Street fishing in Hamburg

Street fishing, yes, it is now a popular movement and not only among young anglers! Why? Very easily. You don't have to own a car or embark on a long journey to get fish. Because in metropolitan regions such as Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris or Berlin, the waters are easy to reach by bike or public transport. The numerous canals and rivers offer the opportunity to catch perch, zander, pike and asp. Between the noise of the big city, construction cranes and the rattling of the S-Bahn tracks, the urban movement takes place in the middle of the city. I admit that fishing in the big city isn't always the most idyllic, but it's still fun and lets you switch off from everyday stress. The city offers a diverse and varied fishing. Whether bridges, lock areas or jetties, there are places to hunt robbers everywhere! The fish caught here are usually not above average in size, but if you manage to outwit a big fish, you are very happy. So in addition to frequency, there is always the possibility of a better fish! But even the smaller perch are really fun on the light tackle. Since the fishing pressure in the city is extremely high, you have to know how to use different lures and rigs to set the decisive stimuli in overfished spots. Here I rely on finesse rigs like C-Rig, Dropshot and T-Rig, but more on that later.

Through stimulus to success

The certain attraction attracts inactive fish from the reserve. The days when we are in the right place at the right time are really only limited to a few days. Because waiting for the biting phases, especially in winter, is not that easy. Let's be honest, we fish when we have time and not when it's supposed to be the best time to fish. It is now all the more important to convince with the right bait and the right assembly. But what is the right stimulus that tempts the fish to bite? The attraction does not always necessarily consist of the unusual type of bait, but of the interaction of all factors. This is the key to success. What I mean by that is that it's not enough to mount an ultra-shock bait and off you go. Especially when street fishing, it is important to fish the hotspots, such as bridges, cleverly. Often, different things have to be offered in a short time in order to find exactly the decisive stimulus in the end. Here it makes sense to switch and try out different finesse rigs. Most of the time it depends on whether you end up leaving the bridge as a catcher or a tailor. Our ready-tied finesse rigs are ideal for this! You can quickly switch between the different rigs to find out what's going on. In my opinion there is nothing worse than wasting valuable fishing time on annoying knots. Especially with fast-moving street fishing with high fishing pressure, where the next angler could already be on the way to you.

The right tackle for the city

The right hardware is just as important as the right spot, bait or rig. Because you must be aware that under one or the other bridge, there is not much space to throw. In order to still be able to fish effectively here, the "PERCH ONE" is perfect. With a length of 204cm, it has an optimal length to get along under the bridges of the city. Nevertheless, the speed of the blank is important here in order to reliably get through with zander and their hard mouths. With a casting weight of 5 - 15 g. allows us to fish various finesse rigs as well as crank's and chatterbait's. A good alternative is the "PERCH LIGHT", which leaves nothing to be desired for finesse lovers. With this rod, the bait can be breathed into life extremely realistically. It was specially developed for perch fishing and the use of finesse rigs.

Less is more

Now that temperatures are falling below freezing at night, the fish are slowing down their metabolism and trying to get to their prey with as little effort as possible. Now it is important to fish slowly! I use the dropshot rig either in prominent places such as bridge pillars, dolphins or edges where I suspect fish, or in already localized spots with a lot of fish. If forage fishing spots are found, it makes sense to fish them extensively. Because where the feeder fish is, the predatory fish is not far away. Here the rig allows me to selectively fish out the "hotspots". Especially in winter, this rig is easy to fish due to its extremely slow lead. Also, be sure to try just holding the bait in place. You'll be amazed at how well this works on so many cold winter days! The bites usually come as a complete surprise without having even moved the bait. A big advantage is that the bait can be sucked in weightlessly by the fish. On the Carolina rig I have the opportunity to guide the bait very naturally on the offset hook. With the hook disappearing into the bait pocket, picking up weed or other suspended matter on the bottom is minimized. In addition to slow guidance, the C-Rig is also ideal for searching the bottom of the water. For this I prefer to use crayfish imitations, which are also naturally found on the bottom of the water. Right now the fish can easily pick up the bait close to the bottom. Here I like to use creature bait's like the ASTA or the crab PARA. The fine feelers and legs show a very lifelike action even when grinding, which perch simply cannot resist.

Everything important about a man

When street fishing it is important to have everything on hand. Backpack, unhooking mat, sheet piling net and tongs are always with you. Personally, I prefer the sheet piling net to the telescopic net, because I'm even lighter and more flexible with the former. In addition, depending on the tide, some sheet piling reaches a good depth of over 10 meters! Tip: Attach your sheet piling net to a flexible dog leash to save yourself annoying fuss and you can easily lower the sheet piling net with one hand. With the waterproof 3L Jaeger Hipbag, you can carry your most important softbaits, rigs and terminal tackle on your body. A great thing if you want to travel light or if you have put down your backpack and want to walk a few meters without having to do without the most important things. The additional pocket on the back and the robust strap allow additional tools such as pliers or unhooking mats and accessories to be attached without any problems. I can't imagine going fishing in the city without it!


Maybe this report has made you want to walk through the city and try your luck.

Marco Röper wishes you lots of fun at your next city session and taut cords.