Set lines and night lines (emergency knowledge)
A set line is a baited fishing line tied firmly to the bank and left to fish on its own – often overnight. With a few such lines you can fish while you sleep or gather wood. That is exactly why they are prohibited for anglers: caught fish hang on the hook for hours. In a genuine emergency: few lines, all marked, checked early in the morning and removed completely afterwards.
- 10 minutes per line, checks in the evening and at dawn
Explicado de forma sencilla
A set line is a fishing line that you tie to a branch over the water in the evening and then leave on its own. A worm hangs on the hook. While you sleep a fish can bite – and in the morning you go and look.
That sounds handy, but there is a catch: the fish has to wait all night on the hook. Ducks or otters can also grab the worm. That is why it is forbidden in ordinary fishing.
In a real emergency a set line can still help because it saves strength. Then strict rules apply: only a few lines, all marked, check very early in the morning and take everything away at the end.
Cómo funciona
Many fish feed mainly at dusk and at night. A line hanging in the water at that time has a good chance. Because it hangs from a springy branch it gives when a fish pulls – a rigid holder would snap the line or tear the hook out.
The length of the line decides where the bait hangs: just above the bottom for fish that feed there, or in mid-water. A small weight holds it in place.
The advantage is time: the line fishes while you rest, gather wood or signal. In an emergency, strength is the most valuable thing you have.
Lo que de verdad importa
The checking decides, not the number of lines. Two lines checked at dawn are better than ten found only at midday. Caught fish are stunned and killed at once.
The hook must always stay under water. A bait at the surface or on the bank is a danger to ducks, herons, otters and dogs. During the day, when these animals are active, bring the lines in or hang the hooks high without bait.
Every line gets a number and a marker tape, and all of them go in a list. That way none is forgotten at the end.
Seguridad: a qué debes prestar atención
Forgotten lines with hooks kill birds and other animals months later. That is why everything is counted and taken away at the end. Anything that could not be recovered is reported to the rescuers.
Do not set lines at bathing spots, jetties or near nests. And do not go into the water to check – the line is brought in from the bank.
For anglers, set lines are not allowed in Austria and Germany. Without permission it remains fish poaching.
Paso a paso
Check the emergency and the water
Only in genuine danger to life. Choose a quiet stretch of bank close to camp without bathing spots, boats or waterbird nests. Decide how many lines you can check safely – usually two to four.
- 1
Check the emergency and the water
Only in genuine danger to life. Choose a quiet stretch of bank close to camp without bathing spots, boats or waterbird nests. Decide how many lines you can check safely – usually two to four.
- 2
Choose a springy holder
Best is a live, flexible branch hanging over the water, or a strong stick pushed deep and at an angle into the bank. It must flex when a fish pulls but must not be torn out.
- 3
Rig the line
Tie on a hook and a small weight. Make the line long enough that the bait hangs just above the bottom or in mid-water, depending on where you expect fish. Always set the hook deep enough to stay under water.
- 4
Poner el cebo en el anzuelo
Thread the bait so the hook point is covered: worms, larvae, fish scraps or small pieces of edible meat. Using live bait fish is not necessary, even in an emergency.
- 5
Tie off and mark
Knot the line firmly to the holder and lower the bait gently into the water. Tie marker tape at eye level beside it and write the line's number and location in the list.
- 6
Check at dawn
Check the lines late in the evening and again very early in the morning, before waterbirds become active. A caught fish is stunned and killed at once. If lines have tangled or an animal you did not want has taken the bait, cut the line as close to the hook as possible.
- 7
Bring them in during the day
If you cannot keep an eye on the lines during the day, bring them in or hang the hooks unbaited high on the holder. Re-bait in the evening.
- 8
Remove everything completely
After the emergency, collect every line with its hook and weight and count again. Recover snapped lines as far as possible. If you could not remove everything, tell the rescuers where lines are still hanging.
Errores frecuentes
- Too many lines
- Checking lines only at midday
- Hooks at the surface or on the bank
- Rigid holder – the line snaps
- Forgetting lines when leaving
Resumen rápido
Materiales
Minikit de pesca (kit de pesca de supervivencia)
Hooks, line, small weights
Los anzuelos están afilados y tienen lengüeta: guárdalos siempre cubiertos en el kit, por ejemplo en un trozo de corcho o en una latita.
Sedal de pesca monofilamento
Stronger than for hand-line fishing
Nunca dejes restos de sedal: las aves y otros animales se enredan en ellos y mueren lentamente. Enrolla los restos y llévatelos.
Ramas / varas resistentes
Springy branch or peg as a holder
No cortes madera verde de árboles vivos donde esté prohibido.
