At the end of the last decade, the San below Przemyśl was a river famous for its huge catfish. Experienced anglers most effectively caught fish with several dozen kilos on the eelter. A little less esteem for anglers (and catfish) the bunches of worms and horse leeches enjoyed, frogs (not then under protection) and live or dead fish. Spinningists were relatively rarely successful, because when fishing with more delicate equipment, they had little chance of holding a huge fish and dissuading it from wanting to escape into the snags.
At that time, they were considered the most reliable fisheries: "Trzy Mosty" near Przemyśl and the depths of the San Tukach, covered with fascine and stones, in Torki, Wyszatyce, Durovce, Walawie, Michałówka, near Jarosław, and also valued by anglers "pillars” near Wiazownica. Powerful whiskers were also hidden in pits under bridges, m.in. in Radymno and Jarosław.
Year by year the catfish in Sana'a decreased, but the real disaster happened a few years ago; From Przemyśl downstream huge fish were swimming belly upwards. It is not known what kind of "plague" this has devastated their population so far, so radically large. Przebąkiwano, that someone let "something" into the river in Przemyśl. It was said, that the rats got poisoned first, and then the sums. Others were careful, that these fish were just attacked by some sumi virus.
Penetrating from a boat
In the first half of June this year I am on the San and checking it, is this sumi regress behind us?. I hear from the natives, that the total population of Sana'a is recovering. I know too, that the PZW undertook the action of restocking with the sum of the San. The first excursion to the water in the vicinity of Jarosław does not lead to optimistic forecasts. San is swiftly swept up high, dirty, deep. Anglers by the water are complaining, that the fish does not bite. In the case of sum, although he likes the high water level in the river, its fishing with a traditional ground line. After a few minutes, garlands of algae settle on the line, grasses and all kinds of rubbish. You have to wait, until the water of the river runs low and clears – the natives say. The specificity of the San is, that it can literally happen overnight.
Regardless of adversities, however, I decide to go by boat from Radymno to the already mentioned "pillars" at Wiązownica. Unfortunately, the skeptics were right. San still deep and rushing. Mode from some agricultural machine, serving as my anchor, only keeps the boat in quieter places. I try to throw it under the bushes, because I fish with spinning during the day. At night, however, I will hunt for catfish with groundwater. So I throw a large broken rapala alternately, it's centrifuge again.
Hours pass and still bad. I don't watch the strokes or the asps, nor pike, not to mention the sum. It makes it difficult for me to float the boat under the railway bridge near the village of Zgoda on a line that is empty of belongings. However, it is absolutely forbidden to fish within the bridge. Various species of fish gather there throughout the year and therefore the place is completely protected.
A few kilometers below the bridge in Zgoda, in the dimple under the bushes, I have finally got a take. After jam, the fish builds up strong brickwork. However, he quickly loses strength and contact with the bottom. Just a few more escapes and a small sum lands in the landing net. Fish - quite dimensional – I decide to let go. Unfortunately, for the moment I am alone in the boat – so trouble with the photo. I manage somehow with the help of a self-timer, but the 'praktica' on a stump does not cover the water with the lens.
Slightly below the place where the catfish is caught, the concrete shores of the water intake for Jarosław. The local angler swears by all sanctuaries, that there is a mustache of at least thirty kilos in this area. He has been on the fishing rod a few times before, but so far points for the sum,
Evening is approaching, it's time to switch to ground cover. In the dimple, over which I have crouched, should be sum. Unfortunately, the strong current of the still flowing river is pushing a 250-gram weight along the bottom, pushing the whole set under the bank. In this way, however, bunches of worms and leeches penetrate a larger area of the river, probably three meters deep in this place.. Well, the catfish will not visit tonight) my fishing rods. Detriment. After all, I equipped my "catfish" with a huge Australian spinning wheel with a movable spool, allowing a winding of approx 700 m of fishing line 0,6 mm, So I would have a chance to fight with a sum even close to the Polish record.
The next day I persistently spinning near sunken oaks and "pillars" at Wiązownica. Only medium-sized pike is the victim of my catfish lure. The sums seemed to be swept up.