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How to Use Tree Fishing to Retrieve Deadwood While Camping

You can use "tree fishing" to retrieve deadwood from trees for firewood, or to remove hazards. Tree fishing is a method of dividing a throwing line into two parts, tying the part to be thrown correctly so that it will fall open once it has gone over a dead branch, and pulling down dead branches safely for humans and trees alike.

Note: this method should not be tried on, and does not usually work on live tree branches.


  1. 1
    Find a suitable tree. If you are trying to remove a dead branch that is a hazard to others this is not an issue, however, if you are seeking ground wood in an area where none is present then you must find a suitable tree. Suitable trees are either dead or have branches that are completely dead. This is easier to identify in leaf-bearing times of year, however, further steps will help you test a branch for suitability. It is much preferred to start with a tree that appears to be completely dead than one that only has a number of dead branches.
  2. 2
    Pick a desirable branch or group of branches. If a group is selected each one must be harvested one at a time. Live branches are not desirable. First, they will not come down easily. Second, pulling down a live branch opens up the tree to infection and your action risks killing the whole tree. Third, they will not burn properly because live branches are very wet on the inside. The best branches look brittle and dry on the outside, may have some signs of breakage already, and are no more than twice as high as your throwing line is long plus about 10–20 feet (3.0–6.1 m) of rope. You must allow yourself some room for the branch to fall in front of you rather than on top of you. Never attempt to pull a branch directly above you straight down.
  3. 3
    Inspect your surroundings carefully. Is there a bee hive in the tree or surrounding tree? Which way do you intend to pull the branch? Is your escape route from the falling branch free from obstacles, holes, divots, bears, campfires, spittoons and other objects that could hurt you?
  4. 4
    Split your tree fishing rope approximately in half in length into two sections: the falling, or weight section, and the throwing line. The throwing line should be a little more than half the length of the rope, but not much more because the weight end is the end that will fall down to you so that you can pull the dead branch down.
  5. 5
    Estimate how much margin of error you have. If you have a long line and a low branch, you don't have to be too careful about the ratio of weight side's length to throwing line's length, but if you are going at a branch at the limit of your total possible range then you might want to determine the exact middle of your line, mark it, and use that as the dividing line between the weight and the throwing line, though in practice, always err a yard or two on the side of the throwing line.
  6. 6
    To assemble the weight line half, put one end of the rope in your least favored hand, for most this will be their left hand, and bend your elbow. Then, wind the rope in a continuous circle from your hand down around your elbow and back again until you have used about 1/2 of your weight line allotment of the total line.
  7. 7
    Grasping the top portion of the rope with your least favored (usually left) hand, use your other (right) hand to gather the bottom of the loops you have been making with that (right) hand and pull the rope taught. If you have been keeping the rope tight to your elbow as you have been doing this, each of the loops you made should be about the same size. If not and they are falling apart, repeat this step. Eventually it will be second nature.
  8. 8
    Holding the two ends of this large coil apart turn one end a 1/2 turn creating a figure 8, then bring the two halves together so they make one smaller coil, about half the size of the first one. (This is why smaller diameter rope is preferred to larger diameter, the rope must be able to be turned and bent at this stage).
  9. 9
    At this point, you should have about half of your weight line left, or less. Carefully, without letting the weight coil fall apart, wind the remaining weight portion of the rope around the middle of the coil so that it squeezes the middle of the coil together as if it would be a figure 8 if you twisted it. In fact, there would be nothing wrong with it twisting into a figure 8 during this step, the important thing is that the remaining weight rope go around the middle of the coil leaving space, a loop, at both ends for rope to flow through freely later.
  10. 10
    Once you have used all but the last foot, draw that last foot through either end of the opening in the coil that was created by winding up the middle of the coil, it will resemble the loop created when you tie your shoe but be made of the many laces of the coil and should be large. Pull a good arm's length through the coil and hold it in your less favored (left) hand with the throwing weight now swinging down below it.
  11. 11
    As the coil hangs there, notice that if you were to pull the free end of the rope tighter the weight would climb towards your hand, and if you slackened the rope it would drop towards the ground. You should find the length at which the coil is at least a foot above the ground, but no more than 24 inches (61.0 cm), at the low point of your swing. That is probably your most comfortable throwing height.
  12. 12
    With the coil hanging at its best height coil the rest of the throwing rope in loops about the same size as the loop holding the throwing rope. Bear in mind that you will be throwing 2/3rd's of this rope and letting the rest play out of your hand as the rope rises.
  13. 13
    You have hopefully selected a dead, dry looking branch that is say, 12 feet (3.7 m) off the ground. It is perhaps 10 feet (3.0 m) long and 3 inches (7.6 cm) around and branches at the end have broken off and are hanging down already. One sign that it might be dead. Do not aim as close to the trunk of the tree as possible. That will be the same thing as trying to pull down the whole tree and in many cases, if successful, will be hazardous to your health. Generally the mid-point of the branch is a good place to try for for beginners on a branch that is nearly parallel to the ground, if possible.
  14. 14
    Face the tree at a 30 angle with your left foot forward. (You will soon have your own technique - lifeguards ignore any throwing instructions, just add lift.)
  15. 15
    Grab the coil and the throwing line you intend to toss with your throwing hand.
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    Hold the remaining rope with your other hand.
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    Swing the coil and weight back and forth to get the heft of it, try to bend your knees a little as you do.
  18. 18
    To make it without the darn rope falling back on your head you probably need to be far enough back that the tree branch is at in the range of a 30-45 degree angle. Branch heights and rope heights sometimes intervene. Get used to the idea that you will not get it in one toss.
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    Swing back and forth until you are ready to let loose, and aim for a spot 10 to 15 feet (3.0 to 4.6 m) above the branch you want. Hold onto the end once it plays out. If you don't it is entirely possible that the whole thing will sail right over the branch and hit the ground without unravelling the weight. Funny...the first time.
  20. 20
    If all goes well, the rope will go over the branch and stop, untangle and fall to the ground. If the rope does not immediately untangle, try shaking it, making it circle like a jump rope, find a place it might catch against a smaller branch, any place but the corner of the trunk. If it catches there, you might lose your rope, unless you have brought other equipment! In most cases the worst that will happen is that you will miss, in which case you just need to repeat the process.
  21. 21
    Gather both ends of the rope and walk backwards slowly away from the tree, pulling gently as you do, testing to see if you do have a dead branch. If you do, there will be no "springy" sensation as you pull back on the branch. If you have picked well you will soon hear some cracking. That is the sound you want to hear. Cracking is an indication of dead wood.
  22. 22
    Try not to put to much tension on the rope as you pull the branch down. You do not want it to whiplash out of control in another direction because you have pulled it fast and hard and it broke under too much tension. Generally, pulling back towards the tree is very effective.
  23. 23
    If you find you are working too hard, the branch may still be alive, so move on. While describing how to make the coil is laborious, making and throwing it is fun.
  24. 24
    If you take down more than you need, move the pile away from the campsite or trail you used, leaning it against a fallen trunk if possible, it will make a fine home for a young forest dweller.
  25. 25
    Practice fire safety and leave your campsite cleaner than when you got there. See tips and warnings below.

