Monthly Archives: October 2016

Frank Steinmann

17.10.2016Spineri @enSpineri

Hi Frank finally we have one of our favourite photo ninja’s on Spineri … As I remember you have promised to be naked for this interview, are you naked right now?

Hello Robert and Goran. Well, as a matter of fact I will literally drop my pants for you guys here, but the rest of your dear readership might not be so off within “special interest”, so we leave it that virtual way and limit stripping just for the cause of fly fishing this time (and remember Goran and you still owe me 50 bucks for the used underwear you ordered last week).

So man, you like to dive in your frozen rivers and make great images, what drives you to cover these rivers and to go again and again under the surface?

As a photographer you have to keep on moving and in motion. Somehow I am slightly fed up with all sorts of images being confronted with when entering my favourite fishing websites or the classic time killers Facebook and Instagram. Everything has been shot already and spoiled too. So I took the chance to go someplace not everyone might be able to and also have the great opportunity to meet the fish I normally prey on from the shore in their natural habitat.

Not hooked, or dragged, not being held by a posing fisherman, not grasping for air in a landing net or rolling it’s eyes skywards. And once you swam in between hundreds of migrating sneep, schools of roaches, stare into the eyes of a large pike, you won’t forget this experience and want more. Winter time is great for river diving as many fish gather in special places to seek shelter from the cold and predators, so you can find many different species cuddled together. The cold is the last you sense in this case, I forget about it as soon as I enter the sublevel of our fishing department.

For people who want to start underwater photography, word of advice… Are cheap underwater housings OK, or should they go pro?

As for any recommendation concerning the acquisition of accessory I say: Buying cheap will make you buy twice! So save your money and go for the real thing. At least when intend to participate into professional photography. Nowadays compact cameras and even smartphones are waterproof and the classic GoPro is being used to caption underwater footage. But in the end of the day nothing beats the quality of a high end DSLR into a fitting housing!

Do you prefer to fly fish?

Today I do, tomorrow I won’t. It totally depends on my mood and the way I want to experience my fishing trip! Nothing beats the run of a large barbel on a 3 weight fly rod. Rising brown trout on a march brown are a delight. I enjoy pike fishing with a huge streamer and the direct contact on the fly rod when playing a 45 incher in the rapids of my river. But there is a time when I just feel like casting lures and swimbaits that way like 300 grams. Brutal and clean jerkbait fishing. Ultralight equipment for perch fishing is great too. So it really depends on the mood I am in. At the moment we speak, fly fishing becomes popular more and more. Many ex-spinfishers become puristic fly fishermen and –women and condemn their once lived spinfishing attitude. Flyfishing is being sold as sustainable, clean, pure and sexy. Well, that might be true somehow, but we must take care that spinfishing doesn’t get the raw deal in the end! Done properly and with barbless trebles or single hooks e.g., it is still a very delightful way to catch good fish too! It´s not barbaric or clumsy! I swing both ways and I love it! I really don’t feel comfy with those “fly only elites”, still we all wade in fishes piss ;-)

You know I always thought that fly fishing connects you more with nature than lure fishing… And that fly fishing attracts people who have deeper connection with stuff around them and aesthetics… I think that this is why fly fishing has more good photographers than spinning fisherman. What do you think about that?

This is a very good question; I think a scientific review might be worth being written about this theme! You may want to include social scientists, psychiatrists, statisticians and more folks that might end up defining the profile of both types: Lure- and fly fishermen/women. As for the moment I lack of a great fishing related -pro- photographer that does lure fishing only, indeed a delicate matter! The personal perception of nature has in my opinion nothing to do with the way you choose your fishing style. But maybe endurance, patience and humbleness is something that costs you time, time you need for matching a fly pattern, time for choosing the right cast style and in the end the cast itself: It takes time until your fly or nymph reaches its destination.

And maybe this is a personal issue, a question of “your nature”, when you’re in for the rush and baitcast like there is no tomorrow, you don’t find the time to inhale the breath that is necessary when following a hatching mayfly. So you got an ADHD diagnosis you might want to go for high frequent bait casting to find peace. And as flyfishing once was a economic-privileged hobby, maybe the acquisition of high end camera equipment was too. Times change, photography became mainstream so cheap fly fishing gear is amongst us, we will see, what changes may come.

So… What is your favourite species of fish that you like to target?

Honestly I can’t say. It´s depending on my mood again. As my roots are based in Germany and all my patriotic energy maybe focussed on river fishing her, of course I love pike fishing. Pike strike with brute force, you can sight fish for them and nothing beats the run of a big pike in a fast running stream over here. Of course the brown trout and its exquisite possibilities to stalk upon are something I won’t miss over here when spring finally arrived. I love the Danube Salmon and its hidden way of life. I don´t like the safari for this species that goes on in several streams of beautiful Slovenia. Put and take like character the fishing has become. The fish is a trophy and stocked into rivers that normally won’t inhabit those large fish. So the chance to catch a real residential and wild “Hucho” is an effort I love. Of course there is tropic saltwater fishing: Hot blooded fierce fighters like GT or Tuna – so many species left to target at and catch. I can’t tell where to start. But as I mentioned: My heart belongs to the pike.

Do you have days when you just want to catch bigger ones?

Yes, of course. The hunt for your personal best may become very obsessive and one has to take care not to fall for it! Especially the social media response towards trophy fish makes us fight harder to catch a big one just for the likes. So the most intense experience of fishing might be the trip without camera gear or smartphone!

In the end I think it is good to set yourself a goal but it should be because of you and not the public eye. But speaking about camera gear and smartphone how often do you really go fishing without those?

Honest answer or a made up one? Ok, truly I try never to use my smartphone when going fishing. I like to have a shot the way I create an image in my mind before I pull the trigger. The range and variety of lenses I carry lets me adapt to this imaginary image. With a smartphone I rarely can do that, nor can I reach the quality of a full frame image. Snapshots ok, but then I prefer to keep an image of the scenery in mind and do not try to capture it with a phone to have it stored away in an utterly cacophony of cloud images. My DSLR I carry when I know the light situation might be worth it or when I expect to catch a nice fish. I don´t go out any more promising myself “I am going to take pictures”. This ends up in compulsive shooting of … nothing worth it! So when I really want to focus on fishing and try to adapt to nature in an independent way I carry one rod, maximum 3 lures or streamers/flys and no camera. Happens 5 out of ten times I must admit.

