Clyde Ormond – Survival Fishing Kit
Clyde Ormond’s Otudoorsman’s Handbook
It’s interesting when looking at VHD site stats, just how and where people come from to get here. For some reason the VHD picks up a lot of traffic from people searching for “Survival Fishing Kits,” a subject that I’ve never gone into, until now. Now that winter has set in, and course fishing is largely out of season, it’s time to make one, and where better to start than Clyde Ormond’s survival fishing kit? It’s no secret he is one of my outdoors heroes and luckily his writings contain a lot about fishing. His survival fishing kit from “The Outdoorsman’s Handbook” is as follows.
Clyde Ormond’s Survival Fishing Kit
Dozen fly hooks
10-yard roll of mono filament fishing line
Small bobbin of silk thread
6 Paper clipsThe 12 hooks should be of assorted sizes, ranging from #12–#4. They should be of the wet-fly types, and of good quality. The majority of hooks should be of average size #6, #8, #10 …
Half a dozen wooden matches, paraffin dipped to be waterproof, should be included to start a fire for cooking the fish. The entire kit will fit into a plastic envelope, which should be sealed tightly with plastic tape. If it is sewed into the pocket of your fishing jacket, you’ll be sure not to leave it behind when you venture into remote areas.
At the time of writing, Ormond speaks confidently about using this minimal kit in the lesser travelled wilderness areas to easily catch fish. The included paper clips are for constructing make-shift rod guides, which can be lashed to a branch or pole, and the silk thread can be used to make flies–on the fly, so to speak. As well as Ormond’s previously featured emergency clothes-pin lure, he also has instructions for tying emergency flies by hand, using equipment in this kit along with everyday scavenged items, everything from scraps of shirttail and aluminium foil, to his own chest hair and found eagle feathers. I’m hoping to try these out in the future.
Clyde Ormond’s Survival Fishing Kit
So here we have it, I don’t have a fishing jacket, as-such, but this can now live in my hiking and fishing ditty bag, just incase.
Categories: Gear List Tags: Clyde Ormond, fishing, kit, survival fishing kit, The Outdoorsman's Handbook
Posted by Chris Eyles
26 Feb 2013
I look forward to hearing how you fare with your trials.
Also – I’m very envious of the Clyde Ormond books you have. If I were Stateside I reckon I’d have tried to collect them all by now. Doing so from the other side of the Atlantic might prove a bit spenny.
Coincidentally, I had a strange idea the other day about making a lure from a foil bag fastener and some orange nylon. I might try it – but the fishing season is nearly over here.
Posted by admin
27 Feb 2013
Hey Chris, thanks for reading. I’m happy to keep an eye out for some Ormond books for you, they aren’t too hard to come by. Perhaps an exchange for some dearly missed English goods could be worked out, you can’t get Jaffa Cake for love nor money here and as for Monster Munch, forget about it. Interested to hear how your lure idea plays out.
Posted by Chris Eyles
27 Feb 2013
Hey, that sounds like a fine idea. You have a deal.
Assuming US authorities don’t veto foodstuffs through the post that is – will check on regs.
Regularly send Tunnocks wafers and Liquorice Allsorts to a family member overseas, so am accustomed to strange yearnings for foodstuffs – but Monster Munch? Really?
Have made the “lure” – it looks like what it is – 2 bits of garbage and a hook – might give it a chuck if I manage to go piking before the 14th. Who knows old Esox might be insulted enough by it’s patheticness to attack it.