Fly Fishing in Germany, Part 6 (German fishing course, part 4)

[note: this is one in a series of blog posts on getting a fishing license in Germany. Click on the link "German Fishing Course/License" to read through all the posts on licenses and fishing in Deutschland.]

OK, I’ve gotten lazy, so I’m combining what might qualify as three blog posts on this “adventure” in obtaining a German fishing license into one last entry on the “Fischerlehrgang” [fishing course]. This past weekend we wrapped up the course by covering “Allgemeine Fischkunde” [common fish knowledge] and Gesetzeskunde [knowledge of the law], and yesterday I took and passed my first “test.”

Two things to note off-the-bat about what I’ve just written: First, my poor grasp of the German language becomes glaringly evident when you go back to last week’s entry and note that I thought we covered Allgemeine Fischkunde last Sunday. Instead, that was “Spezielle Fischkunde” [specific fish information], which was a 6-hour course that obviously went right over my head. Second, the quotation marks around “test” indicates that I assumed it was a meaningful exam, stressed out about it during the few days leading up to the text, and came to find out on test-day that it was only a practice exam. Oh well.

Here's a cropping of pictures I took of a poster listing all the German names for fish... you might find it helpful [click on the image to enlarge it].

So, let’s wrap up these blog posts on the German fishing course in Hessen (a course which is probably very similar in the other German states, although I can imagine there being differences concerning fish-types) by repeating the five required sessions:

• Allgemeine Fischkunde
• Spezielle Fischkunde
• Gerätekunde [knowledge of equipment]
• Gewässerkunde [knowledge of bodies of water and their features (including vegetation)]
• Gesetzeskunde

At the end of these, there is the possibility, depending on the desires of the specific Verein [club] offering this course, that you’ll be required to take a test for the Verein, which I took and passed yesterday.  From what I understand, had I missed a course, I would have to make it up the next time they offered the course, and I would not be able to take the staatliche Fischereiprüfung [state fishing exam] without fully completing the courses.

These courses are in some ways preparatory for the state’s Fischereiprüfung. Thus, the exam is also divided into 5 sections of 12 questions. From my understanding, you cannot miss more than twelve questions (three from each section—although, I am not certain as to whether it is just 12 mistakes or 12 mistakes and no more than 3 mistakes per section....I’ll find that out in April). I missed 6 on the practice test; three from the section on bodies of water. And for the life of me, I still can’t figure out which ones they were.

In preparation for the test, I essentially typed all 500+ questions (about 130 for each section) out and followed the question with only the correct answer from the multiple choice options. About two days before the exam I started reading through the answers, putting a mark at the top of each section to note how many times I read it. The study plan work seemingly well. Although, I’ll need to make some adjustments to how I approach the dates for questions on Schonzeit [closed season for certain fish] and other more specific questions.  I think making a simple chart for those questions might help.

Instead of repeating a lot of boring junk I heard this past week, I thought I would share things I learned about fishing in Germany, specifically in Hessen... things that might be useful when you come over and try to do a little fly fishing.

• In Hessen there is no off-season for rainbow trout. Since this species of trout was introduced into the German wildlife from America, it is not considered worthy of the same protections as native trout species. Rhineland Pfalz, where I live, on the other hand has a Schonzeit for rainbows. Had I known this when I was trying to get a visitors license [what am I talking about? Click here], I would have gotten a license in Hessen and been able to fly fish for trout during the winter. Oh well.
• “Catch and Release” in Germany: There is a country-wide law, called Tierschutzgesetz [animal protection law], that is supposed to protect all animals from unnecessary suffering. It’s a very nice idea, but sometimes it plays out in absurd ways. Fishing is an example. Under this law it is illegal to practice catch and release, unless the fish is undersized or caught during its closed season. That is, if you catch a great big jack, who probably is a stud-of-a-breeding fish, you’ve got to kill him. Definitely seems silly to this American, but we have to remember it's Germany.  They actually had a small little scuffle in the 1520s called the Peasant's War over fishing [and lumber] rights.  I've come up with a helpful saying that puts the differences between German and American fishing: “Germans fish to eat fish, Americans fish to catch fish.” Thus, in the German perspective, to catch a fish and then to release it is cruel. So, to say it sarcastically, in one understanding you put the fish out of its misery and suffering from having a hook in its lip by killing it, and in the other understanding you put the fish out of its suffering from being hooked by releasing back in the water. ...I know, I know... I am well aware of the difference in understandings. It is illogical in the German sense to fish without desiring to eat what you catch; fishing is for food... very German. So, I won’t belabor the point. BUT, I will mention some loop-holes for those of us who want to practice catch and release in Germany. We have at least two [possibly three]:
• If the fish is undersized, it must be released. It’d probably be wise to carry a ruler with you, for no other reason than to turn to the fishing authority and say, “Sorry sir, I measured him and he wasn’t big enough."
• If the fish is caught during closed season, it must be returned. This is an interesting law, because if you have a desire to fish for trout during the closed season, you need only find a river with carp species (or whatever) that will allow you to legally fish the water (of course, with dry or wet flies) and return all the lovely trout you catch.
• Lastly, in Hessen you must return a fish to the water if you’ve foul-hooked him. This is another one of the interesting rules that points to the silliness of the animal protection law. The fish that’s been foul-hooked has probably suffered more than the fish that was properly hook, but it must be release. Wwah, what? Yup, release that sucka. So, you might be having a great day fly fishing, and oddly enough, you might also be foul hooking EVERY fish you catch. That would be a shame, just a shame. 
•  If you want to avoid this process of a getting a fishing license, you can purchase a Besucherfischereischein [visitor's license], but you are immediately disqualified from this license if you have registered with the city and/or have an address in Germany.  See my older posts to figure out exactly what you need for a visitor's license.

• Water rights in Germany: Last point to be noted: I am still not clear on the language, but the Erlaubnis [form of permission] is a bit more complicated as it may seem. So, as I mentioned before, to fish in Germany you need not only a fishing license but also an Erlaubnis, which allows you to fish specific areas or regions. Nevertheless, the fishing rights of a specific river or pond many not be covered by that Erlaubnis; the river may be owned by a hotel or business. To be able to fish specific, owned bodies of water you will need to get a specific Erlaubnis from the owner. So, it is possible that you will need multiple Erlaubnis for just a small region. And at the minimum, you need to make sure that you have written permission to fish the specific body of water you fish. If it’s owned by an old farmer, go knock on his door, get his permission (offer him some of the catch), and make sure he writes it out and signs it. But, this Erlaubnis business is still confusing to me. The first thing I’ll do when I get to Gotha next fall is walk into the Verein and start asking questions.

Hope this has been helpful, and please post comments or questions.