Fishing with a Handgun

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Bob's Grandson

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Michigander residing in Indiana
Well, not with a handgun but I'd like to carry my stainless steel Colt series 80, Government model when I'm wading a river and fishing for smallmouth. I prefer to keep it with me but dry. Assuming that I'll slip and dunk myself, what would be your suggestions?
 
Either carry a gun you don't care too much about or don't fall down. Been there done that.

Or ziplock it and put it in a fanny bag.

I actually prefered to take my old rusty 870 express on a sling behind me. Worked better for snakes.
 
Lube it up good before you go and clean and lube when you get back. Otherwise a stainless steel revo is the best choice IMO. Or you could get a cheap Glock so it does not matter if you beat on it.
 
Bryco/Jenning/Davis pistols make great sinkers and will greatly increase your casting distance :)

--wally.
 
I like the shotgun idea..
EXCEPT..
ya gotta drop yer pole to use the s.gun.!
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This is true to an extent; I usually just pinched the pole between my knees to do a quick mocassin dispatch.

BTW, a 12ga w/ bird shot will cut multiple snakes in HALF.

BTW#2, Using the barrel of a shotgun to part the tall grass looking for a snake in the mud and then doing a quick fire after finding said snake at the end of your barrel will send lots of mud and lots of snake pieces about 15 feet straight up in the air...

BTW#3, water mocassins will ocassionally coil up on the BOTTOM of the river. That'll freak you out right there. Everything was OK as long as I had my 870 and they stayed on top of the water. I didn't go fishing the river much after I saw that one hanging around the the river bottom.
 
If it's snakes you're worried about a shotgun is a good idea but I would carry a 20 gauge instead of a 12 gauge. You can load 3 slugs and 2 bird shot to cover all the bases. If you are very worried about how big a shotgun is you can always put a 18.5" barrel on it.
 
Is the gun for general self-defense or for snakes? If for overall protection from ALL creatures, I would suggest a revolver loaded with a couple of shot rounds and then the rest of the cylinder loaded with hollowpoints. A 357/38 would probably be the ideal caliber. Unless of course you are in bear country. If just for snakes, one of those little double-barrel .410 pistols might be worth looking at.
 
Don't worry about that stainless Colt 1911. Just clean, lube and protect it as needed. Treat it as A fine fishing reel.
After you carry it for several trips and strip it down, you may reconsider your need for A full size carry gun to fish Smallmouth Bass with.
When the government stopped paying me to carry A service pistol, I went light.
 
Is the gun for general self-defense or for snakes? If for overall protection from ALL creatures, I would suggest a revolver loaded with a couple of shot rounds and then the rest of the cylinder loaded with hollowpoints.
Click to expand...
Crow61,
Hollow Point ammo isn't usually considered a good idea for defense against anything other than a Human. Jacketed Soft Point ammo is usually a better idea against 4 legged critters since it will penetrate deeper and give you a better chance of hitting something important.

I carry usually carry a 180 gr Hornady FP/XTP bullet loaded on the hot side in my 4" .357 Magnum revolver when in the woods. Same round works very well in my Marlin 1984C. It's dangerous to have shotshells for the first few rounds because if something large comes at you, you may only have the time to squeeze of a round or two. Shotshells won't do the job against something large and a snake won't require an immediate response. It's better to load your gun with all JSP rounds and hit the snake with a stick, or load up a J frame with shotshells if you really feel the need to do so.
 
Take a look at the Taurus 4410 revolver (410 ga or 45LC). Should be the perfect medicine for short range targets and they are light.

What are you going to use for bait when you are fishing with your handgun? By the way, it is easy to cradle a fishing rod between your legs.
 
I have....and I don't use it for a sinker....a cheap little Phoenix arms HP22 that is accurate beyond all reason and fits in a pocket. It's zinc alloy and pretty rust resistant, easy to clean, and if it locked up on me I wouldn't worry too much considering the price. LOL Really, it's a reliable little outdoor pocket .22, honest. I've shot a lot of snakes with it using CCI stinger which groups about 3" at 25 yards from the 3" barrel. If you're worried about self defense, though, I reckon you need a bigger, better gun. The little .22 has served me well for snakes, plinking, and general outdoor uses, but it's no self defense gun. I've killed a lot of snakes with it, though.

Around here, when I'm fishing, I carry a .38 Taurus M85UL stainless/alloy with .38 +P. I don't get it wet, salt water, but I use it occasionally to dispatch sharks if they're big enough I can't get my hands around them behind the head. Since they've dropped the limit from 5, to 1, I don't do a lot of shark fishing anymore, though, but I've popped a few sharks with that little revolver and carry it any time I'm fishing. I'm usually not wading, though. It makes a good self defense gun as well as general duty outdoor revolver.

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Years ago, it was legal to "fish" (hunt?) northern pike in Vermont with a rifle. It seems that one would climb into a tree with their trusty .30-.30 (or whatever) and shoot the pike as they swam by. Wonder if this is still done?
 
Thanks to a quick check on the net, it seems that shooting northern pike and chain and redfin pickerel are indeed legal in Vermont in Lake Champlain.

To return to the "Handgun" part of this forum, I'd suppose that a .380 would be fine for pickerel but I'd want at least a .45 ACP for pike.

I can see the next cover of G&A right now... "Auto or Revolver for Pike - Which is Better?"
 
Well, Bob' Grandson. I take my Ruger P89DC when I go fishing. It has been under water several times. Being stainless, I don't worry about rust, except for some of the springs. Whenever it gets wet, I just drop the mag, lock back the side, shake the water out of it & go on. Of course, I give it a good cleaning when I get home.
 
A couple zip locks (double bagged) work okay as long as you don't leave it in the water long. You might even be able to wrap it and put in inside a belt holster which would be more secure than in a fishing vest. The dry bags are a bit bulky to carry on your person. I use zip locks in a day pack or vest for my camera. Have not had a problem although there is always the possiblity of dunking it.
 
I bought a Charter Arms in .44 Spl. (SS) for just that sort of thing. To my suprise it was very accurate. I carry ratshot and 240 Grainers in it when swamp walking / creek wading / fishing etc. It will dispatch a moccasin impressively with the ratshot and the 240 Grainers will dispatch bigger problems at a fair distance. :)
 
It has long been legal to shoot fish on the Clinch River in Virginia.
Preferred arms are .30-40 Krag with 220 gr FMJ although some
have used the .458 Winchester Magnum with 500 gr FMJ.
The key to penetration in water is big, heavy bullet at moderate
velocities. High velocity bullets hit water like a brick wall and
deform. One must also allow for refraction of image in water:
the fish is never where it appears to be and you must learn
to allow for that. I personally have never tried it, but it is
always good for a newspaper article or two every year.
 
There are a handful of asshats out there who think they own public waters. Just this past year there has been one or two incidences in Texas where some dock owners shot at fishermen for fishing too close to their docks.
 
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