Arne set the jar of pickled herring on the table with a smile: “You have to eat fish, if you want to catch big cod ". The redbeard host exactly corresponded to my idea of the appearance of a real fisherman from the cutter. He has already consumed all herring with bread. For breakfast! My friend Udo was also not very happy about this type of dish, especially at this early hour. But I made myself take Arne's 'bait'. Ultimately we were in Denmark because of the cod – and Arne Christensen in Kongsgaard, on the Helgenaes peninsula. He is supposed to take us with his 17-tonne fishing boat "Freija II" to the fisheries. You had to get used to such a breakfast, however, it was a good foundation for the stomach, who in a few hours will have to fight the wave of the sea. We caught a lot of cod within a week, as promised by Arne.
This proposal, containing your first-hand message, Karl Koch suggested to us:
"You can fish well in the Ebeltoft area now". At first we had no idea, where could it be. "Denmark Guide" provided us with the information we needed about "one of the most romantic towns in Denmark", located east of Arhus. We made the decision quickly. Because we were known to catch cod from the Baltic and North Sea ports, we were now interested in the unknown area around Kattegatt. Exactly Fr. 8:00 Freija II left the shore. There was a cutter on board 12 die-hard fishing enthusiasts in quite old age. Except for one young Dane, they were all German. Most had already been involved in cod fishing in Denmark, and they knew, what to expect. Their equipment was in good condition, very well completed. Pilkers and additional lures in all shapes and colors swayed by the fishing rods attached to the rail. In the captain's booth, full of various types of pilkers and other fishing equipment. Arne was explaining the direction and course of our voyage.
The first stop is right in front of the lighthouse. Arne knows the bay at Sletterhage like her own pocket. Nothing unusual – already 20 he has been going on fishing trips for years. In the meantime, we manage to detect a school of fish at depth 15 m.
Everything is done according to plan: at the beginning we fish in the pot, here is the quantity. "We will get to the big cod yet" – Arne comforts the disappointed anglers. The cutter's machinery barely stood over the goal of our trip, is already falling to the bottom 12 pilkers weighing from 100 into 150 g and war colors. Over each pilker there are side straps with mackerel hooks attached to them, dressed in feathers or armed with shaking rubber sandworms. I barely felt the first contact of the set with the bottom, I already feel a strong blow on my rod and it gives me a growing hunting fever. Good start! A short cut and now you just need to spin. Here the multiplier shows its class, my first prey appears on the surface of the water faster than others.
