If there's one place I'm longing for, it's probably the Atlantic coast in the north of Spain at the moment. Few landscapes in Europe impress me so much and unite all my passions in one place. The steep cliffs make my heart beat faster, the countless sandy beaches are a paradise for surfing and there are supposedly some reservoirs where carp swim.
This year I had the chance to travel for several months at a time. I vacated my shared flat in Halle in May. I wouldn't set up my new home in a new city until autumn when I started my studies. I had three full months until then, which I wanted to savour to the full. There was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to spend as much time as possible in the north of Spain.
Anyone who has followed my previous adventures will remember the red Opel Kadett. It was the perfect adventure vehicle for me, with enough storage space for plenty of equipment and a bed for the exhausted adventurer.
Unfortunately, the red Opel succumbed to old age and was replaced by a Twingo. Although the silver runabout is fast, manoeuvrable and somehow cute, it is also considerably smaller.
Inevitably, I was faced with the major challenge of organising a suitable car.
Because of course I wanted to be equipped for everything and also be able to sleep in the car.
The special thing about Spain is that sleeping in the car is tolerated and the car parks on the surfer beaches are home to real vanlife communities. And I was really looking forward to that.
My solution was a fold-out bed in the boot. This would allow me to sleep stretched out at night, although the boot lid would have to remain open. If it rained, I would simply throw a tarp over the boot.
To summarise, my concept was a complete success. The Twingo ran for 8000 kilometres without breaking down and it may sound crazy, but I spent the nights (mostly) comfortably and dry. ‘Dry’ is an important keyword, because it doesn't rain very often in the north of Spain. Even in summer, there are regularly cold and wet weeks, which really put me to the test.
As my space in the Twingo was very limited, I had to store most of my luggage outside at night to keep my sleeping area free. This was the hour of the Hammerdash.
I stored all my equipment in Hammerdashs HT in L and M. This had the advantage that I could load the car extremely efficiently with the dashs. In addition, everything in the dashs would always stay dry, even if it rained heavily at night (and it often did). Another advantage was that I could organise everything very well in the dash. I had different pockets for clothes, food, cooking utensils and fishing equipment, for example. There was never any desperate searching for something specific.
Even though my focus during the 10 weeks I spent in Spain was primarily on life by the sea, I had a few reservoirs in the back of my mind. I had hardly ever heard of carp fishing in northern Spain. And that naturally awakened the urge to explore.
Over the course of the trip, I visited a few lakes. But all too often I was disappointed by very barren waters that only harboured trout. Or the lakes required so much time that I preferred to spend the days at sea surfing and spearfishing.
However, I landed a direct hit. I still remember exactly how I found an inconspicuous reservoir near the coast on Google Maps. I was sitting in the car in my wetsuit, drinking my coffee after surfing and scrolling around on the map. On the spur of the moment, I drove the 20 minutes to the lake and checked it out for myself. There was every indication that there could be carp here. Reed beds, warm and murky water, lots of shallow water. I also saw a few white fish and black bass. I found a suitable, nicely hidden fishing spot on the windward bank and spread some boilies within casting distance. I wanted to return the following morning and fish for the rest of the day.
A little later than I had intended, as I had been surfing briefly in the morning, I cast the rods to the edge of the bank the following day. The wind was still pushing in my direction and sure enough, after just a short time I saw a small carp jump. Excitement was building, as I hadn't seen a single sign of life from a carp in the weeks before. It took less than half an hour before I got my first bite in the form of a full run. During the fight with my first Spanish, two more small carp jumped in close proximity. In the end, a small, beautifully scaled mirror carp lay in the landing net. I was really happy!
I suspected a large population of small carp and immediately fed 5 kilos of yellow banana boilies. The following hours confirmed my suspicions. After ten runs until the afternoon, I stopped counting. But I wondered if there might be a bigger carp living here. So I rigged large hookbaits on both rods and hoped for the best. The answer came a little later in the form of a double run. Quite overwhelmed, I drilled both fish at the same time and eventually decided in favour of the stronger opponent. I threw the other rod into the bushes with the drag open.
The fight went on for a few minutes, clearly the larger lure had paid off. But what then appeared in front of my landing net made me rejoice. With trembling knees, I netted a fully scaled, orange-red mirror carp. The fact that the other carp had been gutted in the meantime was of little concern to me. I had my treasure.
This was actually the only successful carp fishing on this trip. My desire to catch a wild Spanish carp had been fulfilled and so I turned my attention back to the sea. Although I visited a few other lakes, the attraction of the waves was usually greater. And even though in the end it was only one day of carp fishing on the whole trip, this one day gave me everything I had wished for.
And the trip as a whole was exactly what I was looking for. 10 weeks in the midst of nature in northern Spain, characterised by great encounters and always doing what I wanted to do most.
Stay Wild – Jakko
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