You have beautiful trout waters near you… What is the size of the biggest brown trout you saw there or catch?

The largest brown trout I ever saw was when diving in winter. It must have been way over 80 cm (31 inches) and was gigantic, It hid between plenty of white fish and was surely a pulse quickener. I caught one with nearly that size once, but it was an exceptional fish. A residential brown trout, not a stocked specimen.

Good photo or good fish… Do you prefer one over the other?

There can be only one discipline worked out correct: Whether you fish or you take pictures! Doing both at the same time often ends in chaos: You fight a fish and already start to think about the shutter speed and the light situation. You lose concentration of course and might lose the fish too. When I’m on my own and expect a big fish to be landed, I setup all my gear before I fish. This means tripod, remote trigger, external flash etc. So I can guarantee the time until the fish can be released is very short! But in the end it is more relaxing if I go out and document a buddy while he is fishing, I have all the time and focus I need for a perfect shot. No preference – there is time to fish and time to shoot.

I saw that on some of the photos you share you like to talk about preservation… Is that one of biggest reasons why you push yourself in photography?

I studied Geography, Botanics and Zoology with a focus on fish-ecology and freshwater biology. So conservation is an obsession of mine that comes from my love towards fish. Plain simple, I adore fish! Any kind from Guppy to whale shark. As a matter of fact I started underwater photography in freshwater, to charge off a bit of the money invested in my camera gear, but as a photographer yourself, you know the deal with selling pictures. But in the end it is more of an outcome to sell a rare fish that is in its natural habitat, not hooked, on a picture to a governmental conservation institution, than the hooked big pike to a print magazine. So I do conservation without my camera, when working on my local rivers and I feel happy when I can document it with my camera, make other happy and even sell a photo from time to time.

As a person who studied fish-ecology and freshwater biology and as a passionate pike angler, I have one question for you, really it is THE myth I would like to clear. Here in CRO it is a very popular myth that pike loses its teeth during spawning period. To me this doesn’t make any sense… But, people believe in this and off course they have their own fishing experience which in science world is lowest evidence possible What is your opinion on this, do you know any study that confirms this… Is this true of false?

Well I lack of scientific proof concerning that rumour! In fact female pike tend to grow larger than males and during spawning season they will develop a certain feeding-constraint which will keep the smaller males from being fed on. Truly pike can lose their maxilla and mandible teeth (you might want to call them fang), they can regrow them and often many teeth are being hidden beneath a skin septum that covers the mandible. So it may appear that especially large pike might look like they are toothless, which is not the case. The hackle teeth that cover the throat and pharynx are not replaceable and they cannot loose them. So after the spawning period you often catch pike with serious injuries and bite-marks. This happens when male pike having their territorial fights or tend to fight for females. This may prove the fact that they don’t lose their teeth.

Do you think that global changes of temperatures will affect trout and cold water species in a bad way?

Of course it will and it already happens! There are serious papers afloat that deal with climate change and the decline of fish populations! It’s not only the warming of the water that will be bad for especially salmonid populations worldwide but it is also the increase of flooding that has an impact on spawning grounds for these fish.

So during summer we will have higher temperatures leading to drought and lacking of water. The consequences will be a decrease in oxygen concentration, boosted growth of submerse vegetation, increase of aggradations, sewage discharges won’t be diluted enough this together with the drying up of wetlands might end up with an extreme nitrogen-mobilization. During winter we will experience an increase of flooding. These will end up with the rivers eroding deeper and oxbows and ewes will be separated from the original river.

And as mentioned above the drift of mud and other particles might lead to further colmation of the interstitial. So some species like carp, roach and other ubiquity fishes – even invasive species – might be the winners of this process. On the other hand we might lose certain populations of especially salmonids like brown trout, grayling and also the salmon.

Do you have problem with overpopulation with carp and grass carp in German lakes?

During the 80´s it was very common to put grasscarp in lakes and ponds with lush submerse vegetation. Anglers tried to get rid of plants to have better fishing conditions. Depending on the type of waterbody this was a big mistake. Plants will manifest all nutritions in their metabolism, so the nitrogen for example is fixed in the submersed vegetation. Algea blooming is reduced that way and some species like tench and rudd but also carp and pike rely on plants for spawning aid. In fact I wrote my diploma thesis about these photophilic species. So what happened is the grass carp fed on the plants and released a load of half-digested plants and a huge amount of nutrition into the water.

Nothing gained. Lake becomes eutrophic, you get algae bloom and loose the underwater vegetation witch normally bonds nutriotions and keeps them “locked”. It’s same with normal carp when there are too many. This is why putting in any carp in waterbody is a risk. This is a classic example of mankind and its interpretation of “natural correlation”. Luckily our winters were too cold for the thermophile members of the grasscarp, amur carp and silver carp. They would not spawn. Nowadays we still have them in stocked lakes but we rarely find them in rivers or streams. As for the standard carp: Carp fishing is very popular in Germany and like fishing for predators, it is a serious economic business for the fishing industry. Carp are being stocked big time and the boilie-fraction keeps a jealous watch over the strict catch and release practicability. Overpopulation we don´t have with carp, the management of stocking often works in a very balanced way and again the long and cold winter period in Germany limits the growth of fish and its populations too.

You know we would really like to visit you and your place, I really hope there will be time to do this in near future. We like you’re pike waters very much! If we were to come where would you take us?

So, my home water the river Lahn holds some pleasant surprises when it comes to fierce river pike. Strong fighters. Not that fat like the pike that feed on whitefish in the big lakes we have. But more of an agile type and when you hook a fish like 1,10m plus and it runs into the rapids here, you are going to have a fun time! There is also a large water reservoir lake in my hood “Edersee” it is called. And I dare to say it is one of the best lakes for big perch in my country. Loads of 50 plus fish in there. Not easy to find, but possible to catch. For you ultra-light fishing fanatics it might be paradise!

This place sounds very interesting… Is ultra light fishing popular in Germany?

