My father used an old steel one for fishing since the 50s. I've been using one in my pack my entire life. You sir are the only other person I've ever seen use a chalking for fishing. Well done.

Pro tip. Just like a regular baitcaster, you’ll need to put a bit of electrical tape on the spool befor you wind up the braided line. The braided line will free spin on your spool under load.

Nailed it again James. Especially with the spider wire, since it does not have the mono-filament coil memory and you should not need to worry how the line comes off the spool as much. Plus 50 lb test is as you said " has other uses" LOVE IT

Fantastic idea! Thanks for the video! ! If I might make one other suggestion, you can add a WRIST STRAP while you have the case of the chalk line open make a couple of notches in the plastic either side of the rear screw .This would help prevent a larger fish from yanking the kit out of your hand when slippery, and also so you can drop the reel and use both hands when you bring a fish to shore.

All of sudden, chalk line reel sales go WAY UP! This is brilliant.

This is actually one of the very few homemade bushcraft gadgets that is actually useful. Being a bushcraft instructor myself, I am definitely adding this to my class... Thank you.

That's one of the best DIY pocket fishing kits I've seen in years! Well done and great idea.

This is one of the neatest diy bushcraft projects i've seen.

Great idea for a survival fishing tool. Personally, as an avid fisherman I would tie on a 6 to 8 foot leader of 4-8 pound test monofilament and then the hook. I really like to grenade pouch idea too! Well done sir!

Wow. You're really the most inventive survival youtube channel. This is a product i would actually buy. I have a pen fishing kit but that is actually a bit more clumsy than what you built.

HOLY FREAKING CRAP. Dude when he put it all together I dropped my phone 😅what the heck how have I NEVER thought of that.

Wow! Someone finally did this on youtube. When I was a kid, I wanted a pocket fisherman but couldn't afford one. We were what you say in the south, "po folk". My Dad had an ole chalk box that he never used, so being the igenuitive one, I turned it into a fishing reel!!! This is so awesome!!! Thank you for the memory and an awesome idea.

This was an incredible idea, James. Someone else mentioned about the Ronco pocket fisherman, and it reminded me of that as well. I still have a Pocket Fisherman my Father gave me ❤ Thanks for always putting out quality content !

So cool James! You never cease to amaze and inspire me and I am an old man with tons of savvy on making effective and useful fishing and trapping items from other peoples junk! Hey James you could use the discarded line tip device as a line guide on a nice flexible/resilient green limb as a fishing pole. As a kid I used a willow limb or natural river cane(couldn't afford a real pole) that I bent like a bow on one end to flick my Hellgrammite up under overhanging branches on the creek to ambush blue and channel cats. I would have killed to have a cool reel like this! Adding an artificial Hellgrammite lure or a Crappie lure to that tackle tube would be awesome too!

You could take some of that line and attach it to the loop in the clippers. So it's easier to "fish" it out of the reel compartment.

HOLEY MOLEY.....I've got a few of these chalk lines, sitting in my tool caddy...and NEVER , have I thought of using one of them, for a Pocket Fishing kit....Amazing ...thank you...

Great idea. Pair this with smaller leaders and an FG knot, and you increase your chances of a hookup. Also electrical tape on the spool to keep the line from spinning. Would love to see you catch a fish with this.

You could also fish with a grenade but that would defeat the need for all the gear! 👌🏻

I like the fact that you did not waste a single thing. The string and the little thing that you hook onto boards and such can be used to fix another chalk or plumb line reel. As far as your conversion, it's very neat. You won't experience any tangles like can happen with a fishing rod and of course the hand crank makes it easier to reel in the line and the fish. Being able to store the clippers and the tube inside is fortunate. The container is usually an enclosed unit.

This is a brilliant idea!! I always wondered if it would work, from childhood even, but never gave it a shot. Very very neat James!!

I love how nifty all your videos are, just jam packed with worth while knowledge for any outdoors enthusiast. Keep that mind active for us brother.

I made one back in the 1980's when I travelled the UK, I forgot all about it, thanks for the reminder mate.

