# Fishing as a food source



## hoddedloki (Nov 14, 2014)

Had a thought about food sources the other day. Does anybody fish regularly, and can you catch enough to feed yourself?

I tend to fish for brim and bass, usually I use rooster tails and light spin casting equipment, but have just gotten into fly fishing. Anybody got any favorites for gear or fish?

Loki


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## Nimrod (Jun 8, 2010)

Fishing for survival and fishing for sport are two different things. If you look at cultures that fish for survival they usually use nets or fish traps that let them take a lot of fish for a small amount of expended energy. 

If I put in the effort, I could get enough fish to feed the family using legal means but I would have to keep smaller fish than normal. 

Ole was fishing when the game warden pulled his boat alongside Ole's. The game warden said "I'm going to have to arrest you for illegal fishing". Ole lit another stick of dynamite, handed it to the game warden, and said, "are you going to fish or talk?".


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

I am very good at catching bluegill, not so good at catching the larger fish. Of course that might be because there are more bluegill than there are big fish!

Bluegill strike well on liver, worms, or soft bait that tastes like tuna. I am still working on a soft bait recipe, as my soft bait tends to dissolve in water. I am no longer fussing about it because you can buy an entire pound of chicken liver for $1.50, and a pound of chicken liver lasts for a very long time when you are fishing for something with a small mouth like bluegill.

Speaking of small mouths, bluegill need a very small hook. If every small hook is swallowed then I move to a bigger hook: the ideal is a hook in the mouth so the hook can be used again.

Lastly, bluegill do not bite well when a storm is moving in. They simply don't.

There are not many calories in a small fish but there is protein, which would work to balance a diet that is high on grain, such as a prepper that has stored rice but not beans. Not everybody likes beans

OH! Edited to add: my fishing gear is an ultra light with a child's reel. A reel meant for an adult is heavy on such a small pole. I put a line and some hooks on it, and that is usually all. I occasionally use a bobber or a weight, but not very often as I want to feel a fish bump the bait.


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## Roadking (Oct 8, 2009)

We love trout, and fish when we can. Doubt we could survive on that alone, but it is a good supplement to the food stuffs.
We do the spinning gear here, but recently youngest got interested in fly fishing, and the head of the local Trout Unlimited has been teaching my Cub Scouts about tying flies, etc.
If we go to the lake, big and small mouth bass, blue gills and catfish are there, just not abundant.

Matt


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

State has a limit on how many fish you can have in your possesion. That includes what is in the freezer. Hard to do any subsistence fishing with how low the limit is set.

WWW


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Fishing was something I did quite abit before we got tied to this piece of land. Fished as a child with my grandpa, blue gill,bass,sunfish,perch and for fun, carp.Worms,minnows,Dare Devils.Later got into river steelhead, Mepps spinners, egg sacks,some flys and my neoprene waders, very cold water in the early spring. The big michigan lakes have good fishing, usally I'd charter a boat. Lakers, Browns ect. I traveled alot by myself before I met my dh and fished alot in the Keys.I have a Penn reel(spin) ,mid size which is perfect for most salt water fishing and here in mich. Bow fishing and spear fishing is big here also. Dh is real good at pike fishing( thru the ice),something I'm not to much into, I'd rather fish for perch and walleye.We have a small stream on the lower part of our alfala field, it has small fish in it. The stream feeds a lake we have some lots on, so we do have acess to a lake to fish in, still, we just don't have the time. I want to change that.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

I believe somewhere around here is a topic on stockpiling fish and game. There's also a thread in Current Events about fish and game licenses and laws or something along those lines that also got quite lively. You'll get a few ideas there on different methods of fishing that aren't legal anymore.


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## unregistered29228 (Jan 9, 2008)

We have a small stocked pond with catfish, bass and brim/bluegill. We've eaten some decent size bass a few times and have a couple in the freezer, but we mainly catch and release so we'll have big ones if we need them. We consider our pond as part of our food storage, since the cattails, water cress, crawdads, turtles, fish and Canada geese (and occasional ducks passing through) would be a good supplement in an EOTW situation. We've got some rocks near the pond that are never-fail earthworm storage, too. 