Yes it is! Since the global market of fishing tackle is opened 24/7 and the acquisition of high-end tackle from Japan or the US has influenced our fishing style so much, the wind of change has arrived. Mepps and Co became uncool and out of fashion as the soft plastics begun to boom. Cheap lures by the dozen, funky names, colours and the option to carry a wide range of light lures led to boxes filled with ultra-light tackle. Wacky, Neko-rig, Rockfishing – you name it. Also the ultra-light trout fishing is quite hip and fishing with Japanese hardbaits or spoons might be a delight as you know for yourself.

Also streetfishing is quite popular, this event often comes with ul-gear. I do it from time to time, but when I end up catching perch around 8 cm and start to remember how much fun it was to get these with a float and three maggots when I was a kid, I wonder if all the Japanese high end gear is justified for a discipline like that. And catching trophy fish on ul-gear is a matter of your own ethics: Fighting a large fish until it is totally exhausted can´t be your goal.

So well it might be a flavour of the month thing, at the moment many young anglers here discover the light fy fishing and do catch too, so a shifting of interest might be happening again.

We also hope that you will come to Croatia again, and if you come, is there something that you would like to catch here in CRO?

Maybe one of your beautiful Croatian ladies? I have to talk about this subject with my girlfriend, but at least I might dream of it right? The saltwater fishing is something I would like to do with the fly rod! Bluefin or Amberjack if possible would be a nice and exciting fishing.

That bass you caught last time was a surprise for guys from Karlovac and Goran too. They have told me that you threw some super noisy lure that they would never cast :)… Was that your last try or knowledge? :D

It was so hot that day! We all were like melting. And it was by far the most stupid thing to start fishing in noon, at the highest temperatures…So we were sweating like hell, were exhausted and didn’t catch anything until dawn. I tried topwater lures, frogs, soft plastics and even the fly rod: No bass! So just when thinking about quitting the fishing, I saw those two big bass lounging around close to the surface. Then I said to myself: Now it’s time for the most ugly lure that earned no chance until today and didn’t earn any trust so far: It was a Deps Buzzjet jr. in some strange Japanese tree frog pattern….I never fished it before. So one cast and the bass gulped it down right away. Not a second of time wasted. It was hooked properly and then the shit hit the fan: I mean your dear readers know about the waste problem concerning the waters we fished in? Stupid people dumped all sorts of trash in it and just when I tried to land the bass I hooked into a pair of used pantyhose! These were soaked with water of course and together with the furious bass too much for my rod…. The tights got stuck in a branch and the bass shook loose the hook. Luckily it was exhausted and lay flat in the shallows so I jumped in and could grab it. Well the pantyhose still was attached to the buzzjet… Nasty stuff! But today I wear these with pride!

And just one last question…

Smoking salmon of smoking weed?

I mean I am 44 by now, I had my days of fun and reckless lifestyle. With the family there comes responsibility. But from time to time a good smoke before a good meal might come in handy.

Frank, we hope that you will visit us on our page more and in CRO… Really happy and honoured that you made some time to be here with us ;)

I am looking forward too, I love you’re country and I got some deep connection with Croatia as many of my childhood friends here in Germany were Croats and I always love the culture that was being lived in their places and homes! So the honour is on my side that you guys took some time to host me! And I sure will be back at least to show Goran that there are bigger bass in that swamp hole!

Frank Steinmann

17.10.2016Spinerifishing in croatia, frank steinmann, scale magazineSpineri

Pozdrav Frank, konačno imamo našeg najdražeg FotoNinju u gostima na Spinerima. Koliko se sjećam obećao si biti gol za vrijeme ovog intervjua, jesi sada gol?

Pozdrav, Robert i Goran. Pa zapravo, doslovno ću spustiti gače za vas ovdje. Vjerojatno ostatak vašeg čitateljstva nije toliko zainteresiran za to, pa ćemo zbog toga to ostaviti na virtualnoj razini, a ti Goran mi još duguješ 50 eura za one rabljene gaćice što si naručio prošli tjedan.

Nego, imamo prilike vidjeti da voliš roniti u svojim smrznutim rijekama i raditi odlične fotografije, što te najviše motivira da zaroniš ispod tako hladne površine?

Kao fotograf moraš biti stalno u pokretu. Nekako sam zasićen svim tim fotografijama koje vidim kad odem na svoje najdraže ribolovne stranice ili Facebook i Instagram. Sve je već više manje slikano. Zato sam si nekako dao zadatak da odem tamo gdje većina drugih nema priliku ići te da vidim i sretnem ribe koje uobičajeno lovim sa obale, u svom prirodnom okruženju.

Ne na udici, ne na flaksu, ne u rukama ribiča ili dok lovi zrak u podmetaču. I dok jednom budete plivali u jatu stotina podusta koji migriraju, jatu žutooka ili se gledali oči u oči sa ogromnom štukom, nećete zaboraviti taj osjećaj i iskustvo i željeti ćete još. Zimski period je super period za ronjenje zato jer se razne vrste riba skupe u zajednička jata ne bi li našle zaštitu od zime i predatora. Meni je osobno hladnoća tada zadnje na što mislim, zaboravim na nju čim uđem u podvodne riblje kancelarije.

Za ljude koji žele krenuti sa podvodnom fotografijom, savjet… Jesu li jeftina podvodna kućišta ok ili da odmah traže pro kućišta?

Moj savjet bi bio sljedeći. Ako kupujete jeftino, kupujete dva puta. Zato spremajte i čuvajte novce za pravu stvar. Pogotovo ako se time mislite baviti. Danas kompaktne kamere, čak i smartphone imaju podvodna kućišta, a i GoPro se koristi da ulovi fotografije pod vodom. Ali na kraju ništa od toga nije mjerljivo sa slikom iz DLSR-a u kućištu.

Voliš li više mušičarit nego spinat?

