Posted by zog
on August 7, 2009, 11:06 am, in reply to "Re: Hornfrog's fish story"
Bone, Bone is very hard and can be sharp, smash a larger bone with a rock and look for the appropriate splinters, or from small game kills (down to real small game like rats), look for rib cage bones that can be trimmed and sharpened. Thorns as mentioned, carved/whittled hardwood, and etc. In a survival situation, a fishtrap would work better, because it frees you up to go do other tasks. (along with land traps, a few of the smaller conibear traps will keep you fed with small game meat while most nimrods and numbskulls will be trying to eliminate all the whitetails, which will disappear within months of a general breakdown..that happened in the first great depression, they almost vanished, in georgia they estimate there were only a few hundred left by the late 30s) Just note: pretty much illegal to use fishtraps in fresh water most places except for the smallest minnows for bait, because they are so effective.
An alternative is a "trot line", which are legal most places. That's a long line with dozens of hooks on smaller leaders with the hooks hanging down, you put a big weight and throw one end way out, tie off your end, next morning, haul it in. Store bought you can get a good one for under 20 bucks, and even cheaper.
Fishing gear is just so cheap and easy to get here now that you can accumulate several stashes of adequate gear in advance. Keep some in the car, some in your go-pack, maybe some at your expected emergency bugout place..whatever. I mean, I can fabricate a lot of ways to catch and eat animals, I did it for a long time when I was living feral for several years, but really..get the gear in advance. heh.
As for no metal to be found, I think it will be centuries before you can't find old cans laying around, or old junk cars, etc, or NAILS in old boards, which are the best to make into fishooks (saved the best for the last there). Larger nails also make dandy fast spear points. Obviosuly smaller nails for smaller fish, etc, plus easier to bend into shape. Small finish nails are about perfect for panfish and smaller bass. Two pliers will give you enough leverage to bend them nice.
One of the fastest wooden fishhooks isn't a hook shape at all, it is just a flat piece with the line tied in the middle, like a stout pointy splinter. Carve a tiny groove to keep the line in place in the middle, bury both ends in the bait, it's encased in other words. The fish will swallow the whole thing, then haul it in. The traditional Indian design was fatter in the middle tapering to two sharp points on the ends, line tied in the middle. You have to be patient, unlike a hook when you want to set it fairly quickly after the fish takes the bait, the double ended spike thing needs for the fish to swallow it, so even after it takes it, give it some time to really get it down. You need to cut it out immediately or have several with you, but that means cutting the line as well, easier to just brain the fish then cut the spike hook out then rebait.
Here's a funny one I used to do but works good and AFAIK is technically legal. I used to be a diving fiend, loved it. In fresh water, with only a few exceptions, using a speargun is illegal,BUT, a regular fishing rig is not obviously. and I have yet to see the law that says you the fisherman have to be totally out of the water. What I used to do was use a really short stout icefishing rod, pr a regular take down rod with the top thinner section not used, then swim underwater around stumps and weed bed edges etc until I see mr. bass. I would then swim by and drag the lure RIGHT in front of his dang nose. worked a charm. Not snagged it which is illegal, the fish was still free to strike it or not. That also taught me more about bass fishing then years of casting from shore or a boat, where they really hang out at different times of the day etc, just getting down and looking instead of guessing.
Oh ya, big fun with the fish trying to pull and you swimming, fins (I alwsys used really large power fins) give you enough of an edge, but it's still a litle tussle. Small time version of a "nantucket sleighride". 
Back in ye olden days in florida it was still legal to spearfish from shore and around the docs, man I used to clean up then. I still got that old speargun too, and I also have taken literally hundreds of big carp with a bowfishing rig. Where you are that is probably legal and no closed season, big fun, just check your regs. Most pawnshops have decent used bows for 50 bucks, then look for the bowfishing reel and solid arrow, etc and follow instructions and attach it (the arrow is real heavy and has a 100 lb test line attached to it for hauling the fish in). The spring around late may/june (well, it was in lower michigan where I grew up, chicago was across the lake, so similar weather and seasons)when they are spawning you should be able to get a couple hundred lbs of fish a day. I am not kidding, 20 lb fish are common, larger are as well. Billions of the things and they are classed as nuisance fish. We used to either give them to de bruthas or take them home and use them for tomato plant fertilizer (we ate other fish although I know carp are edible) and that is my biggest gardening secret, you'll be the "envy of the neighborhood". Just bury them deep enough under the tomato plants, say two feet with plenty of good decent dirt over them. You will not BELIEVE how large and fast those tomatoes/plants get. Also for other heavy feeders like pumpkins and winter squash etc.
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