff.htm
I think this video is ROTFLMAO, but then, I can appreciated the work gone into it.

Now on to reality. As most of you know, I am a trapper and because of my trade I have learned a few tricks in catching fishing.

This is an illegal method and it is up to you to check and comply with all Fish and Game laws and regulations. I tell folks all the time that the conibear is the best survival trap ever made because you can fish with them. A lot of folks didn't believe me, so I film it. There are a few tricks I should explain about to make the trap more effective for fish.

The trap is supplied with a two prong trigger. Take a pair of pliers and bend about ½ inch of each end into a small loop. Place 16 gauge black anneal wire (trap wire) from each loop to a small sag or half moon shape. Wrap the excess up the trigger once or twice and clip off the rest. Use your pliers and pinch closed the trigger loops on the wire.

The stick on 45 degree angle is use to stabilize the trap to prevent the fish from knocking it over. This is a drawing of 110 conibear.

This will work for animals too, so leave the wire on the trap.

Once you make this adjustment, dye the trap normal so the wire is protected from rusting. You could even add another piece in the middle if you want. The trap can be used to catch fish in streams by using rocks and narrowing down the bottom with an opening for the trap to sit in. You can have 1-6 openings across the stream bed depending on how many traps you have. Do this in a shallow spot just off a deep hole. At night the fish come into the shallows to feed. Or if the fish are running up stream to spawn this works great.

You can use the 220, but I recommend you take off one spring so it doesn't crush the fish. I talked to a guy in Texas and he told me they trap catfish with the 220 by tying bait right to the two prong trigger. He said it works like a charm and they caught 5-10 pound catfish in them. Make sure you tie the trap off to a stake or a tree branch if you don't want a big fish swimming off with your trap!

I talked to another trapper in Alaska and he told about catching salmon in 330. He said when they run up the river to spawn he would just set out 12 traps. When the run was on, all he did was walk up and down the stream pulling salmon out of traps much better and faster than using a fishing line. Again, this is for survival only. The Game warden has no sense of humor about using traps on fish, so be forewarned.

Here is another method that is extremely effective if you can see the fish. Take a self locking snare and wire it to a long pole 6-10 feet long. Leave just a small 6 inch loop on the end. Approach the fish from behind and slowly slide the loop over the head. This is very important as soon as you are past the head, yank up. The snares are self locking, so once you set the snare, you have him. I
have this on video too. I did lose one that I set the snare in the back. Because the shape of the fish is tapered down to the tail, he was able to wiggle free and drop off just before shore and he successfully escaped.

I did try a lot of the spearing methods you see in survival manuals. Most of them are a joke, in fact it was the least productive. I was catching them by hand more successfully than with the spear. If you do try the spear method, you must fire harden the end and add a barb. Even this method looks better on TV than in real life. It took 20 tries to spear one. One thing to remember in deep water is to have your spear tip under water before you jab or throw. This helps to align the spear with the fish better.

If you are wondering, this part of the video wasl on my new Survivor 2 video released July 1, 2001. In the video we are going to cover more fish traps and survival fishing methods, preparing and cooking and preserving fish, frogs and crayfish.

My website is http://www.buckshotscamp.com
or e-mail me with any questions at buckshot2@chartermi.net .

Buckshot