Country inn Hoffmann
A great journey from fishing paradise to reward
The free time formula
"You've got next week off, haven't you?" my friend Vivian asks me. "Yes, why?" I reply with a questioning undertone. "And what are we doing then?" Shit, I could have guessed it. Now it's time for tact and the right tone at the right time. Tilting my head slightly to the side, I answer with a haunted look and a low voice: "Fishing?" "Yes, of course!" replies my better half. The irony is unmistakable. "Look, what do you say we go to Lake Sorpesee, enjoy the sunrise with a cup of coffee and do a bit of fishing from the shore? And if the fish don't cooperate and we don't catch anything for the kitchen, we'll stop off at a nice country inn for lunch on the way back." "And if you do catch something? We haven't gone out to eat together for a while!" "Then we'll just leave the fish in the kitchen," I reply with a grin. She's not convinced yet, as her look reveals. "Look, we're going fishing, including sunrise on the Sorpesee, followed by lunch in a country inn and a trip to Arnsberg's Altstadt." "Agreed!".
The early bird catches the worm
When the alarm clock rings, I feel like I'm getting up before the birds. The alarm clock reads a painful 4.15 am. As a precaution, I didn't mention to my girlfriend last night how early it would ring for our outing. Outside, the morning dawns. The first rays of sun tickle the green summer grass. As I open the window, I hear the familiar chirping. The early bird catches the worm, I think to myself. That applies to both today: the feathered friends outside and me. Even if my goal today is not in the ground, but in the water. A glance outside confirms yesterday's weather report: bright blue skies. A good motivation to fire up the coffee machine.
A short vacation on the doorstep
Even though we get up so early, we don't have far to go. Today's day on the water and later in Arnsberg will be a short vacation on our doorstep. The only thing between us and our destination is the A45, the Sauerlandlinie. The name of the highway says it all, as the route takes us to the Sauerland lakes. After just under an hour's drive, we stop on the banks of the Sorpesee in Sundern. Anglers are particularly familiar with this body of water because of its stocks of whitefish. These silver schooling fish are in turn the prey of larger predatory fish. Pike, lake trout and zander use their sharp teeth to raid the clear lake. Pike up to well over one meter are caught by anglers every year! Will we be lucky today?
Fishing at sunrise
The anticipation builds as I set the blinker and pull over. I quickly get the fishing tackle out of the car and head for the water. I have a 2.7 meter long spinning rod with me. Anglers are sometimes "spinners" in a positive sense, but the name comes from the English word "to spin", which means "to turn something". This is exactly what you do when spinning fishing: the bait is cast out and retrieved with the fishing reel that holds the line. To do this, you turn the crank of the reel. In this way, the angler imitates a swimming or fleeing prey for the predatory fish.
Despite it being summer vacation time, the lake lies calm and untouched in front of us today. But who is up this early on vacation? The sun slowly creeps over the deep green trees that line the shore and Sorpesee with its emerald green water. It's a fantastic sight, which alone makes the trip to the lake worthwhile. And so the hours at the lake fly by. Vivian casts her line a few times and has a good nose for the right bait. She selects a small, silvery rubber fish from my bait box and says: "Can you mount this for me? It looks similar to the small fish here on the bank." I mount the lure and reply: "That's right, it could actually work well." Several perch do indeed follow the rubber fish. They just don't want to bite properly.
Fresh fish at the country inn
We try again for a while at the spot where the perch swam after the lure. But unfortunately no perch bite, they are obviously not hungry. But we are all the more so. The clock has already reached midday and it's time to turn our backs on the lake and its fish for the time being and stop off at a country inn instead. Vivian is already looking forward to it when we park in the parking lot of the Landgasthof Hoffmann. "They run their own farm," my passenger tells me, referring to what she has just read on the inn's website.
We get a nice spot in the courtyard garden. The cool drinks taste all the better here. The country inn has a long family history dating back to the 18th century, as we learn. We tell the waitress about our unsuccessful attempt to catch sight of a fish. "If you want to see some fresh fish today, just come into the kitchen with us!" We gladly accept the offer and are able to look over the chef's shoulder in person. We both order a trout. In the kitchen, we learn that the fish comes directly from the local ponds. I ask if I can hand over my fish directly to the kitchen if I am lucky enough to fish. "Of course you can! That's possible too!" Meanwhile, Matthias Hoffmann explains how he is preparing today's "substitute catch". It already smells delicious. Shortly afterwards, we can see for ourselves that it also tastes very good.
And the best thing is that our day doesn't end here - we're about to stroll through Arnsberg, take a look at the medieval town center and enjoy the scenery from the castle ruins. My thoughts will certainly drift off to the next fishing day in the Sauerland. Because one day it will bite, the big fish! I'm looking forward to it.
Text: Clemens Strehl
Photography: Ralf Litera
Video: Jannik Fischbach