I suppose if society (and game wardens) had broken down, we'd set trot lines or use the net we have to harvest and not waste time fiddling with a rod and reel. But I've stored lots of fishing line, bobbers, hooks, stringers, weights, lures, etc., for hard times. They would be good barter items too.


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## fixitguy (Nov 2, 2010)

wy_white_wolf said:


> State has a limit on how many fish you can have in your possesion. That includes what is in the freezer. Hard to do any subsistence fishing with how low the limit is set.
> 
> WWW


Yes, you are correct on this^^^. I think many people see the daily limit, and think they are o.k.

But, with that said. I think your chances of having the DNR raid your home is very, very rare. I think you would almost have to throw out some kinda of flag, or run down to the local watering hole and brag about your stash.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Depends on the fish species, the limits, the legalities etc.

Here, we have many lakes to choose from, and could catch piles of 3 to 5 lb walleyes, bunches of perch, countless, and often large pike, many rainbows and other species.

But if you had to stay legal, it would be hard to fill a freezer. Here, we could catch freezer fulls of fish without using nets... You just can't keep that many legally. Even using each family member to max out on limits. 

To get around this, one could try to get the ones with no limits, or high limits. Suckers, yellow perch, Burbot, Tulibee.

One issue to think about, is that using fish like one uses other meats, IE as the basis for sustenance, can be tricky. For us at least, there are just only so many ways to use fish...

Also, lakes can be fished out fairly quickly, and if everyone caught and kept their limits, fish stocks would not respond very well...


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## kycrawler (Sep 18, 2011)

I like catfish you can catch a ton on a good trotline or limb lines . Kids like fishing bluegill and perch I can fillet a bucket full pretty quick with an electric filet knife . It I was hungry I would probably rig up a shocker to stun the fish so they didn't have to bite


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## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

Borbot are great eating but don't keep well , you eat them fresh 

but it is not legally possible to stock your freezer with fish in Wisconsin 

the other thing I think about is cost and resources per pound of meat , gas to take the boat out , or drive to water , time spend 

fishing tends to take a lot of time for the product rendered

and Most Americans and Canadians use just the Fillets of the fish , fish stock from the bones and head will be important also.

it is going to depend a lot on you proximity to water , ability to use trot line bank line , trap and net 

If you had a Bit of Native American Blood and your tribe card you could fish a lot more and with more productive techniques 

if you had a small pond on your property that had fish and you had easy access to them that could definitely change things a fish a day per person would give you the needed protein but may not be sustainable


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

fixitguy said:


> Yes, you are correct on this^^^. I think many people see the daily limit, and think they are o.k.
> 
> But, with that said. I think your chances of having the DNR raid your home is very, very rare. I think you would almost have to throw out some kinda of flag, or run down to the local watering hole and brag about your stash.


I seem to here of at least a half dozen cases a year for Montana and Wyoming. But this one in New Mexico takes the prize

WWW


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

wy_white_wolf said:


> I seem to here of at least a half dozen cases a year for Montana and Wyoming. But this one in New Mexico takes the prize
> 
> WWW


I guess he was just exercising his freeman rights. That ought to get a few folks stirred up! There are things to learn here though. If he really did take them with a fly rod, he has alot of spare time and is one heck of a fisherman! The other thing is he's not that smart if he actually told them the truth as to where he caught them. If it was me I would have told them the local sewer pond. That amount of trout points to some good spots that should be kept secret. I think the OP has gotten more than he ever asked for, as we are way off topic. This would have been better posted up at the Outdoors forum.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

My grandson learned to put some food (little fish kibble) on the water with a bucket underneath. When the fish go after the floating food, he raises the bucket and catches them. These are bluegill and sunfish. Of course, you&#8217;d have to train your fish to floating food. He has caught a hundred in a day. I say, forget the hooks, train the fish.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Yes, 35 salmon is more that I need every year which is why years can pass between walking to the beach and gill netting them with a dip pole. Since my son is on his own and not a member of our houses he could get 25 for himself.

That is not counting if sport fishing was done.

Then there are clams. I only did crab once.

Seafood is canned some smoked and canned and very few are frozen

Animal food is made and canned from the heads and scraps. Great for dogs, cats, and chickens.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Maura said:


> My grandson learned to put some food (little fish kibble) on the water with a bucket underneath. When the fish go after the floating food, he raises the bucket and catches them. These are bluegill and sunfish. Of course, youâd have to train your fish to floating food. He has caught a hundred in a day. I say, forget the hooks, train the fish.


