when you have taken the time to catch what you are eating the last thing you want is your hard earned catch going bad
smoking your catch is a good way to preserve your food and adds some flavor to a other wise bland meal.
to build your smoker takes some work but in the end your work will pay off in spades.
first dig a hole setting a side the dirt depending on the size of your catch , dig down 3 feet and 2x2 feet a crossed when you have dug down a foot narrow the hole a bit to make a lip around the sides this will allow you to place green saplings in a criss cross pattern to form a shelf when the smoker is dug start a small fire in the bottom ( use the hardest wood you can find oak , maple , ironwood are good choices (do not use soft wood as it will have resin in the smoke and soft wood chips dry out to fast and may catch fire) letting the wood burn down to a good bed of coals )
have a pile of saplings and green leaves and wood chips ( wood chips can be made by shaving green hardwood branches ) ready when you have a good bed of coals pile green wood chips on to coals set up saplings on the lip inside of pit place cleaned fish or game cut to 1/2 thick by 2 inches wide by 6 inches long in the case of fish cleaned gutted and split down the backbone placed on the saplings and cover the of the pit with more saplings then leaves to keep dirt off your catch then add dirt to make it air tight and leave over for about 18 hours , if you are lost and their is no hope of someone finding you , and you are planning on walking out this will preserve what ever you have caught and give you a food for the trip.