Danas da, sutra ne. To totalno ovisi o mom raspoloženju i o načinu na koji želim doživjeti svoj ribolovni izlet. Ništa nije usporedivo bijegu velike mrene na mušičarcu klase 3. Dizanje potočare na suhu muhu je savršenstvo. Volim loviti štuku sa velikim streamerima ali isto tako dođe vrijeme kada volim bacati varalice od 300gr. Brutalan i čist đerk ribolov. Ultra light ribolov grgeča je isto super. Tako da stvarno to sve ovisi o mom raspoloženju. U ovom trenutku kako pričamo mušičarenje postaje sve popularnije i popularnije. Mnogi bivši spin ribolovci, muški i ženski, postaju čisti mušičari. Mušičarenje se prodaje kao održivo, čisto i seksi. Iako je sve to istina, moramo se potruditi da spin ne bude zapostavljen. Ako se radi kako treba bez kontrakuka, ili sa jednokukim udicama, to je još uvijek jako dobar način za loviti ribu. Nije barbarski ili nespretan. Ja volim biti u oba svijeta i ne osjećam se dobro u onim “mušičarskim elitama”, svi se mi na kraju kupamo u ribljoj pišalini.

Znaš uvijek sam razmišljao o tome da te mušičarenje više približava i spaja s prirodom nego spinanje. I da mušičarenje više privlači ljude koji imaju dublju vezu sa stvarima oko sebe i estetikom. I baš zbog toga mušičarenje ima više dobrih fotografa nego spin ribolov. Što ti misliš o tome?

Ovo je jako dobro pitanje. Mislim da bi se isplatilo napraviti znanstveno ispitivanje na ovu temu. Trebalo bi uključiti sociologe, psihijatre i statističare koji bi na kraju napravili profil oba tipa ribolovaca. U ovom trenutku mi nedostaje dobar fotograf iz spin ribolova i to je zbilja teško naći. Način na koji pojedinac doživljava prirodu iz moje perspektive nema veze sa odabirom načina ribolova. Izdržljivost, strpljenje i skromnost je nešto što traži od tebe puno vremena, vremena koje ti treba da nađeš pravu muhu, da nađeš pravi način prezentiranja muhe i na kraju sama bacačka tehnika. Treba vremena dok tvoja muha ne stigne na željenu destinaciju. I možda je to stvar tebe samog, pitanje tvoje “unutarnje prirode”. Kada si u žurbi i bacaš varalicu kao da nema sutra nemaš vremena da pravilno i punim plućima udahneš prostor oko sebe a upravo to je potrebno kada pratiš rojenje u mušičarenju. A ako imaš ADAH dijagnozu možda bi trebao ići na jače i frekventnije bacanje da nađeš mir. A kako je mušičarenje nekada bio financijski nedostupniji hobi, tako je i nabavka kvalitetnijeg i boljeg fotoaparata isto bila nedostupnija. Vremena se mijenjaju, fotografija je postaja mainstream i jeftini mušičarski pribor je među nama, vidjet ćemo kakve će se promjene desiti.

Koje je tvoja najdraža vrsta koju voliš lovit?

Iskreno, ne znam. Opet ovisi dosta o mom raspoloženju. Kako su moji korijeni bazirani u Njemačkoj, svi moji patriotski osjećaji su fokusirani na riječni ribolov Nje, pričam naravno o štuki! Štuka napada sa brutalnom snagom, možeš ju loviti na viđeno i ništa ne može nadmašiti veliku štuku koju imaš na udici u ovim rijekama ovdje. Naravno potočna pastrva i opcije koje mi nude vode u okolici su nešto što sigurno neću propustiti kad proljeće konačno dođe. Volim i mladicu i njezin skriven način života. Ne volim način kako se upravlja na nekoliko predivnih rijeka u Sloveniji, gdje su ove ribe naseljene umjetno radi tih ribolovnih safarija. Šansa za ulovit ovu divlju ribu koja je u svojoj prirodnoj rijeci je nešto što me jako privlači. Naravno u je i tropski ribolov najmoćnijih toplokrvnih fajtera poput GT-a ili tune. Tako da ima puno vrsta koje me jako privlače, ali kao što sam rekao, moje srce uvijek pripada štuki.

Ima li onih dana kada želiš loviti samo velike?

Da, naravno. Ribolov velike ribe može postati opsesija i tu se mora jako paziti da ne padneš u neku vrstu zamke. Pogotovo kad gledamo što internet i mediji propagiraju, možemo si napraviti prevelik pritisak ne bi li ulovili veću samo radi lajkova. Vidjeli smo kod tebe dosta lijepih rijeka za pastrvu, koje je veličine najveća pastrva koju si tamo vidio ili ulovio?

Vidjeli smo kod tebe dosta lijepih rijeka za pastrvu, koje je veličine najveća pastrva koju si tamo vidio ili ulovio?

Najveća koju sam vidio je dok sam ronio u zimi. Bila je debelo preko 80 cm, čudovište! Sakrila se u jatu bijele ribe. Ulovio sam jednu blizu te veličine, bila je zbilja izvanredan primjerak. Domaća riba, ne iz ribogojilišta. Predivna!

Dobra fotografija ili dobra riba?

Od dvoje navedenih samo jedna disciplina može odraditi kako treba. Ako radiš oboje to najčešće završi u kaosu. Boriš se sa ribom i već razmišljaš o brzini zatvarača i svjetlu. Izgubiš koncentraciju i naravno možda izgubiš ribu. Kada lovim i očekujem veliku ribu složim svu opremu i postavke prije ribolova. To znači stativ, blic i daljinski. Tako da vrijeme od ulova do fotografiranja i puštanja bude što kraće. Ali na kraju je uvijek bolje da odem van i dokumentiram frenda koji lovi, imam vremena fokusirati se i namjestiti za pravu fotografiju. Dakle, postoji vrijeme za ribolov i postoji vrijeme za fotografiju.

Vidio sam neke fotografije koje si podijelio, voliš pričati o očuvanju, da li je to jedan od većih razloga zašto se toliko tjeraš u fotografiji?

Ja sam studirao geografiju, botaniku i zoologiju s fokusom na riblju ekologiju i slatkovodnu biologiju. Tako da mi je očuvanje opsesija koja dolazi iz ljubavi prema ribi. Jednostavno obožavam ribe…. Od guppyja do morskog psa. Zapravo sam počeo podvodnu fotografiju u slatkoj vodi da otplatim malo opremu za to slikanje, ali znaš i sam da je fotografije teško prodati. Na kraju je ispalo da je bolje prodavati rijetke ribe koje su u svom prirodnom staništu državnim institucijama za očuvanje okoliša, nego prodavati ribolovnim časopisima. Tako da mi je zadovoljstvo sudjelovati u očuvanju prirode s fotoaparatom i s vremena na vrijeme prodati sliku i nešto zaraditi sa time.

