Saturday was session 2 of 5, the first being on types bodies of water (Gewässern), and the new instructor (Fritz) was considerably different in his approach to the topic of equipment (Gerätekunde). Fritz, unlike Matthias, smoked. That meant we had longer and more frequent breaks: a slight relief from a long day of listening. [I am continually impressed by the German ability to sit and listen—hours on end.] Second, Fritz was truly Hessen, and the rumors of the severe accents in the region were proven true. My best example is that for the first hour I though Fritz was using some slang term for the German word for fishing line. He kept saying “Schühe” and only after examining an overhead and referencing my dictionary did I realize he was saying “Schnüre”. So, it was no small adventure to navigate through his accent to the actual German that lay behind.
And I feel like I need to explain my disposition to this process of getting a fishing license in Germany. Please do take my sarcasm and, well, outright bitterness as a slight against the actual sessions or the instructors. Yes, there are moments when you wish they’d hold off on the stories and let you out earlier, but in the end, I am actually learning information I didn’t know and I’m picking up new German words. My frustration is at the utter futility of the process; the assumption that forcing people to take classes for a month makes them “better” fishermen. The truth is, it creates a society less aware of the aquatic life. No one fishes. Fathers don’t take their kids fishing to the lake or park. [Albeit, some do, but it is nothing like the sacred ritual in America.] The complexity of getting a license, to some extent, becomes a barrier in the eyes of the public. Now, there is the plus that rivers and lakes don’t receive the fishing pressure they do in the States, but there is also the problem that the public is far more unaware of the outdoors.
Ok, so Saturday was over equipment. We discussed rods, reels, lines, knots, and nets. We examined various weights and bobbers, lures and baits. And to my surprise, almost all of the “students” acted as if it was the first time they had seen a split-shot or spinner. And, maybe it was. In truth, the equipment session became one big show-and-tell. At one point, Fritz passed around his “knives” that he won for largest fish of the year. I don’t believe that will actually help me in the art of fishing. But, I am sure it helped with his confidence.
We discussed the test questions only briefly, and not sufficiently enough to give me any confidence for the upcoming test. [There is not only a test for the state/region, but the club that runs the teaching sessions also will require that you take a test—something similar to the state exam.] But, I was assured that I would be able to use a German/English dictionary for my tests [and it was confirmed the next day, too.] That was a huge relief.
Study note: I am typing out all the questions with their respective answers, and leaving out the other multiple choice foils. This will allow me to correctly associate the statement with the answer when it comes to test time.
One thing I did learn that will be useful is that the clinch knot can be used to create a weed-guard. If you are considering dragging a wooly bugger through some weeds, consider tying it on with a modified clinch knot. The arrowed-end would serve as the guard. In order to make the guard stick out you could wrap it once or twice behind the loop. I have yet to test my version in the wild, but my strength test (ie. setting the hook on a table and pulling) appeared to satisfy my stringent requirements.
Favorite quotes from today:
“When I go fishing, I fish. When I’m tired, I go home.” [Discussing fishers who sleep on the banks of the river.]
“No man needs it, but they sell it.” [Concerning useless equipment, such as electronic bobbers that beep when your rod is disturbed…. And this fantastic “disco reel”:]
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