What fun! What memories he will have! Lucky boy.


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## myheaven (Apr 14, 2006)

Around me the fish are not be eaten by women of childbearing age, as they are toxic to the unborn child.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Same here especially around paper mills. Mercury, PCB's and dioxin can get pretty high in the bottom feeders.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

The home passion limits are a joke, use to be you could not possess Venison after a certain date here.
Seriously if I took the time to take my Daily limit, It should not matter if I eat them all now or save for a fish fry.

I digress though,
My uncle always had 3 freezers full of Fish, he fished regularly but not all the time and he was good at it.
Fishing has its good years and bad, lot of people fish here, so a lot of stocks are low.
I could easily with conventional methods procure several meals a week and have.

In a survival situation though I don't think people will nit pick species.
Carp are abundant no matter where you go, and most are going to be the biggest fish you see period.
But that is because most people don't target carp.
That would be my primary go to fish in that situation though, large and easy to catch.
Anything else would be a bonus.

Though no law and I'd have a stone weir in the river.


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## michael ark (Dec 11, 2013)

I heard it another way.[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYrYvNb5cl0"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYrYvNb5cl0[/ame]


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## Cygnet (Sep 13, 2004)

If I had a boat, I could go down to Roosevelt and catch a year's supply of crappie in a week or so, during the spawn. There's no limit on them, and they strike well in the spring. They are good eating (breaded in panko, deep fried, little bit of lemon juice ...) Fishing from the shore isn't really efficient, though.

Most of the large lakes at lower elevations have large catfish in them, but the problem with big cats is that they taste pretty nasty. They taste like what they eat, and they're both predators and scavengers. Those lakes have recently gotten an infestation of stink shad, too, so I can't imagine that the big catfish have improved in flavor. Haven't had a chance to test that theory, since I don't like big catfish to begin with.

If stink shad were edible, they could solve all the world's hunger problems ... 

If I was looking to put calories in my belly, however, and was too hungry to be choosy, catfish would be my first choice. At least they're easy to catch, and if you've got the right location, you can catch big ones from shore.

I have caught crawdads by the bucket full in the past using just a chicken wing and a string, and am actually planning on a few trips to catch crawdads this summer. Not only is there no limit on crawdads in Arizona, but Game and Fish discourages throwing them back if you accidentally catch one. They want them gone as they're not native and are hard on fish populations. 

Most lakes around here have issues with mercury, so I don't eat fish for more than a casual treat. (I get the crawdads from a creek that does NOT have mercury issues ...)


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## Glade Runner (Aug 1, 2013)

In a survival situation I think you go straight to the nets, traps and trot lines. Should be part of your preps. Rods and reels are for recreation.


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

Glade Runner said:


> In a survival situation I think you go straight to the nets, traps and trot lines. Should be part of your preps. Rods and reels are for recreation.


Depends where you are. I agree with nets etc.. But there are places where you can catch fish on nearly every cast, and can catch a PILE of fish in an hour. Either way, make cure you have a "secret spot". 

To me, that secret spot is the most important thing.


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

I hate to fish, I'd rather hunt. That being said if I could bow fish that would be better. Now in a survival situation, to devil with the rules, use dynamite, or any other improvised explosive. Get the most for the least work.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

bowdonkey said:


> I guess he was just exercising his freeman rights. That ought to get a few folks stirred up! There are things to learn here though. If he really did take them with a fly rod, he has alot of spare time and is one heck of a fisherman! The other thing is he's not that smart if he actually told them the truth as to where he caught them. If it was me I would have told them the local sewer pond. That amount of trout points to some good spots that should be kept secret. I think the OP has gotten more than he ever asked for, as we are way off topic. This would have been better posted up at the Outdoors forum.


Not that hard when the conditions are right. I've caught 10 trout on my flyrod in 10 minutes during the salmon fly hatch. Being the lake was stocked, a wingless deer hair fly could be made to look like the pellets the fish are used to eating. Shouldn't take too long for him to catch his limit or more with something like that.