Hands down best fishing kit I’ve come across. Creativity at its finest.

Awesome again. Being in Southern Louisiana I always have a fishing pole in my vehicle, even if it is just a $15 Walmart combo. I'll have to take one of those old reels and put together a small kit like this. I'm thinking fishing reel instead of the chalk line because it has the ability to cast. I'm also interested in your idea for a small diy desalination kit, since there is not much fresh water near the Gulf. Thanks for the videos and keep em coming

I'd like to see a video of you using this setup.

Excellent video. Especially like that you pre opened all packages so as not have to watch you fumble. Superior concept. I would include a clipped thin Phillips screw driver so take down can be accomplished in the field. Add a small self sealing plastic bag w more assortment of hooks & tackle. Again, Superior concept & execution.

this is what survival is about; survive with what you have, scavenge, repurpose it, thrive. amazing idea, will deff add it to my portable fishing kit. good backup for automatic yoyo reel ;)

RONCO had the pocket fisherman in the 70’s

Very cool carry piece. Love the idea. We walk creeks and go hiking to lakes a lot to find the honey holes and this is a perfect piece to have.

This sure beats the way my father taught me (a stick, line and hook). Without exaggeration, my brothers and I out fished many others with modern fishing rods. Didn't understand what my dad was teaching us until I was older.

That's a cool hack that can actually save you from starving. I'm definitely gonna add one to the bug out bag.

What awesome idea James. That is pretty cool. I'm going to look at my old chalk box and see if it will work in that one. I got a pretty good offer on my house today James but it wasn't what I was asking and there's one more person looking at it so we'll see can you remember him how that goes. May God bless you and yours

Outstanding! Light weight and definitely functional!

I remember when i was adventuring teenager and my father made me a small block of wood with a fishing line, a weight and a hook wrapped around it. That was very good gear when fishing on boat or bridge.

You could probably take that grabber thing you discarded and attach it as a lanyard ring. You could then add a string from the nail clippers and attach there so they would be easier to take out.

Cool. Another simple, yet genius build. Love it.

Great multi use of an already great tool. A+ on that sir.

What an amazing idea! If you'll let me add an idea to this, I would add a strap of some kind to go around your wrist so that it doesn't slip out of your hands, or get yanked out of your hand by a larger fish, especially once it gets wet.

Ron Popiel would be proud , The OG of the pocket fisherman, a better idea in my book. Thx for the vid James

Great idea can't wait to make one, grandson and I will be making it I'm sure he will love it just like I do.

I have used chalk lines since the late 50s early 60s and almost all were cast aluminum with some casting flaws that make this type of project difficult. My first thought was an eyelet to pass the string through, i was pleasantly surprised to see the Irwin one had a metal eyelet in it. Amazing what you can come up with if you put your mind to, it isn't it? Nicely done

Thanks for the tip and ingenuity. You always surprise us with your idea. Keep educating, stay safe and God bless.🍻

I still have my Popiel pocket fisherman bought it in 1972 still works great!

I used 18lb Spyderwire for years. Same reel, same line. Got in many snags, got my lures out of trees 99% of the time, the hooks would straighten out, never snapped the line. Many times if i was in a canoe, i could reel myself to shore to retrieve the snag. Good stuff. Saved tons of money, never having to change line every year

That is a grate idea.Very compact and really quite clever.Well done.

Hi James, that is a excellent idea for a pocket fishing kit, another great video. I have the Exotac XReel pocket fishing kit.

Great complete self contained kit! A cheap fly fishing reel works very well too but of course no self contained items but is narrow enough to add to a kit plus you can easily mount a stick to it and eyeltes to the stick in field craft fashion.

Outstanding! With the additional modification of a lanyard, a couple of these would be a great addition to my fishing kayak as mini outriggers.

Great video. Love to see video showing use

Could be used for a retractable ridge line in an emergency.

By far the best DIY survival pocket fishing kit! Thanks for sharing.

That is by far the best DIY fishing kit I've seen - awesome idea, man. I'm going to buy one, make up a suitable kit and when I use it (and make a video) I'll shout out your channel no worries.

