Sea fishing - any advice?

[CynicalSurvival]

Hi all, I'm new around here so sorry if this has been done to death but I did a search and couldn't find much.

I have been giving some thought recently to fishing as a survival skill. As I have learned from these forums already, prepping is not just about 'stuff' but also skills, and basically I have never learned to fish (even tho I am almost 40!)

WTSHTF, food might be in short supply and I can only grow so much, but I live 10 mins walk from the sea and about the same from several reservoirs, so it would be handy to have the skills and equipment.

From what I have researched so far, sea angling sounds easier for a beginner than fly fishing and there is apparently no legal issue with keeping/eating what you catch (personally I see no point in catching a fish and then putting it back )

I see that there are starter kits around for not too much money. Does anyone have any advice how to start? Remember I am a total noob and know basically nothing about the kit, bait, hooks or anything. The simpler the better at least to start off! Thanks

[Fozzie]

Do you plan to fish from the shore or from a boat?

I'm assuming by what you say, from shore but you know what they say about assumptions............

[Arzosah]

Is there a local angling club? There's aquaponics too ... and farmed fishing ... and crabbing .... and cockling ... there's lots you can do I haven't researched it myself being vegetarian and all, but there's a lot of ways to get protein from the sea. What edible seaweeds are round you, do you know?

And if you were really looking at tshtf times, I'd say line-fishing would be really risky as an investment of time. There's a lot you'd need to do in that world, so at the least you'd want multiple lines (and its why my first thought is of aquaponics or farmed fishing).

You still need the skills though - so thats the angling society. Let us know how it goes.

[Fozzie]

Is there a local angling club? There's aquaponics too ... and farmed fishing ... and crabbing .... and cockling ... there's lots you can do I haven't researched it myself being vegetarian and all, but there's a lot of ways to get protein from the sea. What edible seaweeds are round you, do you know?

You still need the skills though - so thats the angling society. Let us know how it goes.

As far as I understand, salt water fish and aquaponics generally don't marry up well. Seems to work better for fresh water fish from my understanding. Also to fit a family of cod in an aquaponics setup would have to be huge
There's a particular species/breed of fish they have in the US that is very suited to aquaponics and the dinner table, can't remember the name of it off the top of my head, began with T maybe? Not sure if we have it here

From what I've seen of farmed fish, it would take quite a bit of infrastructure and forward planning and time for it to start generating enough to eat sustainably.

You might have more luck looking over a fishing forum for advice on kit.

Just my 2 cents but I wonder how hard it would be to farm lobster in a pool in a garage etc....... nice food supply and could sell them for money too

[Plymtom]

I'd like to give shore fishing a go but I don't have the free time, the guys in the local gun/fishing shop say that mackerel were in abundance from the shore in Plymouth sound this summer and often are, it is not always that easy I suppose but I bumped into some folks who belong to the local fishing club too in there, and that's key to what I'm going to say... join a club, get involved in what you're interested in with other people, they'll be organizing boat trips too with local skippers, learn a skill, make some friends and have some fun, like most hobbies it'll probably cost you more than it saves you in the here and now, but once you've got enough kit and learn the sweet spots it could make all the difference.

[ForgeCorvus]

To add to what Plymtom said, join the local club (or find a Guru) but remember OpSec
In this country(to most people) fishing is a pastime, not a survival skill..... This is how you should talk about it

Ditto shooting
Ditto archery
Ditto martial arts

[CynicalSurvival]

Thanks folks I have emailed the local angling club but not heard back yet, tho I think they mainly fish from stocked trout in the reservoir. I might just get a cheap-ish rod and head down, maybe make some contacts with other people who are around.

Fozzie - it will be mainly from shore/rocks, as I have as little skill with a boat as I do with a fishing rod

Yep, understood Forge - it's a passtime Depending on the situation, yes it might be too time intensive or too risky but there are also scenarios where food is pretty hard to come by, perhaps long-term when the store cupboard starts to run bare.... There is only so far you can go with growing from a garden.

Is there a local angling club? There's aquaponics too ... and farmed fishing ... and crabbing .... and cockling ... there's lots you can do I haven't researched it myself being vegetarian and all, but there's a lot of ways to get protein from the sea. What edible seaweeds are round you, do you know?

Edible seaweed is an interesting one, never thought of that at all but there is bound to be some. Apparently seaweed is a traditional fertiliser for growing potatoes too - abundant, cheap, and helps keep the slugs away

[Plymtom]

To add to what Plymtom said, join the local club (or find a Guru) but remember OpSec
In this country(to most people) fishing is a pastime, not a survival skill..... This is how you should talk about it

Ditto shooting
Ditto archery
Ditto martial arts

Exactly I wish we could find a simple way to explain that all that sort of stuff is good clean family fun in the UK, just as hard times-extreme weather- power cut type preparedness was embedded in our nature not so very long ago, and almost everybody could do something other than open a can or put a ready meal in a microwave.

[ForgeCorvus]

Edible seaweed is an interesting one, never thought of that at all but there is bound to be some. Apparently seaweed is a traditional fertiliser for growing potatoes too - abundant, cheap, and helps keep the slugs away

The Collins gem book Food For Free has six of the commonest plus a section on shellfish, its worth four quid of anyone's money.

[Hamradioop]

for shore fishing look here http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Sea-Angler/S ... nderwater/

Most angling shops will give good advice on what you need Minimum will be a Beach Rod, Reel, Line, Hooks, Weights, Lures, and a box to keep it in,