WWW


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

wy_white_wolf said:


> Not that hard when the conditions are right. I've caught 10 trout on my flyrod in 10 minutes during the salmon fly hatch. Being the lake was stocked, a wingless deer hair fly could be made to look like the pellets the fish are used to eating. Shouldn't take too long for him to catch his limit or more with something like that.
> 
> WWW


Thanks, that's good to know. I haven't fished for stream trout in years, do fish for lakers when life allows. My favorite fish to eat are trout and fresh. Frozen trout are just not the same. And the longer they spend in the freezer the worse they get. And I've frozen them a couple different ways. The OP wanted to know what we used to catch trout. Back when I fished stream trout it was live bait, worms usually, or light spinning tackle with the lightest Mepps spinner. I never got into fly fishing because I know I would have liked it and would have become more useless than I already was. I would have been better off to society with a herion addiction. At least I would have been able to hold a job! In my youth I fished with alot of old timers that had some interesting ways of pileng up fish. Some ways were very wasteful.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

We love that $600 a pound salmon. But the limit is 2 a day, so not going to be the main dinner for the year.

You are allowed to catch a lot of albacore, but it is 30 miles out and several hundred dollars of gasoline to get there.

The same amount of gasoline will get you out halibut fishing, but the limit is two. So not a lot of meat for the money.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

We're lucky here in Alaska. Lots and lots of fish.


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

grab the bow , walk 1 block to the river shoot a 20+ lb Asian carp walk back home


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## terri9630 (Mar 12, 2012)

I could walk to the river but I'd have to walk for miles and miles and miles to find water.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

If I needed to fish for food I'd grab a bunch of cane poles. I need to buy several of the holders you push in the ground so that you can fish more than one pole at a time. Put a bobber on your line and a cricket on the hook. As a kid I didn't bother to bring bait with me....I'd just catch another cricket when the fish had stolen the current one off my hook. 

A couple of days ago the fish were schooling really close to shore. It was amazing watching the flocks of pelicans fishing so close in. Human fishermen noticed this as well and there were lots of folks with fancy fishing rods. Then there were a couple of folks that had taken empty soft drink bottles and wound string around them. They waded out into the surf and tossed their lines out. About as basic as you can get. The people with the more basic set up caught more fish from what I could see.


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## Astrid (Nov 13, 2010)

When you are trying to survive and fishing is the way to do it, you don't use poles. You use a net or long line or something where you can catch a large number of fish you can bring home and smoke or can. We've gone out with a pole and caught 1-2 with huge schools of salmon all over the place. The natives go out with their nets and bring in enough to feed their families for a few months.


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## TxGypsy (Nov 23, 2006)

Astrid said:


> When you are trying to survive and fishing is the way to do it, you don't use poles. You use a net or long line or something where you can catch a large number of fish you can bring home and smoke or can. We've gone out with a pole and caught 1-2 with huge schools of salmon all over the place. The natives go out with their nets and bring in enough to feed their families for a few months.


You are fishing in completely different conditions. A net would do you precious little good in southern waters with poor visibility. 

A trot line is also effective if you have a way to 'run' (check) it.

In a survival situation this is something useful that children could be put in charge of. With several poles set out in holders, a child old enough to be responsible could bring home as many fish as an adult could....and they would enjoy doing so. They could also be taught how to clean them. I know I was really young....maybe 6 when I learned how to clean fish. Besides, flicking fish guts at your little brother is fun :thumb:


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

One can fish for their food now.... enough to feed their family, as long as they plan on spending hours a day to do it... unless using illegal methods.

I'd not depend on fishing as a food source, in a SHTF of TEOTW scenario, unless, you own the water source and can control access. I'd plan on every public water source, lake, river, stream... to be completely fished out, in short order. "Now" there are rules and regulations and officers enforcing these rules.... "After", no rules, no regs, no officers... just pirates and thieves... And everyone that has the means, will be fishing illegally, catching every single fish they can. I know of people that have 'nets' that can catch everything that runs up the local river... they don't 'now', because the fines are stiff... of course, even they might be SOL, as there are hundreds of miles on either side of them, and they all have nets also...

I've got an 8 acre lake, and it's the only place I can depend on, to get fish in a post shtf world...


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## rags57078 (Jun 11, 2011)

they will never catch(snag) or shoot all the silver carp in the rivers here , they will avg 30 lbs each . Yes they are good eating and have white meat


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Even on public streams and rivers, "private" fishing areas will be protected by the people fishing them.