Kao osoba koja je studirala ekologiju riba i slatkovodnu biologiju, i kao pasionirani ribolovac štuke imam za tebe jedno pitanje koje je mit koji bih volio raščistiti. Dakle jako puno ribolovaca vjeruje da štuka za vrijeme mrijesta gubi zube.

Da, nedostaje mi znanstvenih dokaza za takve tvrdnje. Zapravo kod štuka, ženke su veće od mužjaka i za vrijeme mrijesta će razviti manjak apetita što će pomoći manjim mužjacima da ne postanu hrana. Istina je da štuke mogu izgubiti svoje maxilla zube, nazovimo ih očnjacima, koje mogu nadomjestiti, a jako puno zubiju se skriva ispod usana i kože na ustima. Tako da se može činiti, pogotovo na većim ribama, da nema zube što je daleko od istine. Zubi prije i u grlu se ne mogu nadomjestiti i nikada ih ne gubi. Tako da nakon mrijesta često ulovimo štuke za velikim ožiljcima i ranama. To se događa kad štuke imaju borbe oko teritorija radi ženki.

To dokazuje činjenicu da ne gube zube.

Misliš li da će globalne promjene vremena i temperature utjecati na pastrvu i ostale hladnovodne vrste na loš način.

Naravno da budu i to se već dešava. Već se rade opsežne analize i znanstveni radovi koji se bave globalnim zatopljenjem i kako isto utječe na smanjenje ribljih populacija. Nije problem samo u temperaturama koje rastu za salmonidne vode, već je problem i u pojačanim visokim vodostajima i poplavama koje uništavaju mrijest. Znači tijekom ljeta ćemo imati suše i niske vodostaje koji će dovoditi do manjka kisika u vodama i pojačan rast bilja, povećanje visine tla, odnosno smanjenje dubine, gomilanje plinova koje bi uz smanjenje toka moglo uzrokovati gomilanje dušika. Za vrijeme zima ćemo imati velike poplave koje će erodirati tokove rijeka, a kako će nakupljeno blato i mulj te čestice iz toga sve više kolati rijekom, neke vrste poput šarana, žutooke, čak i invazivne vrste bi tu mogle biti pobjednici. I naravno u tome svemu bi mogli izgubiti većinu pastrve, lipljana i lososa.

Da li kod Vas u Njemačkoj postoji problem prevelike količine šarana i amura?

Za vrijeme 80-tih je bilo jako popularno stavljati amure u jezera koja su bogata vegetacijom. Ribiči su pokušavali napraviti bolje pozicije vode za ribolov, u smislu da si riješe nešto trave. Ovo je bila velika pogreška. Npr. biljke će proizvesti sve nutritivne vrijednosti u svom metabolizmu, tako da je npr. dušik fiksiran u podvodnom bilju i to sprječava širenje algi, pa se tako neke vrste poput linjaka, crvenperke, ali čak i šaran i štuka oslanjaju na zaštitu biljaka. Zapravo napisao sam rad na temu tih organizama koji ovise o svjetlu. Dakle što se dogodilo, amur se hranio biljkama i ispustio hrpu poluprobavljenih biljaka i nutritivnih svojstava u vodu.

Ništa dobro nije izašlo iz toga. Dobijete eutrofikaciju vode, odnosno radi oslobođenih tvari u biljkama dobijete jak rast alge i gubite podvodne biljke koje vežu i čuvaju sve te hranjive tvari. Isto se dogodi i sa običnim šaranom kada ga je u vodi previše i zbog toga je puštanje šarana u bilo koju vodu rizik. To je klasičan primjer kako se ljudi bez znanja zaigraju sa prirodom. Srećom naše zime su bile pre hladne za sve ove vrste riba. Nisu se mrijestili. Danas ih imamo u nekim privatnim jezerima ali ih nema u rijekama i rječicama. A što se tiče običnog šarana. Da oni se ubacuju jako puno u jezera. Nema zatrpavanja jezera sa šaranom jer se poribljavanja strogo paze da budu uravnotežena, a opet dugi i hladni periodi u Njemačkoj se brinu za populacije ove ribe kao i njihovu veličinu.

Znaš stvarno bi voljeli posjetiti tebe i tvoj kraj. Zbilja se nadam da će biti prilike za to u budućnosti jer nam se jako sviđaju tvoje vode za štuku. Ako dođemo gdje bi nas odveo?

Dakle moja domaća voda, rijeka Lahn, drži neka ugodna iznenađenja kad pričamo o jakim štukama. Ovdje su zbilja nevjerovano jake. Nisu toliko debele kao one koje se hrane bijelom ribom u velikim jezerima koje imamo. Više su agilne, tako da kad uloviš ribu 1.10 m plus, i kad ista pobjegne u slap, imat ćeš zabavne trenutke. Ima i velika akumulacija ovdje “Edersee” se zove. Usudim se reći da je to najbolja voda za velike grgeče u Njemačkoj. Brdo riba 50cm plus, nije ih lako naći ali su ulovljivi. Za Vas ultra light fanatike to bi mogao biti raj.

Ovo mjesto zvuči jako zanimljivo, Ultra Light ribolov je popularan u Njemačkoj?

Je! Kako je globalno ribolovno tržište otvoreno non-stop i potražnja za visokokvalitetnim priborom iz Japana ili Amerike je jako utjecala na naš ribolovni stil. Vjetar promjene je stigao. Mepss je postalo manje cool i silikon je napravio boom! Jeftine varalice od svuda, cool funky imena, boje i opcija da nosiš veliku količinu laganih varalica, dovelo je kutijica punih ultra light pribora. Wacky, Neko-rig, Rockfishing, što god ti padne na pamet. Isto tako ultra light ribolov pastrve s malim skupim twich voblerima, ili žlicama može biti mrak kao što i sam znaš. Isto tako je street fishing jako postao popularan a on je gotovo isključivo s laganim priborom. I ja sam laganini pao pod taj utjecaj i nekada tako lovim, ali kad ulovim grgeča od 8 cm sjetim se koliko su mi zabave isti priredili dok sam bio klinac i lovio ih na plovak i tri crva. Pitam se jel sav skup Japanski pribor opravdava takav ribolov. A uloviti veliku ribu na takav pribor je pitanje tvoje vlastite etike… Borba s velikom ribom dok nije potpuno iscrpljena ti ne bi trebao biti cilj. Ovo bi lako mogla bit trenutna moda, pošto je jako puno mladih ribolovaca otkrilo lagani ribolov mušicom, tako da bi se ta moda opet mogla opet okrenuti.

