Pöddern
Pöddern is a fishing technique from East Friesland for eel , which uses very simple equipment without the use of a fishing hook .
Pöddern was and is popular on large rivers, such as the Elbe near Hamburg, and is primarily operated on the heads of stacks and groynes that are used to regulate and influence the flow. The use in smaller, also tide-independent flowing waters (brooks, river inflows) as well as pödding from a boat is considered to be very promising.
Pöddern is usually carried out at night or at dusk. However, catches during the day are also possible in cloudy (brackish) water.
The season begins around April (smaller, quickly warming waters) and lasts until late autumn. As a rule, the chances of a catch decrease with the first continuous nights of frost.
Pödding can be done by one person, usually two people are employed.
The fishing gear
The main components are a long pole two to three meters long and a strong cord the length of the pole. A “correct” fishing rod with a suitable fishing line is not used for reasons of cost.
The catching part consists of a bundle nightcrawlers , the "Pödder". The worms are pulled lengthways onto a sturdy woolen thread with a darning needle . This “worm chain” is generally one and a half to two meters in length and consists of around 20–30 tauworms. The chain is wrapped in a bundle over the hand and attached to a swivel tied to the line of the pole. In addition, an olive or coffin lead is hooked into the vortex to weigh down water with high currents.
White sheets, which are laid out in the direction in which the eels fall, have proven to be effective as a residual light intensifier. Furthermore, depending on the location, bait fish sinks, umbrellas or paddling pools are used.
The catch
The catcher sinks the bundle of worms in the water and hopes that eels will bite into his bait . If there are good eel stocks at the trapping site, this will be the case within a few minutes. The eel has comparatively fine teeth that sit quite firmly in the wool thread.
Eels usually bite against the current and drag the bait away with it. The angler feels a sometimes very strong jolt in his stick. After the waiting time has elapsed, the podder is torn out of the water with a strong but soulful swing and a “whip strike” backwards with a rod and string. The eels that fall to the ground (often several have bitten each other) are collected (by the second person) or land precisely in the basin, umbrella or on a bed sheet.
criticism
Pöddern is permitted in accordance with the Hamburg Ordinance for the Implementation of the Hamburg Fisheries Act of June 3, 1986 (as of December 4, 2007) / § 5 Fishing Equipment.
Some recreational fishermen disapprove of baiting as not proper . In a positive sense, however, it must be taken into account that, in the case of humane behavior, compliance with the legal minimum dimensions with regard to the integrity of the fish can be assumed.
The fish remains unharmed and can be sorted out and put back.
With regard to the treatment of the worms used, Pöddern is classified as an animal welfare violation.
Pöddern is a mass fishing method that contradicts the ethics of recreational fishermen and is meaningless in terms of effectiveness for professional fishing.