Great in theory, but does it actually work?

Great idea , I am showing this to my grand baby tomorrow.

I can’t believe I never thought of that!! Now I’ll be thinking of fishing every time I snap a chalk line

Awesome job! Good budget idea for stuff that can be bought from a hardware store. Yes people, we know there have been similar ones made, and still are ones made today. But saying that the idea has always been done is like saying “Well Ford had the Model A” every time a new car comes out on the market.

Thanks for paying it forward, as they say. And also giving the shout out as well. Many big names out there don’t, and act like all their ideas are their own.

Hands down very nice. I have used chalk boxes a lot and never thought about this.

In my youth I spent a summer working at a lake and had time during lunches. I found a 2ft scrap of nylon rope which i unraveled and tied the pieces into a longer line. I used a stapler from the office to pop a couple of staples. I opened one side to form a hook and tied the other side to the line. Flies were easy to catch by hand for bait. I caught (and released) quite a few bluegills as large as my hand (~8") that summer.

I've been watching bush craft videos for quite some time. This is one of the best survival fishing kits I've seen. Great work!

great idea. extras, first half of reel, kevlar string. using a twig as a bobber. make sure it floats and tie on string to one end. when activated will pop up and show.

This is a super idea. One thing I will add is a key ring somehow so I can attach this to me when fishing. Don't want to be dropping this or having it pulled from hands with a big 'un. Thanks.

James, you always get a thumbs up from me, friend. Great little re-purposing project. I looked around on the internet for the Exacto knife blades in a tube and all I found came in flat plastic cases. I believe, but am not certain, that those eyeglass repair kits you find at the checkout of most discount and grocery stores come in a similar tube that would work. It may be smaller that the one you used and, therefore, might not hold as much terminal tackle, but I don't think it's bigger and should fit down in the chalk fill slot. A trick that I learned when I started using the modern and very expensive fishing lines, such as the braided ones, was that you can strip the line off of the reel's spool and tie the end that was always coming off the reel first, onto the reel and now the line that never got used in the past would come off the reel first, providing you with, basically, new line at no additional cost. That is just flipping the line end for end and is not the thing I'm about to suggest. What I want to suggest is, that you do what I did before I learned that trick. My first cost saving idea was to put a bunch of rubber bands or layers of electrical tap in the reel first to build it up, then I would put on 50 or so yards of good expensive line and when it wore out or just got too short, I would reline the reel with another 50 yards. In the case of this makeshift reel, I think you could save on braided line by leaving about half of the twine on the reel, wrap it with a few layers of vinyl tape and then tie on your braided line. Since you will be hand tossing the line, you probably won't be casting it nearly are far as you would with a rod, so 50 yards might not even be necessary. Having the spool as full as possible is probably going to be important towards getting a fast retrieve speed, but a lot of expensive line could end up being used just to fill the inner layers of the spool. That's fine if you have the money and having the extra line to use as construction material, as you mentioned, would be good as well, but if you were working on a budget or are just trying to use up a small quantity of line that you have left over from some other re-spooling job, this might work for you.

Wow. Second time around for me. I simply love this idea.

I like it! Imagine Irwin having a run on one particular chalk line and they don't know why. They think it's signs of a housing boom.

That is by far one of if not one of your best hacks. Thanks for the video.

What a fabulous idea for a minimalist. Never ceased to amaze your viewers. Cheers mate from Australia.

Interesting idea! I think adding some type of handle that I could slip over my hand while fishing would also be great. The first fish would pull that puppy right out of my hand otherwise. Especially, if my hands were wet or cold. Just a thought.

This is exactly what I have been looking for , not much info on YT how to make a nice emergency fishing kit , chalk box !!! = fantastic !!! Gonna make one for each of my bug out bags Sharing this video to my prepper friends , thanks buddy

IMMEDIATE GENIUS 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼one of the best in the history of this channel

My dad made me one of those in 1954 cause I kept bugging him for a casting reel. Monofilament wasn't available, we used braided line. We used it with a bamboo rod sometimes. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Great idea. I love that you give credit where credit is due.

