Trout, followers and fishing quotas - Germany is gripped by fishing fever

They can be found at lakes, streams, rivers - and on social media: fishing enthusiasts. In amongst our tips for fermenting, Kafka’s books and Hyrox clips, we suddenly find trout, carp, pike and zander swimming through the digital net. Pictures of bright and shiny scales and teeth on Instagram and TikTok are clearly fishing for compliments: it’s all about the catch of the day here. And remember, the bigger the better. One particularly popular catch is the catfish. It’s the stallion among Europe’s freshwater fish - at more than two metres long, it will certainly stir the waters in the comments section. 

It’s not only what you catch, however, but how you catch it. Baits in the most dazzling colours can be seen dancing across the water’s surface in reels. Excited babbling can be heard from mobile phone speakers as fishing enthusiasts discuss their various flashers, wobblers, jerkbaits, streamers, spinners and flies. Given how heavy their baits are, some seem intent on landing a megalodon from their local pond.

In Germany, fishing has long since ceased to be the exclusive domain of older gents sporting caps and camouflage trousers: around seven million people have a fishing licence - though if you thought you could just sit yourself down by the water with some canned sweetcorn, a cold beer and a camping chair, you will find yourself fishing in very muddy waters. With all the strict testing, waterway conservation rules and closed seasons, it’s a bureaucratic minefield.

But don’t worry: if you can’t keep your rod still during the closed season, you can always do some fishing in your bathtub at home.