Mi se isto nadamo da ćeš ti opet doći u Hrvatsku, i ako dođeš imaš li posebnih želja što se tiče riba?

Možda neku Hrvaticu. Moram o tome porazgovarati sa svojom djevojkom, ako ništa barem mogu sanjati, što ne? Ribolov na moru je nešto što bih volio sa svojim mušičarcem. Plavopera tuna ili gof, to bi bio zanimljiv ribolov.

Onaj bass kojeg si ulovio zadnji put je bio iznenađenje za dečke iz Karlovca i Gorana. Rekli su mi da si bacio neku super glasnu varalicu koju oni nikad ne bi bacilli. Jel’l ti to bio posljednji pokušaj ili znanje?

Dakle taj dan je bilo tako vruće! Svi smo se topili. I najgluplja ideja je bila početi loviti u podne kad je temperatura najveća. Znojili smo se ko budale i naravno nismo ništa ulovili do sumraka. Probao sam sve površinske varalice uključujući i žabe i silikonce i čak mušičarski štap. Nije bilo bassa. I naravno taman kad sam mislio prestati pecati ugledao sam dva velika bassa kako se odmaraju na površini i tada sam rekao sebi: sada je vrijeme za najgadniju varalicu koja nije zaslužila nikakvu šansu i povjerenje do danas. Bio je to Deps Buzzjet Jr, u nekoj čudnoj Japanskoj “gatalinka” boji. Dakle jedan zabac i bass ga je progutao odmah, nije čekao ni sekunde. Bio je zakačen kako treba i onda je počelo sranje. Mislim na to dragi čitatelji, znate na problem s otpadom koji se baca u te vode. Glupi ljudi su unutra pobacali svašta i taman kada sam pokušavao privuči ribu, u borbi se ista zakačila za rabljene najlonke. Naravno da su bile namočene u vodu i s podivljalim bassom previše za moj štap. Na kraju su najlonke zapele za granu i bass se uspio otkačiti, ali kako je bio umoran samo je legnuo ispod varalice tako da sam ga uspio uloviti rukom. Naravno varalica je još bila na tim najlonkama, gadno ali moram priznat da ih još dan danas nosim s ponosom.

Dimljeni losos ili trava?

Gle, mislim imam 44 godine i imao sam svoje dane zabave i razvaljivanja. S familijom dolazi odgovornost. Ali s vremena na vrijeme dobra pljuga prije dobrog obroka je čist ok.

Frank nadamo se da ćeš nas ponovo posjetiti na stranici i u Hrvatskoj. Zbilja nam je čast da si našao vremena da budeš ovdje s nama.

I ja se veselim svemu tome isto. Volim Vašu zemlju i imam neke dublje veze s njom pošto mi je puno prijatelja u djetinjstvu bilo iz Hrvatske. Uvijek sam volio način na koji su oni živjeli, tako da je čast s moje strane jer ste mi dali priliku da budem kod Vas na stranici. I naravno da ću se vratiti da pokažem Goranu da u onoj rupi ima i većih riba.

Trinis 2017

03.10.2016Spineri @enbarbel, megabass @en, pike @en, Sakura fishing, sportism @en, trinis @en, trout @en, ultra light @en, zander @enSpineri

Trinis Neo and Shinjin Neo range of rods were accepted by fishermen not just in Croatia, but all over the Europe. That doesn´t come as a suprise, since both were built on great blanks and equipped with Fuji guides and fair priced. In 2017. these 2 families will become one happy family with more models than ever. We are talking about more than 50 models, both spinning and casting. We at Spineri, together with all of the people that attended 3. Sakura UL Tournament in Lokve, Croatia feel really cool because we had an exclusive opportunity to see and try some of the new models before everybody else.

Trinis Neo and Shinjin Neo gave us many great catches in the last couple of years, since they followed us on most of our fishing trips and we have nothing but great memories with them. When we heard that boys in Sakura plan to combine these 2 series in one, in a way that they will take Trinis Neo blanks and put Shinjin Neo guides and grips so that they can lower the price, it felt like positive answer to our prayers. The thing is that we like our Trinis Neo rods a bit more than our Shinjin Neo rods, since they are a bit classier. They trully are, as they say, top shelf product. In the other hand, Shinjin Neo rods are exceptional in so many ways. Their range was so vast, with so many models that suit modern lure angler needs that we used them more.

Sakura´s new range of rods is built on superb Trinis Neo blanks, which are fast, sensitive, powerful and transmit every move of the lure together with shiest takes so they deserve to carry Trinis name. To continue with a mission that started with Ryokan rods last year, and that is to close up Sakura rods to wider circle of fishermen, they decided to put Fuji Alconite guides on blanks, which are cheaper than SiC guides, but they don´t affect on performances, or durabillity at all, neither they make any difference while fishing. Difference in price is substantial, though, so new Trinis should cost somewhere like Shinjin rods in the past.

Now, when these two became one, when we have Trinis Neo blank wrapped up in Shinjin Neo equippment, we feel like we don´t have ask for nothing more.. Maybe only something in 2,50 meters of lenght around 25-30 grams of casting weight. Untill then, 2,33 long models from Long Range range will do the job, just like they did in the past.

So, what´s new and how does it look? 30+ spinning and 20+ casting models models that cover everything you can imagine, from UL to shore game, in lenghts from 1,80 up to 2,9 meters, with casting weights as small as 3 grams up to 150 grams. We have special models for micro lures and drop shot techniqe, followed by float tube models. Then we have some specials for spinnerbaits and cranks made of fiberglass, short models for vertical fishing, allround models for everyday fishing, together with long range, travel and power game models. It´s like the end that monolog from Tarantino´s From Dusk Till Dawn movie.. If we don´t have´em, you don´t need´em!

