Angling in
August
When August arrives, the light
northern nights are definitely over. Now the eels start migrating
towards the Sargasso Sea. And the mackerel is in!
The darker nights hasten the
mature eels, and, under the cover of darkness, they will start
their several thousand kilometre long migration back to the Sargasso
Sea, where they were born in the colossal seaweed forests at
a depth of several kilometres.
Mackerel caught from
a pier in northern Jutland.
© photo: Steen Ulnits
This is why now is the time to
catch the delicious eels - in traps, at bob or with a hook and
line. If you like cosy fishing for your dinner, there is nothing
like a nocturnal bob in the warm, soft and quiet darkness of
August.
The increasing darkness also
hastens the sea trout, whose migration to spawn goes in exactly
the opposite direction - away from the salty larders of the sea
to the fresh waters and gravelled spawning grounds of the rivers.
Particularly if there is enough water in the rivers - and that
is often the case in a typical Danish summer of rain and wind
- the sea trout really start ascending into the rivers.
Angling for sea trout is often
done in rivers that cross the Jutland heath - in fantastic surroundings
as the heather will be blooming in August. The colour of the
flaming heather is a perfect backdrop for fly-fishing, spinning
or angling.
Perch preying
August is the time when the black-striped
perch of the lakes triumph in the weeds. Here they feed on this
year's fry, which have now become big enough to venture out from
the protective weeds towards the end of the day. Here they have
lived in hiding and safety among the long stems.
However, as darkness approaches,
they must come out to forage, and a large number of them end
up in a voracious perch's mouth. This year's fry are so tiny,
and the perch's mouth so frighteningly big.
Often you may experience regular
episodes of "seagulls' pranks", where the poor small
fry are hunted by birds from above and fish from below. Then
it is no easy task to be a small fish in the big waters.
If you do see such an episode,
the thing is to get within throwing range as soon as possible,
because it may die out as quickly as it started. And on no account
sail into the tunnel of fish and birds. Keep your distance, so
you do not frighten the fish with the boat. Do not go any closer
than you need to reach the fish with your throws. Then they will
rise!
Oxygen depletion
Towards the end of the month,
the water temperature will peak in the Danish waters. This may
sound ideal if you are one of the many holiday-makers at that
time, but if you have to live all your life in the water, it
is far from good news. Actually, it is very close to being the
worst news possible.
Because now the first loss of
oxygen may be approaching. Typically this happens in deep waters
first and then moves into more shallow waters. Low oxygen content
and a high water temperature make August a slightly dull month
on the coast.
© Steen Ulnits
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