On a november 26th 2013 we decided to make a fishing trip to Mrzla Vodica lake. We were after some pike. Around 9 AM we were on dam. Rain is falling, wind is blowing, perfect conditions! Robert and I are all hyped. 6 hours later, we´re still on a dam. Fishless. We were about to give it up when our buddy Danijel called. He is coming, he and some other fellows have labor action on Lokvarsko lake. Since nothing happened in 6 hours, I ask him can we join. An hour later, everything is ready. Danijel is looking us and dead serious saying: ´Guys, today you might see something what you have never seen before and only God knows will you ever again´. Robert and I just looked at each other without saying anything. You never know with Danijel is he serious, or joking.
Next minute we are jumping off a truck, Danijel puts aggregate on his shoulders, Vanja is on ´needle´and adventure begins. Rest of us are behind two of them with buckets and landing nets. First few hundred meters current stuns small chub here and there. Then Vanja sticked a needle in a hole under the tree and giant trout showed at a surface. Suddenly, everyone is jumping and screaming! The moment when it landed in a landing net, screaming became even louder.
We caught almost 1 meter long fish in a small stream, unbelievable!
Kristijan and I fill water in a vat and put this giant fish in it. It is so big it has to be diagonally in vat. I can´t believe my eyes how big it is. It looks more as a grass carp than as a brown trout.
We caught 16 fish total and we are going to fish farm to get the eggs out. To spawn it. Mr Boro will do it, he´s been doing it for a long time now. He is separating males from females first. Then he´milks´ females, and after that males. Females are much bigger as i can see now. While he does that, guys weigh that big fish. Meter shows 91 cm, and digital scale 11,5 kg. Yeah, that´s right. 91 cm and 11,5 kg! We get it back in a pool, trout looks tired, it turns on a side if nobody9 s holding her, but half an hour later, everything is ok. It swims on it´s own. Spawning is over and now we take 6-7 beautiful males caught last weekend back to Lokvarsko lake. They did what they had to do, it´s time to release them now. One of them, around 60 cm long fish, is a really wild one! I can´t imgine what it would be like to hook him. That would be a rodeo!
While Robbie and I drive home, movie from today is spinning in my head. I keep thinking about Danijel´s words…
We saw something we have never seen before and it´s a big question will we ever again.
PS It´s a first time in my life I gave name to a fish. I named it Steffi. If you ever come to Lokvarsko lake, or any lake with trouts that size, and if you´re so lucky to catch a trout as big as Steffi, pay her respect. That are old ladies. They are grannies and great-grannies, so be nice. Handle it with great care, take a few photos and release it. They deserve it.
