The Silver Hoard Grows

I'm continuing to add silver to my hoard. I've read a number of articles and am convinced that silver prices will rise. It's a cheaper investment than gold, which to my mind has become so valuable that it might not be useful as a commodity with which to barter -- who would part with a Krugerrand for a loaf of bread when a Morgan Silver Dollar might accomplish the same thing?

Fishing Capstone -- October 31

I decided to try out all I've learned on fishing in the last month by going fishing yesterday, and concentrationg on "what works" rather than experimenting. The key things I've learned fishing in the local lakes are:

a. There are lots of weeds, so use a float/bobber to keep the hook off the bottom
b. Nightcrawlers work the best.
c. Smaller hooks catch more fish -- larger hooks lead to bait getting stolen.

I fished alomst exclusively with nightcrawlers on a float/bobber suspended about 12-18 inches below the surface. I only fished from 7-10AM, but it was warm out -- fishing in October you need to fish when the water is a little bit warm.

The results:

3 bluegills (all thrown back, but in a survival situation, they would have made a nice fish stew)
1 grass carp (thrown back, but the same rule above as for the bluegill applies)
1 largemouth bass -- 1 foot long, a keeper (the bass in my local lakes don't grow very large, and 12 in. is the state minimum)
1 yellow perch -- 1 foot long, also a keeper.

So, four different species, all caught using the same setup -- nightcrawlers on a #6 hook, suspended 12-18 inches under a bobber. In my last 4-5 outings, this is the setup that worked consistently. In a survival situation, I'd spend the day before digging up worms, then go out and spend the next day fishing. Naturally, in a TEOTWAWKI scenario, many other people will think the same thing. But in some scenarios involving depopulation (pandemic, for instance); I'm convinced that if I had to, I could be a productive fisherman. There are about 4-5 lakes within a few miles of home; by alternating them I wouldn't "fish them out".

Any skill you develop removes some pressure after the fall. My goal is to become highly competent at many things. I can now say that I know a little bit about fishing. Three months ago, I didn't.