Street Hunter Prague

You know the feeling when you are coming home from a session but would much rather turn around and experience it all over again. That is exactly how I felt leaving the Vltava river in Prague after my one-day-session. Prague is a lovely city full of sites and fishing within its very heart, e.g. nearby Charles’s Bridge, is a magical experience. I spent most of my fishing time at venues surrounded by nature and urban fishing is something totally new for me. Now I discover more possibilities carp fishing has to offer. I am surprised to see how many undiscovered prolific swims on local waters are easy reachable. It is time for another STREET HUNTER adventure!

Driving and parking in downtown is a trouble in all the cities worldwide. I needed some extra time to check the situation, so I offered my wife a trip to Prague. It proved to be a good decision, both of us were happy. She kept herself busy sightseeing and I was delighted to explore further stretches of the river. I was leaning over picturesque bridges and strolling the riverbank, when I saw some decent carp. I was fascinated and carried away seeing them. At once, I fantasized a session which I desperately wanted to experience here. It was obvious I will have to go very light and get ready for various techniques. You never know what urban carp fishing brings. It is always advisable to come prepared for any situation; even for the atypical ones. I added some method feeders and also some floats into my tackle box. I added also bread, corn, maggots and worms into my bait range.

The day has arrived. Me and my cameraman Rosťa parked our car in the city outskirts and got on the metro train to the city centre. It was a great feeling to walk the streets of our lovely capital city and look for a promising swim. Soon, I stand on Charles´s Bridge and enjoyed the view over the river and sights. This time we however did not continue up to the castle but down to the river. I enjoyed the extraordinary moment with all my senses. I couldn´t get enough of it. The sunrise was just magical. I have never seen Prague like this before, waking up quietly into a new bright day. No usual hustle and bustle. It was however still too early; it was just dawning…

I knew exactly where is the best place to give it a try. If you look from Charles´s Bridge, you are sure to notice where most swans, ducks and gulls gather. Tourists come here to feed them. For days, months and years the bread sinks down to the riverbed and the carp know it very well. In fact, this is an important finding about urban fishing. We headed straight to the place. It was still very early, and the bank was quiet. We had time enough to get ready for a busy day. I used the back leads to pin the line down to the riverbed and spread mini corn pellets over the swim.

Prague was waking up together with the birds which slowly moved in our direction from far and wide. Ducks came first, shortly followed by swans. Gulls came last but tried to catch the bread in the air. Pigeons were walking around picking the crumbs. It was an amazing view. For a moment I would like to be a small fish and watch the underwater life. I am sure there is the same rush as on the surface. I closed my eyes and imagined it. All the hustle, bird’s activity and sounds, bread hitting the surface is an obvious sign of feeding time. No swim would be better, I was sure. Time however flew and I needed to find the proper hookbait. I rebaited often and kept trying different baits.

It was getting late and I was blanking. I did not care much as there was always something going on; even some Chinese or Russian or god knows what weddings. One would forget he is a local here; a local angler in fact. One attraction replaced another. Gull tried to gain as much food as possible and some people tried to get as much money as possible from tourists with their tricks and shows. Sitting on the riverbank for some time you soon find out what it is all about…struggle for survival! I was sitting on a boulder and watched Prague life without realizing I could become one of the attractions myself.

The line cut the surface and the reel started spinning fast. Birds flew off in all directions and everyone stared on a man holding a bent rod. Tourists were approaching. All of them wanted to see a fish from the Vltava river. It felt like a good fish and I did not want to rush it. I might earn a good money having a hat on the ground. However, the only thing I wished for was to land the fish. It was not easy at all as there are many snags in the Vltava river. My friend helped me to net the fish, so the video footage was missing. It was the priority though. Surrounded by a crowd of foreigners I put a majestic fish on the mat and experienced something extraordinary.

I shared this moment with people of different nations. I appreciated this moment. A lifetime experience to remember. Releasing the fish into the water, I knew I will come back to the Charles´s Bridge and try to repeat my session here. As the tail fin disappeared, I realized it was all over for now. I was standing there however to prolong the moment. Wet and incredibly happy.

On the way back we stopped in a pub. The Pilsen beer tasted like heaven and I realized that fishing light with essentials only is something exceptional. I want to enjoy some more urban fishing. Street Hunter is an exciting project which urges me to experience it over and over again. See you, chaps!