Cinta de marcar de colores llamativos
Retira cada pieza de nuevo al desmontar
Etiquetas y rotulador resistente al agua
For the list of all lines
Adecuado para
- Long emergencies by a lake or slow river
- When you need to save strength and cannot fish for hours
No adecuado para
- Water with swimmers, boats or waterbirds nearby
- Situations in which you cannot check the lines early in the morning
- Cualquier situación sin peligro de muerte real
Requisitos previos
- Peligro de muerte real sin ayuda al alcance
- A body of water with fish close to camp
- Bait (see “Finding bait”)
- Hooks and line – bought or improvised
Seguridad
- Forgotten lines keep killing for a long time. Count and mark every line and remove it completely, hooks included, at the end.
Cómo funciona
Fish feed especially at dusk and at night. A line hanging from a springy branch gives when a fish pulls and does not break. Because it works without you, it costs hardly any strength – but every fish that bites waits on the hook until you come. That is why the checking matters, not the number of lines.
Ventajas
- Fishes while you rest
- Saves a lot of strength
- Works with simple bait
Desventajas
- Fish wait a long time on the hook
- Danger to birds, otters and dogs
- Fish poaching without permission
- Forgotten lines keep killing
Conocimiento en profundidad
Fundamentos técnicos
Set lines, ledger lines or night lines are recommended in many survival manuals because they save strength. Commercial fishing uses related long lines with many hooks.
For anglers they are not allowed in Austria and Germany: fishing regulations require you to be present and supervise your rod so that caught fish are dealt with at once. As emergency knowledge the set line remains a tool that is only justifiable with strict checking.
Variantes
- Floating bottle
- On lakes the line can hang from a sealed empty bottle tied to the bank. The bottle shows whether a fish has taken the bait.
- Under the ice
- For ice fishing there are holders with a little flag that springs up when a fish pulls. The same applies there: only on safe ice and under constant watch.
Errores frecuentes
- Too many lines
- Checking lines only at midday
- Hooks at the surface or on the bank
- Rigid holder – the line snaps
- Forgetting lines when leaving
Límites y riesgos
- No instructions for long lines with many hooks
- No live bait fish
- No es asesoramiento jurídico
Alternativas de materiales
Deducido de las propiedades de los materiales: un sustituto debe tener todas las propiedades relevantes. Ten en cuenta las indicaciones sobre el sustituto.
- Sedal de pesca monofilamento
- Cuerda (Nunca uses una cuerda desconocida o dañada para fines que protejan tu vida.), Paracord (No es una cuerda de escalada ni de seguridad.), Cuerda fina (Baja resistencia a la rotura: solo para cargas ligeras.), Cordino auxiliar (Para fines de seguridad vital, usa solo cordino certificado y tras recibir formación.), Cinta (cinta tubular) (Revisa la cinta con nudos antes de cada uso.), Cordel de yute o sisal (comprado) (Poca resistencia, absorbe agua y se pudre: solo para cargas ligeras y práctica.), Correas para árboles (Carga solo dentro de los límites del fabricante.), Alambre fino y blando (latón o acero galvanizado) (Los extremos del alambre son punzantes: protege los ojos y los dedos al doblar), Cuerda o cinta de remolque (Engancha solo a los ojales de remolque previstos por el fabricante; nunca te pongas a su lado cuando esté bajo carga.)
Los resultados proceden exclusivamente de entradas estructuradas. No se genera ninguna instrucción improvisada.
Fuentes (6)
- Headquarters, Department of the Army (USA) (2002): FM 3-05.70 Survival · Set lines on branches or stakes; check regularly
- Bundesrepublik Deutschland – Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de): Strafgesetzbuch (StGB) – § 293 Fischwilderei · § 293: fish poaching
- Republik Österreich – Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS) (1974): Strafgesetzbuch (StGB), BGBl. Nr. 60/1974 – §§ 137, 138 (Eingriff in fremdes Jagd- oder Fischereirecht) und § 222 (Tierquälerei) · §§ 137, 138: interference with another person's hunting or fishing rights; § 222: cruelty to animals
- Freistaat Bayern – Bayerische Staatskanzlei (gesetze-bayern.de) (2008): Bayerisches Fischereigesetz (BayFiG) · Fishing only with permission and permitted gear; supervise rods
- Land Niederösterreich – Rechtsinformationssystem des Bundes (RIS), Landesrecht (2001): NÖ Fischereigesetz 2001 · Fishing rights and a fishing licence as a requirement
- Bundesrepublik Deutschland – Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) (2012): Verordnung zum Schutz von Tieren im Zusammenhang mit der Schlachtung oder Tötung und zur Durchführung der Verordnung (EG) Nr. 1099/2009 des Rates (Tierschutz-Schlachtverordnung – TierSchlV) · Stun fish before killing