„Renke”, fish of the coregonid family, only occurs in some alpine lakes. It is closely related to the sow. Due to the lack of a Polish name, we have allowed ourselves to call it sowing for the sake of simplicity. The fishing technique described is so far only allowed abroad, because the Polish angler is still bound by very strict regulations.
I learned the techniques of fishing for coregonids on the "Christmas tree" with small nymphs on side strings at the large Lake Zurich. I felt so good at this art, that I was careful, that all the fisheries of the world are open to me. Sweet naivety! When I went with my friend Toni on a fishing holiday to the Austrian lake Millstattersee, it immediately turned out, that I still have a lot to learn. Have you already guessed, from who? Of course, from local anglers… On the first day, we made fun of the locals, as it seemed to us, that method, that they were catching fish is absolutely pointless. We even wondered, how could you ever get such an idea, to catch the big sows carefully, almost a pike float.
This one is laughing, who's the last to laugh
We ceased to be happy after a few hours of fishing, when it turned out, that the "locals way" is sensationally effective. However, I will start all over again. First day at the lake. We go out into the water and quite quickly find the promising fishery. We anchor ourselves in the vicinity of "competition", that is, the boats of local fishermen. A large concentration of boats in one place is the best proof, that whitefish are feeding somewhere nearby.
We put our "Christmas trees" with nymphs, which have already been tried on Lake Zurich, into the water. We are very sure of ours. Not bad – after a few minutes I feel two nicks, I jam and I have a fish. The first whitefish is already below the surface. Has equal 30 cm, so, according to the regulations, it goes straight back to the water. In Lake Millstattersee, the protective dimension of whitefish is 40 cm. By noon, however, nothing happens – a few undersized fish, Thread, what could be put in the net. We ignore the kind advice of a local angler, so as not to fish from the bottom but at a depth of approx 15 meters. So we don't have a single fish in the boat, while the Austrians pull one after the other. All drift fishing without anchoring. Most of the "natives” he fishes with two fishing rods on "Christmas trees" with five strings. However, they do not swing the nymphs by moving the stick, but they give them on a set with a large float with displacement 20-25 g. They fish at a depth of approx 15 meters. The float, pushed by the wind, constantly penetrates the enormous acreage of water. The float's dance on the waves shifts to the bait. At one point I imagined myself, that slightly bouncing nymphs are certainly very intriguing to fish feeding nearby. Each nip is signaled by a "dance break" or the float being exposed, and this in turn is a signal for immediate jam. A local angler caught about 20 siei, each over 40 cm.
Targeting the fish on the carriage
You are probably wondering now, how Austrian anglers are doing, when the surface of the water is as smooth as a mirror? When the float stands in one place as if enchanted? When no fish even "thinks" to become interested in stationary, "Dead" bait? There is a way for everything – all you need to do is start fishing more actively. Austrians like to haul their float rigs with "Christmas trees" behind the boat. Mostly they swim along the banks. A horse-drawn carriage with a "Christmas tree" has many advantages as a fishing technique. Since the fish do not want to come to the angler, the angler has to come to the fish. Local anglers can sometimes locate feeding fish in just minutes. And like the gulls circling over a flock of bleaks attacked by a flock of perch, yes after finding a good whitefish spot, Suddenly, boats are starting to flow from all sides, to take part in a real fishing feast.
But let's get back to the wind. If he's strong and gusty, it is more preferable to anchor the boat. The float will still move on the water surface by itself. And if the anchor line does not get in the way while hauling a large fish? When fishing with a float, almost never – bites are mostly far from the boat, and the fish go crazy with the rod only in the first phase of the haul. The whitefish is so tired before being picked up, that he almost never has enough strength to make another escape and wrap the line around the anchor line. Of course, Toni didn't even want to hear about fishing for whitefish. He stubbornly worked with his "Christmas tree" in drift, and a 15-gram weight kept the nymphs at the proper depth. My friend's rod had 2,4 m long and very handy, to be able to lead the lure sensitively while drifting. Every nibble was signaled by the delicate tip. For the record, I must add, that Toni actually had a lot of strokes.