As we said, thanks to Sakura´s Tanguy Marlin we had an exclusive chance to see and try some of the new rods and we like how they feel and look like, as well as all of the people who tried them on Lokvarsko lake shore on 3rd Sakura UL Tournament.

4-piece travel model in lenght of 2,13 m with casting weight 7-28 grams was kind of suprise for all of us. It feels more powerful than rated and I find this awesome rod for heavy cover fishing for bass and pike. Fast, stiff and sensitive tip casts everything from 10 to 30, or even more grams and it´s strong backbone has enough power to cope with biggest bass and medium sized pike, among other species.

Great allrounder for those who travel a lot and can´t or don´t want to carry too many rods around. There are 3 more spinning models and 4 casting models covering most of the situations modern lure angler can come up.

Trinis Long Range models in 2,33 m of lenght and with casting weights of 20, 35, 60 and 85 grams are followers of Shinjin Neo Long Range models. Past models were my favourites, in lighter versions for bass, asp and barbel fishing and in heavier versions for pike and hucho. New Trinis LR with advanced blanks continues great tradition and looks better than ever. No matter if you´re after bass and pike on some lake, or pond, or you look for asp and barbel in river rapids, or you cast for seabass and bluefish from the sea shore, these rods will manage it. Although they are only 2,33 m long, due to it´s tip action, they cast lures far and accurate and because of it´s lenght, it´s a child game to animate twitchbaits, stickbaits and soft swimbaits with them. Shinjin Neo LR rods were exceptional rods with reasonable price, Trinis Neo LR with advanced blanks and same price are bargain!

Trinis Neo family of rods in 2,13 m of lenght were our pets. UL, ML, M version, we have them all here at Spineri. Because they are awesome rods. Awesome blanks, awesome equipment, awesome action, al packed in nice finish. They were a bit too expensive for our fellow fishermen, but every single one that put his hands on any of them said those are remarkable rods. After I spent some really quality time fishing with Trinis Neo M (2,13 m, 5-21 g), I can say that new Trinis didn´t lose anything of it´s action that I like so much. It seems very stiff at first, but it has perfect curve when fighting fish. I used mostly for bass fishing with wide range of lures, from soft stickbaits like 3-4 inch Senko to mid sized spinnerbaits and shallow and mid running crankbaits, but there were times when I was abusing it. Times when asp is chasing minnows on the other side of the river, and only lure you can cast that far is 30+ grams soft vib.. Well, Trinis can that, too and I am sure that new model doesn´t stand by a bit. Same blank, new guides, better price.. Doesn´t get better than that.

Somewhat in a shadow of new Trinis were new Sportism models. Sportism 862 MH was first Sakura rod I used. I remember an enormous amount of power packed in nice, eye catching red and white cosmetic. It turned out it is sensitive enough for shy zander takes at one side and powerfull enough to cope with 10-15 kilo catfsh in Sava river rapids. New models are redesigned, they got back Sakura black and orange cosmetic and thinner handles, so it sits nice in the hand. That feeling of power when you hold one, didn´t change, though. There are 12 spinning and 6 casting models covering everything from UL to XXH fishing.

In 2017. Ryokan family will get new members, too. One UL rod with solid tip (2,30 m, 0,5-5 g) and 2 work horses in 2,60 and 2,90 m of lenght with casting weights of 15-60 g and 20-80 g. Since I am abusing 782 and 802 MH models since they came, I am allowed to say that these rods feel unbreakable, especially shorter one. I´ve been casting big lures , over 70 g with 782 MH model and pulling pike from heaviest cover. Guys from Topfishing store lifted bags of fish food with it, but the craziest story is one that Tanguy told us; they took one and bent it in a circle, so that tip of the rod ended on it´s butt. As they say on TV, don´t try this at home.

Anyways, in a couple of days of Tanguy´s visit, these rods caught almost everything that swims in Croatia. Pike, zander, trout, barbel, asp, .. and it´s fair to say they domesticated here. Comments on presentation at Sakura UL Tournament were great, too, so there is no other to sit and wait for them to show up in fishing stores. Looks like we have a long, long winter in front of us..

Trinis 2017

03.10.2016Spinerifishing, noviteti, Sakura, Sakura fishing @hr, sportism, štap za brancina, TrinisSpineri

Sa Trinis Neo i Shinjin Neo modelima štapova družimo se već par godina i kroz ruke nam je prošla većina modela. Svi UL modeli Trinisa, Shinjin Neo UL, Trinis Neo ML i M, svi LR modeli Shinjina, itd.

Robijev Trinis Neo ML (2,10 m do 10,5 g) izvadio je vagon riba iz Save, moja 20ka iste duljine pola vagona basseva, UL i ULST modeli pigali su se pod pastrvama, grgečima i crvenperkama, dok su Shinjini, posebno moja Long Range 85ica, prolazili kroz veća iskušenja u vidu ozbiljnih štuka. Članak o Trinisima imali ste prilike vidjeti na Spinerima. Isto tako, u planu nam je bio članak upravo o Shinjin LR seriji. Štapovima koji pokrivaju većinu situacija u kojima se prosječan ribolovac može naći, a koji duljinom i težinama bacanja, budući da se radi o 4 modela duljine 2,33 i težine bacanja od 20 do 85 g, savršeno odgovaraju svim tehnikama modernog spin ribolova. No, sredinom ljeta načuli smo da ekipa iz Sakure sprema nešto novo i sačekali.

Dečki su objedinili serije Trinis Nea i Shinjin Nea u jednu, na način da su uzeli blankove, tj način izrade blankova od Trinisa i opremu od Shinjina. Trinisi imaju odlične blankove, svi koji su ih imali prilike bar na trenutak probati složit će se s time. Osjetljivi, brzi, rezonantni, sa vrhunskom opremom i sa jako puno snage u rezervi. Mana im je bila mali broj modela, od kojih su neki bili usko specijalizirani, poput krateža za ribolov iz belly boata, ili modela iz jednog komada za vertikalu. Shinjini su pak štapovi koji su imali daleko više modela; od krateža dugog tek metar i pol težine bacanja do 3 grama, preko travel serije, do kolaca od 3 metra. Odlični radni štapovi umjerene cijene, odrađeni sa nevjerojatno žilavim blankovima, koji trpe opterećenja i veća od deklariranih i opremljeni sa kvalitetnim Fuji vodilicama i drškama od kvalitetnog duplona.

