Anyone ever use these? They're pretty cheap and seem like a good item to toss in your pack to ensure one more way to put food on the table if SHTF.

From: http://www.bepreparedtosurvive.com/Food%20Collection%20Products%20from%20Survival%20Resources.htm

These Automatic Fishing Reels are great for survival. Just add a hook and some bait, and these reels will set the hook , reel in the fish, and hold it until you get there. The reels are automatically set when the trigger is released by the fish taking the bait. They can be attached to a limb overhanging water, or by any means that suspends them over water. Great for unattended fishing while your checking your snares (note: some states don't allow unattended fishing - check your local laws). Available in galvanized steel or durable bright orange polypropylene, they both feature stainless steel springs and 60 lb. test line on the galvanized and 50 lb. test line on the orange polypropylene. Galvanized reel measures 2-1/2" diameter, Wt. 1.8 oz., and the polypropylene reel measures 2-3/4" diameter, Wt. 2 oz.

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

I do have one with me Its a great tool, but I have not tried it for anything rather than fishing.

I know these work great for fishing, but I was wondering if they would work for snaring small animals as well. If something retracted the snare and kept enough tension on the snare, wouldn't that help keep your catch in the snare?

I haven't had much success in using snares, so I am trying to give myself any advantage that I can.

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Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.

NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
V.F.W. Life Member
NRA Member
U.S. Army Veteran

I have one of these for my kit, but haven't actually tested it yet.

I recall on the Survivor Man show, the guy made several attempts at fishing, but did not actually catch a live fish - at least in the shows I've seen. He did find a partially decomposed fish on the shore one time.

Anyway, it looks like this automatic fishing reel is a good way to catch fish without having to spend a lot of time attending to it. I understand the real trick with it is finding a the right spot for it - normally a tree branch overhanging the water.