Knives for camping and fishing

Whether you are camping, fishing, or both a critical piece of equipment is the humble knife. It is probably the most important as well as versatile item that is a must for your camping kit or tackle box. This post will briefly examine several types of knives as well as some applications as they relate to camping and fishing.

The folding pocket knife is the most common as well as most used knife that is used for fishing and camping. It is small, easily accessible, and its uses are practically limitless.. There are many styles to choose from the basics remain the same. When shopping for a folding pocket knife there are a few things to keep in mind. 1st it must be durable, last thing you want is a knife that will break first time you use it ( I have made the mistake of buying one of these ONCE. ) 2nd you must decide the style of knife. Do you want just a single blade or a multi-purpose such as a leatherman. When camping these types of knives are essential when trimming rope, or maybe shaving kindling for the fire. Either task is well suited to a folding pocket knife. When fishing, these knives can be uses for cutting line, cutting bait, or whatever else comes to mind.

If you are not familiar with what a tactical knife is then here are a few items to bear in mind. A tactical knife is a knife that is specifical designed for the purpose of survival in the wilderness. These knives consist of a large fixed blade that most often has a serrated ( saw tooth ) side that is very useful for sawing of limbs for fire or shelter, they work great as a fish scaler, they can be used to shave bark for insulation or fire starter, and a host of other uses. Some models have a hollow handle in which matches, fishing line, hooks, and weights are stored. Why you may ask? Many times it is not practical or feasible to pack a lot of fishing gear. When one is say doing extended wilderness camping, weight and space are a huge consideration. By the use of this type of knife, much weight and space is minimized for other critical supplies and/or equipment.

A fixed blade knife  is a type of knife we are all familiar with. These knives are found in all shapes and sized with just as many applications.  Some knives in this catagory include survival knives, fillet knives, chef knives, paring knives, and many more. But in the case of camping, a silgle fixed blade knife will cover just about all your needs. It will cut your fruits, veggies, meats. A good fixed blade will last for many years and ensure much enjoyment in both camping and fishing applications.

Ice fishing, my first time even watching it done.

Last weekend, I decided to go down to Pleasant Creek Recreation area to see if anybody was ice fishing. I decided to go in order to get some photos in order to update my fishing website ( since I havnt had the opportunity in awhile ) So off down the road I headed.

Upon my arrival, I noticed a couple of guys fishing near the dock, so I went there first. Asked them a few questions about ice fishing since I have never personally done it. basically besides slightly different equipment and the strength of the strikes, no real difference than fishing from the dock.

So after chatting for a little while and taking a few pictures ( not many cause it was like a gazzilion below zero that day ) I saw another person fishing in the middle of the lake. I started to walk out out to see that person till I heard this gut wrenching CCRRAAACCCCKKKKKKKKK. I think my blood turned colder and icier than the ice around me. I looked down and saw a nice crack between my feet with a little water coming up between the edges. I remembered what one of the other guys told me. If the ice starts to crack lay flat on the ice with arms and legs spread to distribute the weight. So I did...

Although I was soaked to the bone and shivering my skull sutures loose, I kinda looked like a catapillar getting away from the crack. when I was sure I was well away from the crack, I regained my feet and hustled to the shore. I looked back at the person I was going to talk to and noted he did the same thing I did, on his belly doing the catapillar towing his gear behind him.

At this point I was too cold and terrified to think about talking to anybody else, so I got in my car, blasted the heat till I stopped chattering, and found the nearest gas station and got the biggest cup of coffee the had. as I was chugging on this, I renewed a bad habit, I think I went through a half pack in like 20 minutes. So I decided to head home and have a few beers instead.