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The practice of tickling fish in an attempt catch and eat them has a long history, and is often mentioned in passing in some circles.

If I was going to focus building a single skill, I wonder if making nets or hooks and line from native material might be a better choice.

In reality is fish tickling a dependable way of feeding yourself in a survival situation?

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  • How many calories are required to "tickle" a fish compared to making nets, lines and/or hooks? In a survival situation, whichever method has the largest net gain of calories and nutrients should be the one to us.
    – B540Glenn
    Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 14:44
  • Related outdoors.stackexchange.com/questions/20347/…
    – Charlie Brumbaugh
    Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 14:48
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    It does depend a lot on having an appropriate stream environment available. But, we routinely teach a group of kids every year on a backpack that includes a nice meadow with an appropriate stream. Usually about half of the ones that really try (i.e. more than just sticking their hand in the water for a minute or two) get a fish within 15-20 minutes. But it is an ideal meadow for it. Backpacks to other locations do not even bother trying it out.
    – Jon Custer
    Commented Aug 31, 2018 at 16:09

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If you were looking for a single skill in general then i would suggest Wild Food, finding plants that you can safely eat in the wild is definitely the best option i know its not quite as exciting as tickling a fish but it will serve you a lot better in the wild.

Fish Tickling

Fish tickling is not great when your outdoors in general in my opinion. You end up spending a lot of time with your hand in the water, which may not be a problem in high summer but doing so in winter for most of the world will be a bad plan if not dangerous, and you need to be 100% about that fish and not doing other things

Learning to make line and hooks on the other hand means you can set up a net/trap/line, and then go about your day improving your shelter or boiling water etc. then come back later and see if you caught a fish

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