Community Q&A

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    • Light chain could be used if you have the right kind, but I have no experience with it. Remember, if something heavy goes up, it comes down even heavier. Rope soft, chain not. You could climb up to saw a branch down too. You, not soft. Hence this article.
    • Rope and gloves have been best friends for a long time, using them together makes good sense.
    • For your "fishing line," use rope no thinner than 18 inch (0.3 cm) thick. Clothesline will not work. Plastic rope, the kind that is woven, will work fine as long as it is good quality (yellow or green). 1/4 line or 38 inch (1.0 cm) line is about as large as you want to go.


    • Harvesting wood and/or campfires are illegal or prohibited in some places and or at some times and extremely strong penalties can attach if you knowingly, and sometimes unknowingly violate local of Federal laws. Know the rules where you go.
    • In some places you may have to pay for the wood you burn, in some places not, again, know the rules, before, not after you go.
    • There may be certain places where bug infestations or other problems making taking ANY branches from live trees a grave risk to the tree's life. If the branch is truly dead it should not be a problem but NEVER pull a branch off the trunk itself. Breaking a dead branch away from the trunk is ok. When in doubt, don't.
    • Live wood does not burn well because it is wet inside.
    • Dead wood that is wet on the outside will burn better if split so that dry surfaces are exposed to the fire source.
    • Exception: pine trees, cones etc., have kerosene like sap and can be almost explosive if burned live and can easily out of control.
    • When camping and using a campfire always have a safe fire area.
    • Never have a fire under trees or branches in any season.
    • Always clear a fire ring 10 feet (3.0 m) in every direction around your campfire of anything burnable before lighting a campfire.
    • Have sand, water and/or fire extinguishers/rakes to help put out a campfire and keep it from getting out of control.
    • Never leave a campfire unattended. Never leave children unattended near a campfire and/or cooking food on a camp stove.
    • While the tree fishing line used in this article can also be thrown to someone in the water, that is, as a rescue line, remember than the only thing worse than a drowning is a double drowning. Don't get pulled in at dockside.
    • It is possible to attach a strong thin line to an arrow, shoot it over the branch in question and use this to draw over a thicker line more suitable for tree fishing. If you do so:
    • Do not use hunting arrows or metal tipped arrows for this task! Their sharp edges might not only plunge deep into the tree, undesirable for a host of reasons, damaging the tree and making them unrecoverable, they might also damage someone else if you miss or shoot wildly off. Use rubber-tipped field competition arrows or embed the tip in a rubber ball or tennis ball instead.

    Things You'll Need

    • A good throwing rope. Several are preferred of different lengths as cutting a good rope is a mortal sin of outdoorsmanship.
    • Something to cut your wood with. Unless you stick to small branches you will need something sharp to cut your wood with. Dull axes and knives are extremely dangerous. If you cut with an axe, always use a "Safety Log" to avoid serious injury or death.
    • Something to start and put out your fire with, and someone to watch it.
    • Knowledge of local rules and ordinances.

    Article Info

    Categories: Firewood


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