Ψαρευτικές Ιστορίες

So I Became an Angler – André Krafthöfer

Many anglers are born into their hobby, father, grandfather etc. are already anglers and bring you closer to fishing in early childhood. But it was a bit different with me, in my family there was no angler at all up to me. How I found my way to the most beautiful hobby in the world as a child and how I became a passionate surf and spinning angler I would like to tell you in the following article.
Already in my boyhood water had a magical attraction for me, no matter if brook, river, lake or sea. Everything drew me under its spell. But not only the water, but also the seafaring and fishing – be it the crab fishing in the Wadden Sea or also the fishing on the high sea – inspired and interested me.

Coastal vacations make surf anglers
I spent many family vacations with my parents on the coast and maybe that was the decisive point which already influenced me in my childhood to become a surf angler.
At the age of 9 or 10 I met my best friend Dennis. Dennis lived in a fishing family, his father Harald and his grandfather Ernst were real fishing fanatics. But Dennis was also very fond of fishing at a young age and so it wasn’t long before I got in touch with it for the first time.

Private waters at the start of an angler’s career

Regularly I went with all three of them to their private waters at the Dutch border to spend the weekend there. At first I just took a look at it. But then the fever quickly seized me. When the  light float started dancing while night fishing and suddenly a beautiful eel came to the surface, that was the beginning of my euphoria for fishing.

First fishing tackle – first successes
Enthusiastic about everything I have learned and seen before, my first equipment was not long in coming. Even though my initial success often failed to materialize, the fascination of fishing never let me go and nothing could stop me from fishing.
A short time later the first big success came. When I was at your lake again with Dennis, his father and his grandfather, Dennis and I decided that we should try fishing from the boat.

The first capital – a 15-pound carp

 

With full determination we went with our equipment, which was designed for perch and trout, on the boat and out on the lake.

After an estimated 10 minutes of rowing we arrived in a corner where we could observe some carp. As it is as a child we threw out our hooks equipped with two corn grains without thinking big. As soon as my swimmer had landed on the surface of the water, he stood down and dived directly at the same moment.

I remember this moment as if it had been yesterday. After a good fight with the fish that pulled us and the boat across the lake, I see my first 15 pound carp on the surface!

I still wonder today how my tackle could stand it!

 

 

More and more fish species were added – and the test!

Now the successes became more and more frequent, be it eel, perch, trout, pike etc. I was able to tick off more and more fish on my list bit by bit.

As soon as I was 13 years old, my parents registered me for a fishing license and I did it with full enthusiasm. Of course I passed my exam.

On the same day I signed up for the first fishing club and got my membership card, with which I started fishing in one of my favourite waters, which are still the same today, for perch and zander.

The Rhine-Herne Canal!

From now on fishing at any time possible

From then on, fishing was everywhere and at all times. Harald and Ernst took me fishing for mackerel in the North Sea. Or to the Rhine, where they brought me and Dennis closer to other types of fishing. Be it feeder fishing for white fish or fishing for zander with scraps of fish. But also the family holidays couldn’t take place without fishing. For example the holidays in Bavaria, where I already caught my first “wild” trout in my young years. Or at the North- and Baltic Sea but also at the Mediterranean Sea in Croatia I always tried myself. Over and over again fishing!

 

 

First mainly fresh water – and then Langeland

For many years I was mainly active in fresh water. Since I could reach the Rhein-Herne Canal by bicycle, I spent most of my time there and gained most experience there.

Since I regularly tried fishing at the seaside on holidays, but never really achieved great success, I didn’t want to let this sit on me. So it went with 19 years the first time together with two friends direction Langeland. What awaited us here was not really clear to us in advance. We achieved real mass catches from the boat like in the surf.

Whereby it quickly turned out that surf fishing for flatfish is still my absolute favourite today!

Although I live in the Ruhr area, I use every possibility to go to the North or Baltic Sea for surf fishing.

 

Less time – use fishing time more effectively

With the age unfortunately also the obligations became more. Since I didn’t want to hang up fishing, I thought about how I could fish more effectively in less and less free time.

So I came to my second passion – spinning. As I come from the Ruhr area – as I wrote before – it is still the best possibility for me (besides the beloved surf fishing) to get regularly to the water.

So I still use every chance and every free minute to put one or the other predator on the scales, whether in fresh or salt water!