Food guide
Fish and crayfish: catch, clean and cook
Fish are in every pond, lake and creek, easier to get than most animals, and they gather in deep pools, under overhanging brush and around sunken logs.
Page numbers below are from the US Army Survival Manual (FM 21-76) unless another source is named. Each one opens that page.
In many states, anyone 16 or older needs a fishing license. Hook and line is the usual legal way. Spearing and bow fishing are allowed only for certain fish. Small nets and traps are allowed only for bait like minnows and crayfish. Gill nets, fish baskets and pens, poison and stunning fish are illegal. Each kind of fish has its own size and catch limits. Check this year's state fishing rules.
Ways to catch it
Hook and lineLicense and seasonMake a hook from a pin, needle, wire, small nail or a thorn, or carve one from hardwood with a point of bone, wire or a nail tied into a notch. Bait it with worms, insects or guts.
Legal with a fishing license. Check the limits for each fish.
p. 113A small sliver of wood or bone, sharp on both ends, with the line tied in a notch in the middle. Hide it lengthwise in the bait. When the fish swallows it, a pull on the line turns it sideways in the throat.
Fishing rules are usually written for hooks; it is not clear a gorge counts. Make one to learn it and fish with a real hook.
p. 113
Stakeout (set line)License and seasonPush two springy saplings into the bottom with the tops just under the water. Tie a cord between them, and tie two short baited lines to it so they cannot tangle. It fishes while you do other work.
Most states have rules on lines left unattended, how many hooks, and tags with your name. Check this year's rules before leaving a line.
pp. 113 to 114
SpearLicense and seasonIn waist-deep water where fish gather, put the spear point in the water and move it slowly toward the fish. Then push hard and pin the fish to the bottom. Hold it down and grab it with your other hand. Water bends light, so the fish is not quite where it looks.
Many states allow spearing only certain fish, such as carp, in certain waters. Check this year's rules first.
pp. 116 to 117
Fish traps, nets and poisonBanned in many statesThe manual weaves funnel-shaped baskets from sticks and vines, builds stone or stick pens fish swim into but cannot find their way out of, ties gill nets from parachute cord, and stuns fish with crushed green black walnut or butternut husks thrown into still water.
Gill nets, fish baskets and pens, and poison are illegal in many states. Learn how they work from the drawing only.
pp. 114 to 118Crayfish hide under rocks in streams by day and come out at night. Tie a bit of guts to a string, let a crayfish grab it, and pull it to shore before it lets go.
Needs a fishing license. Check this year's rules for limits and legal traps.
p. 93Clean it, step by step
Clean fish as soon as you catch them. Fish spoil fast, especially on a hot day.
p. 120Check that it is fresh. Do not eat a fish with sunken eyes, a strange smell, pale or slimy gills, faded scales, a slimy body, or flesh that stays dented when you press it. Cooking does not fix a spoiled fish.
p. 120
Scale it: scrape from tail to head with the back of a knife until the skin is smooth. Or skin it; most people skin catfish.
p. 120
Gut every fish longer than 10 cm (4 inches). Push the knife point into the vent (the small hole near the tail) and cut up the belly to the gills.
Military Survival and Rescue Guide, page 87
Pull out the guts. Cut out the gills and scrape out the dark blood line along the backbone.
p. 120Rinse the fish. Do not eat the fish eggs or liver. Keep the guts for bait.
Military Survival and Rescue Guide, page 82Crayfish: rinse them, and cook them whole. Pull off the tail and eat the meat inside.
Military Survival and Rescue Guide, page 87
Cook it, step by step
Push a stick through a whole fish and cook it over the fire, turning it. It is done when the meat flakes off.
p. 120Boiling with the skin on keeps the most food. The fat and oil are under the skin; drink the broth.
p. 120Or pack the fish in a ball of clay, bury it in the coals until the clay is hard, then break it open.
p. 120Cook all freshwater fish all the way through to kill parasites.
p. 95
To keep fish for later, smoke or fry it. For smoking, cut off the head and take out the backbone, then smoke it like meat. A covered pit works as a smoker.
p. 120
Crayfish: boil them until they turn bright red. Always cook crayfish; the 1999 manual lists them with the foods you must cook to kill parasites.
Military Survival and Rescue Guide, page 87
Stay safe
- There are no poisonous freshwater fish, but catfish spines cause painful wounds that get infected fast. p. 95
- Spoiled fish can cause vomiting, cramps, itching or even paralysis, 1 to 6 hours after eating. Never eat a fish that fails the freshness check. p. 120
- Fish that is not cleaned and dried can spoil in half a day. Dark-meat fish spoil fastest: if you cannot eat it all right away, use the leftovers as bait. p. 230
- Yellow jackets come to fish while you clean it. Watch for them. p. 144
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