Nova porodica rađena je na blankovima kakve su imali Trinisi, dakle brzina, osjetljivost, snaga i savršen osjećaj kod vođenja varalice se podrazumjevaju pa cijela serija zasluženo nosi ime Trinis. Da bi nastavili sa misijom koja je ove godine počela s Ryokanima, a to je približiti Sakura štapove širem krugu ribolovaca, odlučili su koristiti Fuji Alconite vodilice, koje su jeftinije od SiC vodilica, no u praksi ne čine nikakvu razliku, bar ju ja nisam primijetio tijekom druženja sa Shinjinima. No razlika u cijeni je itekako vidljiva. Pa bi tako novi Trinisi u dućanima trebali koštati kao Shinjini, a raspon modela je širok kao nikada.

Svi koji su bili ove godine na Sakuri imali su prilike vidjeti par modela Trinisa koji su tek izašli iz proizvodnje, skupa sa novim Sportismima s kojima se Sakura vratila prepoznatljivoj crno narančastoj kozmetici, a sretnici poput Robija imali su priliku s Tanguyem i odloviti par ribolova s njima. Komentari na Sakura UL kupu bili su više nego pozitivni, od onih da štapovi izgledaju odlično, do onih, jel se to može odmah kupiti. Nažalost, nije se moglo, jer da se moglo, bar 2 bi se sad vozila u Mazdi. Ostaje nam ponos da imamo ekskluzivu na Spinerima, da smo imali ekskluzivu da vidimo novitete na Sakuri i da su prve ribe ulovljene na njih ulovljene u Hrvatskoj.

Novi Trinisi dolaze u preko 30 spin modela, od 1,83 dugog modela težine bacanja do 7 g, alata specijaliziranog za male mamce i drop shot, do 2,92 dugog modela težine bacanja 60 g. Između ove dvije krajnosti nalazi se 30-ak allround, travel, long range, power game i modela za vertikalu. Uz spin modele, tu je još 20-ak casting modela, od klasičnih bass modela do XXH modela za štuku i morske nemani.

Od onoga što nam je Tanguy prezentirao, Trinis Spinning Travel od 4 dijela duljine 2,13 m i težine bacanja 7-28 izazvao je najviše komentara na Sakuri pa ćemo početi s njim. Deklariran do 28 g, tj do 1 oz, ima puno sličnosti sa blankovima američkih proizvođača, koji će takvu oznaku staviti na bass blank koji je u stanju zabaciti bass jig, ili spinnerbait od 28 g u najžešći lom, ili lopoč i iz tog lopoča, skupa sa kojim listom i stabljikom izvaditi bassa od par kila bez puno taktiziranja. Moćan štap koji pokriva varalice od 10 do 40 i kusur grama, a stane u malo veći ruksak.

Long Range 35icu (2,33 10-35) tek prodrmanu na Sakuri preporučili bi za moderni ribolov bassa i štuke silikoncima, spinnerbaitima, twitchevima i površincima. Prošlogodišnji model je višestruko provjeren na bassevima u bližoj i daljoj okolici Zagreba, sa svim mogućim varalicama za bassa. Poboljšan blank će izaći na kraj sa svim bassevima na svijetu, kao i sa štukama kakve se većinom love kod nas. Fina špica, jaka kičma, odličan izbor za srednje težak ribolov bez straha od veće ribe. 2,10 dug model koji baca terete do 20,5 g, tj ¾ oz štap je koji mi je dobro poznat, jer je to štap kojim sam lovio par sezona. Druga oprema ne utječe na performanse nimalo, to je još uvijek onaj blank koji na suho djeluje pomalo motkasto, no pod ribom radi savršeno, a podnosi i skoro duplo teže varalice. Na Savi kod Toplane sam njime bacao glavinjare teže od 30 g pod drugu obalu, a koliko puta je istrpio luđačke drilove mrena teško je reći. Definitivno štap za preporuku, što se vidjelo i na Sakuri, budući da je skupa sa LR 35icom izazvao najviše kimanja glavom, a bilo je i par ponuda za kupnju.

Nekako u sjeni novih Trinisa bili su Sportismi. Prvi Sakurin štap koji smo koristili bio je upravo Sportism. Sjećam se enormne količine snage upakirane u crveno bijelo kozmetiku. U praksi se pokazalo da je dovoljno fin za nadmudrivanje sa smuđevima, kao i dovoljno mekan da amortizira prve bjegove mrena, a vrlo dobar za ribolov bolena i jezerskih pastrva. Pravi allrounder. Uz to što je redizajniran, u ruci djeluje finije, jer je u odnosu na prošli model drška od duplona stanjena. No Sportism i dalje odiše onom sirovom snagom po kojoj je poznat pa bi mogao imati dosta poklonika među ribolovcima koji traže radni štap za male novce. 12 spin i 6 casting modela pokrivaju sve od UL do XXH uvjeta.

Za 2017. godinu u pripremi su i novi modeli Ryokana, štapova koji djeluju nepolomljivo. Ovo govorim nakon godine dana maltretiranja 35ice i 50ke. O tome što su ti blankovi u stanju istrpiti dovoljno govori da sam 35icom bacao 70 g teške swimbaite, da su dečki u Topfishingu dizali par kila hrane s njim, a ubjedljivo najluđa je Tanguyeva priča u kojoj nam je rekao da su uzeli jednoga i sfrkali ga toliko da su spojili vrh i dršku. Novi modeli su 2,70 15-60, 2,92 20-80 i igračkica duljine 2,30 težine bacanja 0,5 do 5 g sa punim vrhom.

Za par dana Tanguyevog posjeta, ovim štapovima je ulovljeno gotovo sve što pliva u Hrvatskoj: boleni, mrene, pastrve, smuđevi i štuke pa bi mogli reći da su se novi Trinisi i Sportismi već udomaćili kod nas. Istestirani su, sada samo treba dočekati da se pojave u trgovinama. Kako to obično biva, zima će biti duga..