Vantastic Lukas: A tough summer on the Elbe

Summer project in Germany

When Alex brought me his newly purchased van, a Sprinter L3H2, in April, I said: A new project and a lot of work for the summer months. Since I was planning on expanding my camper conversion business during my stay in Germany, Alex's van was the ideal starting point for this. The plan was to incorporate all the technical features into the Sprinter. From the insulation, the windows to the electrics to the water system including shower, the Sprinter should have significantly more comfort than its previous Fiat Ducato. Since Alex had precise ideas and one or two special requests, the whole project took a little longer and took on larger dimensions than I had previously assumed. When Alex picked up his camper from me in mid-August, I think we were both happy with the results so far. For me it was now time to “stop construction” until the furniture removal was finished so that the electrics could be properly connected later. Until then, I wanted to dedicate myself to further van projects.

Summer slump

During the time when I was expanding the Sprinter, when I concentrated on my work, I cut back a lot on my fishing on the Elbe and only went to the water on the weekends. During the week, the warehouse was my home and I parked my van in front of it. Since the conditions over the summer months weren't the best anyway, abstaining from fishing wasn't particularly difficult. Temperatures regularly exceeded thirty degrees and there was no sign of rain. The water level sank lower and lower and there was no sign of carp. Almost nothing went off - little by-catch and hardly any crab action surprised me and my fishing colleagues. Blankening was popular from the end of May to the beginning of August. We couldn't explain this lull. Was it the constant hot weather? Too little oxygen? – It should actually be high enough in the river. Whatever it was, the fish just didn't seem to be in the places we were fishing.

Slowly they want to go back

At the beginning of August I was able to break my dry spell with a flawless fish that picked up my bait in the main stream. I was confident that I had found the right spot, but after several more nights at that spot, it was just one fish. So another job change. After a few attempts in the main stream, I wanted to try it again in a breakwater. I chose a groyne field that was rather unspectacular in terms of structure. However, it was a route that I had not paid attention to in the past. On the first night a barbel bit straight away - not a bad sign. When a short summer thunderstorm broke the constant heat the next day, I was drawn to the groyne again. The cool outside temperatures created a thick fog in the evening that lasted until the next morning. When one of my rods made a continuous sound at dawn, the moment was perfect. After a powerful drill I was able to land the powerful Schuppi. I was happy and had the feeling that the fish were slowly getting going again. A few nights later, I was again privileged to drill a typical Elbschuppi in the rising sun breaking through the fog. It was obvious; With the cooler nighttime temperatures of the last few weeks, the fish also seemed to become a little more mobile again. I'm looking forward to an interesting start to autumn on the Elbe before I head south again over the winter.

Despite the long blank phase, I experienced wonderful moments with good friends on the river. Moments that turn my time back home into memories that I will always look back on fondly. Thank you for that!!