01-13-2005, 07:53 PM
I learned this during my 3 years on staff at a summer Varsity Scout Camp at Beaver High Adventure base:
On many rivers and especially small high mountain streams, the banks can become quite undercut in places. This is a great opportunity to catch a quick meal without any hook, line, trap, or pole. Here's what you do:
Find a place on the stream where the bank is undercut (preferably a grassy area so that it's softer to lay down on) and lay down on your belly next to the edge. Pull up your sleeves to your shoulders, cause your arms are gonna get wet. Reach your hands slowly over the bank and into the undercut under the bank. Feel slowly for any fish that might be hiding under it (usually trout). Your palms should be facing up, and you should move your fingers gently as if you were going to tickle the fish if there is one there. This movement seems to pacify the fish so it doesn't spook and take off upstream before you can get a good hold on it. When you feel a fish, keep moving your fingers, "tickling" the belly of the fish. Put one hand under the back, just in front of the tail, and the other hand under the anterior portion of the fish, preferably around the gills. If you can get your fingers under the gill plates into the gills all the better, because that's about the only place you can grab a trout that won't be slippery, and you'll have less chance of it getting away. When you've got both hands under the fish, tighten your fingers around it and grip with your nails if you can, remember this is not catch and release this is survival so do what you gotta do. Quickly pull the fish out and pull back from the riverbank. Get back as far as you can so that in case you drop the fish you will still be able to recover it before it flops back into the water.
You might not believe that this works, but believe me it does. We had dozens of 14-16 year old scouts doing this and nearly all of the them caught fish this way on a survival outing where they had to catch and cook their own food for the night. It takes a little practice to master, but most people can pick it up rather quickly. Personally, I'm not very good at it, but I held my own.
It's important to note that it's illegal to catch fish with your hands, however this was on private land with a private stream stocked with rainbows using private $$$. I don't know about you, but if I were in a survival situation, I wouldn't give a rat's @#$ if it were legal or not if it kept me alive.
May you never find yourself in an emergency situation where this would be necessary, but if you do, now you know another way to survive.
[signature]
On many rivers and especially small high mountain streams, the banks can become quite undercut in places. This is a great opportunity to catch a quick meal without any hook, line, trap, or pole. Here's what you do:
Find a place on the stream where the bank is undercut (preferably a grassy area so that it's softer to lay down on) and lay down on your belly next to the edge. Pull up your sleeves to your shoulders, cause your arms are gonna get wet. Reach your hands slowly over the bank and into the undercut under the bank. Feel slowly for any fish that might be hiding under it (usually trout). Your palms should be facing up, and you should move your fingers gently as if you were going to tickle the fish if there is one there. This movement seems to pacify the fish so it doesn't spook and take off upstream before you can get a good hold on it. When you feel a fish, keep moving your fingers, "tickling" the belly of the fish. Put one hand under the back, just in front of the tail, and the other hand under the anterior portion of the fish, preferably around the gills. If you can get your fingers under the gill plates into the gills all the better, because that's about the only place you can grab a trout that won't be slippery, and you'll have less chance of it getting away. When you've got both hands under the fish, tighten your fingers around it and grip with your nails if you can, remember this is not catch and release this is survival so do what you gotta do. Quickly pull the fish out and pull back from the riverbank. Get back as far as you can so that in case you drop the fish you will still be able to recover it before it flops back into the water.
You might not believe that this works, but believe me it does. We had dozens of 14-16 year old scouts doing this and nearly all of the them caught fish this way on a survival outing where they had to catch and cook their own food for the night. It takes a little practice to master, but most people can pick it up rather quickly. Personally, I'm not very good at it, but I held my own.
It's important to note that it's illegal to catch fish with your hands, however this was on private land with a private stream stocked with rainbows using private $$$. I don't know about you, but if I were in a survival situation, I wouldn't give a rat's @#$ if it were legal or not if it kept me alive.
May you never find yourself in an emergency situation where this would be necessary, but if you do, now you know another way to survive.
[signature]