Don't think that fishing is easy, because it isn't by any stretch of the imagination. Even if there are fish jumping all about, it does not mean that you will catch one. There is a certain amount of luck involved when fishing.
I have been in areas to the Northland near the mountains of my people where I have witnessed schools of fish all about. They were jumping out of the water, fins sticking out of the water, very much apparent. I considered this was going to be an easy meal, but was I fooled. I wound up not catching anything during my three day stay in the remote location making use of scavenged net and handmade fishhooks baited with a fish carcass I found under a bird's nest.
Though of course, don't discount fishing as a viable meal either. The good news is, once a fishing technique is employed, it is a passive way to catch fish. It oftentimes is not needed to be actively monitored and managed, as a fishhook with bait can be left in the water for a day. You are free to check the hooks and nets anytime you have a moment. But again, this does have a certain amount of luck involved when trying to catch fish.
Pole Fishing
The chances of actually having a rod available in a survival situation is slim, though one can be constructed out of a branch and cording or rope. Hooks can be made from anything from bent nails, bones, or even carved wood. Given the versatility of material required, the chances are having something that can work as hook material is very high. You just need to be aware of your equipment and surroundings to think outside of the box.
Krom's Tip: When fishing, it is important to know the cycles of a fish given the time of year. Spring and fall is generally a feeding frenzy time. Fish during summer and winter tend to go deep into waterways making them difficult to locate.
Nets
Given you are in a survival situation, the chances of having a net is slim. But you may be fortunate and find an abandoned fishing village or discarded material that can be utilized. Nets are a wonderful tool if you have them, as they can be laid out into the water. Floating devices on one end of the net and the other tied down with sinking material, like rocks or boulders. By doing this, the net will be opened wide and blocking part of the waterway. The idea is for fish to swim into the net and get tangled into it or try to get through the holes of the net. By doing such, the head gets stuck and the gills prevent the fish from backing out or going forward, hence catching a fish. This can be a great way to obtain a nutrient rich meal, but again, this counts on luck and the movement of fish, the equipment, and time of the year.
Trotline, Limbline, and Jugline
This type of fishing is another passive way to catch a potential meal. The basic equipment is line, hook, and a bait. The idea is to tie one end of the rope or line to a stationary object and leave the baited hook in the water either by attaching it to an overhanging tree branch (limbline), a stump or boulder at water level with line running out into the waterway (trotline) or by securing the line and baited hooked upon some kind of floating device like a corked bottle (jugline). All of these techniques can yield great success and do not need to be consistently monitored allowing you to tend to other needs requiring your time.
Traps
Traps are a way to stop a fish or aquatic creature from escaping. A couple of ways can be done to achieve this. One way is to have a cage with bait inside of it. Have one entrance into the cage allowing for fish to go in easily but have difficulty finding the way out by utilizing prongs or pokes to detour a fish from tempting to get back out.
Another way, which is probably more suitable in a survival situation is building a fish trap out of the environment. This is created by sticking branches, rock, other material into the bottom of the waterway and create a wall into a circle pattern with only one opening. Placing a bait inside of the circle will lure the fish or aquatic animals into the area and find themselves confused with how to get out.
Spearfishing
An active attempt to catch fish is the art of spearing fish or shooting them with a bow and arrow. This is achieved by using a spear, trident, fork, or any object that has a sharp end upon a shaft. The act of wading through water in search of fish and stabbing them when close is a difficult way of catching fish, but it is possible if you have keen eyesight and fast reflexes.
Krom's Tip: Utilizing a dildo has proven to be challenging to use as a spearing device. The tip is usually too blunt and better served as a club for whacking a fish's skull to stun it than anything else.