There are many ways you can improvise your survival fishing kit. For example, you can make fishing hooks from soda can tabs or safety pins. You can make fishing line out of torn clothing or dental floss. But these improvised materials are likely to fail on you!
At least 50 feet of monofilament fishing line is needed, tested to 10 to 20lb strength. You’ll need to coil the line to fit in your survival kit.
One of the most significant flaws I see in survival fishing kits is that they only include one hook size. Often, these hooks are very large. Ideally, you know where you will be bugging out and what types of fish live there. Then, you choose hooks suited for those fish.
These are optional but make it easier to find your line. Bobbers are also good to have if you aren’t sure if you are getting bites or not. Slip bobbers are great for regulating how deep your line goes into the water.
You’ll need these to get your bait deep enough and also to help with casting the line. They easily get lost, so bring at least 4-5 of them. Some recommend up to 12 sinkers in your survival fishing kit.
When improvising a fishing pole, you can expect your line to get kinked. Swivels will prevent this and save you a lot of frustration.
In a SHTF situation, time is of the essence. You can’t sit around all day, just “hoping” that you’ll get a bite. A lure will help you catch fish much faster, so it is worth putting in your survival fishing kit.