Fishing

[AllieBaba2012]

I've fished all over northern California. Living in Germany has been a unique experience as far as fishing goes. To get your fishing license here you have to attend a three week course that costs around 130 euros, including books. In the state of Hessen, where I live, there are no waters where you can fish without paying a fee. To fish in the Rhein river you have to pay a yearly fee of 25 euros. Most lakes will cost between 200 and 400 euros yearly. I'm a member of a club where I pay 70 euros a year. For that money I can fish at a stream and two man made fishing ponds. The reason for the high fees is because of the amount of people fishing. The rivers, streams and lakes have to be regularly restocked. Germany is a land about the size of California with over twice the population. I've fished in other countries here in Europe and the restrictions and fees vary.

The best experience I've had was at a rocky mountain lake in the Austrian alps. You had to hike two hours to get to it, but the trout in that lake were more than worth it. The lake isn't stocked for the simple reason that hardly anyone fishes there. The trout have little if any natural predators there, and they were not shy when you approached the water. There is a small hostel on the lake's shore, and as I started to fish the owner approached me. He asked if I could catch some fish for that day's menu. He explained to me that he would reward me and my family by cooking the trout for us, and the hostel's Austrian beer was on the house. Couldn't argue with an offer like that, so I agreed. I didn't use bait, but instead used a reflective lure. Scouts honor...I hauled in 17 trout within 2 hours. Needless to say the trout, spaetzle, spiced potatoes and the Austrian beer tasted excellent.

Wow, that's so idyllic it's like some sort of ..... ROMANCE novel intro... for fishermen, of course, lol.