The benefit of a compact fishing kit is that it holds a few basic supplies to procure a fresh meal (if near water) while being highly packable. I readily admit that if I were stranded somewhere with my only food source being fish, I’d probably starve to death! My fishing style is greatly lacking in skill and I rely on pure luck to obtain anything with fins. However, I like to be prepared so when I filled my Condor Pack Insert I included a compact fishing kit because you never know when luck will strike!
A compact fishing kit, though, was hard to come by locally. REI did not carry it, nor did Jax Outdoors. A basic version can be ordered on Amazon for just over 12 bucks, but you’d also pay shipping (unless you’ve got Prime which you pay extra for anyway). So, my husband suggested making our own compact fishing kit – which we did, for pennies, using stuff we already had!
DIY Compact Fishing Kit – contents
A - 100 feet fishing line
B - Extra fishing line to make leaders
C - Hooks to connect to leader
D - Bobber
E - Sinkers
F - Swivels
G - Fake bait (I’ve got minnows and a worm)
H - Medium-sized prescription bottle
Pack everything in the old prescription bottle and wind the fishing line around the outside. The bottle becomes your “fishing pole” and waterproof storage container in one.
So, does it work?!
Well, Lady Luck did not grant me any fish when I tried out my compact fishing kit, but if I needed food in a bad way I would persevere a good deal more. “Casting” the line is just a matter of throwing it out a ways by hand, which results in maybe 10-20 feet of line in the water if you're lucky. This obviously is not ideal, but in a pinch I think it would work! Not bad for a small kit that costs only pennies and a few minutes to put together.
Have you ever tried a compact fishing kit? I'm curious how it worked for you! Leave feedback in the comments below, and thanks for reading!