Thanks for showing how to fill the little tube with hooks. I don't think I could've figured that part out. Lol.

Ingenious, James. If you already have a mini-tool/multi-tool carried elsewhere, I wonder if a second tube would fit. If so, you could pack it with lures, flies, etc.

Great idea! I'd throw a small bobber in there too. A wine cork would work well and you can store extra hooks in it.

Not bragging. I'm pretty crafty and consider myself very outdoor savvy. Ben prepping for a long time, but this is a VERY COOL IDEA. Will definitely use this one in my kit!!!and pass it along. GOD BLESS YOU SIR. NOW I'M GOING TO SUBSCRIBE 😀🙂

I've been working with chaulk line for years and never realized it's true potential... Thanks for the great video and idea!

I just put one of these to the test in the Grand River at hidden valley park in Madison Ohio. I caught a 12 lb catfish and also a nice crappie, several bluegills, and a large sized sunfish. Proof it works like a charm. I released the catfish and fried up the panfish at home. Thanks for reminding me of this idea. I used one of those for roofing and rough framing years go and had always wanted to try it. Now I know. Lol

One of your best ideas ! I'm a truck driver and like to fish, if I was out some were it would handy as it doesn't look like I'm fishing. I never know where I'll end up or how long I'll be there ;)

I made mine out of a kite reel. I like this idea better. Great job.

I love it! One thing I do on all my hooks is put a split shot on the tip and barb so nothing catches the hook. I hope this helps everyone fishing.

Genius 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 Now let’s see it in action 👍🏻

That is an awesome hack. Personally I have never fished with a fishing rod in my life. Always just free-handed the string out into the water with some weights on the end.

I would leave the string on an just secure my line with a loop and draw. and wrap about 75 or 80 feet of fishing line over the top of the cotton cord. This will make the line less prone to kinking after using. great idea and video, by the way. You can make a divider for the cotton string and the fishing line to keep it from getting tangled out of a plastic drink bottle by cutting it lengthwise a little wider than the spool.

Genius, pure freaking genius!!!!!!!!!

Just another good example of thinking outside the box. Good job James.

Thank you for the great idea. I will pass it on to my Grandsons scout troop.

Hey fishing is fishing , you could put a adjustable lanyard on the back while you're waiting for the fish .

Very nice! I'm sure Ronco is green with envy because they didn't think of it!

I use an old prescription pill bottle for my extra hooks and sinkers. Can usually get a couple small spinner lures in there as well.

👍.To keep the line from slipping i used a slingshot band, cut to fit, E6000, and gorilla tape, on an empty spice container, to strengthen container I coated the inside with resin, stores my fishing materials inside container as well, = hand Reel. My winter boredom fixed, 🙂

When was a kid in the 1970's, there was a fishing kit called 'The Pocket Fisherman'. I think it was distributed by K-Tel. It was called 'The Pocket Fisherman', but there was no way it fit in your pocket. Your toolbox: yes. Your pocket: no. You have really created a pocket fisherman!

You are the O.G. in bushcraft innovation.

Amazing idea, I'm looking for years now for a solution other than a fishing reel - perfect. But I will at first put a snap-swivel to the line and prepare some/all hooks with a short piece of line and a loop at the end for easy attachment, I don't want to fight with thin line, tiny hooks and icy fingers in an emergency, love to have it ready at hand.

I just love this idea James Bender 🥰, thank you for this Video. I will be making me one of the old shalk line markers!

Good vid. When tying the knot it's common practice to wet the entire knot between your lips before cinching it tight to reduce friction on the line. 👍

Interesting concept i may try out. Also note that not all knots work with braided line. As well as braided line will slice your fingers or hand easily. I learned that the hard way 25yrs ago.

Very clever. Love it. That's the weekend project sorted.

How did you know I was comparing fishing line, yesterday? 😳 Hahaha right on time with this video. Thanks man😎👍

I can't wait to make one of these! Thank you. I wanna see you catch a fish with it!