I grew up in a world where the first time a man put his nets in on another man's sets, he'd be told to move his nets. The second time they'd shoot the boat or the motor. The third transgression usually resulting in the shooting of a man.


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

Jolly said:


> Even on public streams and rivers, "private" fishing areas will be protected by the people fishing them.
> 
> I grew up in a world where the first time a man put his nets in on another man's sets, he'd be told to move his nets. The second time they'd shoot the boat or the motor. The third transgression usually resulting in the shooting of a man.


I grew up on the Mississippi River. We had lots of commercial fisherman back then. It was common etiquette to not knowingly set nets and trotlines near another fishermans. Some fisherman were extremely territorial though and would cut up another's tackle no matter where it was found. One of my classmates was from a commercial fishing and trapping family and he always had interesting stories about the latest river fued. Good point to remember Jolly. We were dairy farmers but we would set lines a couple times a year just to keep the freezer stocked. Running the lines the next morning was always met with much anticipation. Good memories. Back in the day there were few boats on the river too.


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## elkhound (May 30, 2006)

this is going to sound harsh i know...oh well.....the masses get sideways with a inch of snow on ground or a bit of ice and aren't smart enough to get a pair of v-bar chains...you think they are going to get on a wet and slippery waterway bank and handle a sharp hook or fillet knife....snort...(sarcastic snort)...roflmao


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## Wanda (Dec 19, 2002)

Jolly said:


> Even on public streams and rivers, "private" fishing areas will be protected by the people fishing them.
> 
> I grew up in a world where the first time a man put his nets in on another man's sets, he'd be told to move his nets. The second time they'd shoot the boat or the motor. The third transgression usually resulting in the shooting of a man.




You need to be aware that if you cross the wrong person they can make one application and do away with those fish you are protecting! You will not have time to live with your food source.


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## snakeshooter1 (Mar 8, 2009)

Growing up in the south and we didn't own a boat, we set out limb lines and cut small saplings to tie hooks to along creek banks. Then we just walked the banks at nite to catch catfish, eel, and and cotton fish (carp?). Later we got a john boat and ran trot lines on river. The limb lines and poles we the most fun though. We would have 25 or thirty set out and we would check them every couple hours till midnight then check again at daylight and take them up.


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## ronron (Feb 4, 2009)

Yes, close to the coast we have a huge variety of fish, salmon, sturgeon, silvers, cut throat, kokanee, trout, clams, crab, and oysters. I freeze, smoke, can and can for cat food fish we don't use.. We also freeze clams, can clams, can smoke clams, and freeze oysters and can smoked oysters, and can crab when there are extra.. West coast Dungeness crab are the best as are the razor clams, the canned smoked,clams, oysters, and fish make the best stocking stuffers...


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## bowdonkey (Oct 6, 2007)

elkhound said:


> this is going to sound harsh i know...oh well.....the masses get sideways with a inch of snow on ground or a bit of ice and aren't smart enough to get a pair of v-bar chains...you think they are going to get on a wet and slippery waterway bank and handle a sharp hook or fillet knife....snort...(sarcastic snort)...roflmao


I at least wouldn't try it in my heels!


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

Many more people than you think fish and are good at it. In Detroit you&#8217;ll see city people fishing the Detroit River. City people also go &#8216;north&#8217; to catch smelt when they are running and catch mass quantities. Then there are the salmon fishers. Salmon are easy to get when they come close to shore to breed. You can get them with a spear or hook their bodies (illegal). You can train fish to come to the surface for food, then you catch them with a net or bucket. Also, people who don&#8217;t hunt or fish feel one way about Bambi, another way about a fish and have no problem cutting off their little lives.


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## Jolly (Jan 8, 2004)

Wanda said:


> You need to be aware that if you cross the wrong person they can make one application and do away with those fish you are protecting! You will not have time to live with your food source.


You may be speaking in the hypothetical. I'm speaking from experience.

I had to patch two 30-06 holes in the 14-foot bateaux I have now. Fella thought he could move in on another man's sets. He was persuaded otherwise. Turned out to be good for me, as I bought the boat for a song and sang it myself.

That's what happens when you mess with a man's livelihood. What do you think is going to happen when the fish he is catching represents whether his family eats, or not?


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