RIGA — It might be spring if you look at the calendar, but looking out the window tells another story. When its cold, there is nothing like a nice juicy fish fillet sitting on your plate to make you just a little bit happier. Maybe even add some potatoes.
Now, one of the best things about visiting and living in the Baltics is that you get a raw look at life. Anything you do is basically stripped down to its [private_supervisor]bare functionality — including fishing.
Fishermen try their luck on the Daugava River.
When you drive around Latvia you will see small black dots on top of distant frozen lakes. These are men crouching on their tackle boxes, necking vodka and waiting for a fish to take a bite of their bait that hangs through the ice.
The cool thing is that you can also do this. Just get a box, a line and a bottle of vodka and go find a lake. Now of course you need to know which lake is safe to walk on because if you don’t you will be in for a rude shock.
The best way to know if a lake is safe is to ask a local. If there are lots of drunk men with boxes on a lake, you can probably guess that its safe enough to sit on. Also, these men might help you drill a hole in the ice.
Make sure you take enough warm clothing because sitting still outside in the wind on a big slab of ice can make you pretty cold.
Once you have drilled a hole, dangle your line and pour a glass. The most common catches are pike and perch, which are of course both edible. Also, Latvia is one of the few places in the Baltic Sea region where natural salmon spawning areas still remain.
According to the Latvian government, the country has 2,256 lakes. That should give you enough options for your authentic cultural experience. It is however reported that “nearly all” are unpolluted, so make sure you do check with the locals before casting off.
After catching the fish, take it home and eat it. Yum. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]bare functionality — including fishing.
Fishermen try their luck on the Daugava River.
When you drive around Latvia you will see small black dots on top of distant frozen lakes. These are men crouching on their tackle boxes, necking vodka and waiting for a fish to take a bite of their bait that hangs through the ice.
The cool thing is that you can also do this. Just get a box, a line and a bottle of vodka and go find a lake. Now of course you need to know which lake is safe to walk on because if you don’t you will be in for a rude shock.
The best way to know if a lake is safe is to ask a local. If there are lots of drunk men with boxes on a lake, you can probably guess that its safe enough to sit on. Also, these men might help you drill a hole in the ice.
Make sure you take enough warm clothing because sitting still outside in the wind on a big slab of ice can make you pretty cold.
Once you have drilled a hole, dangle your line and pour a glass. The most common catches are pike and perch, which are of course both edible. Also, Latvia is one of the few places in the Baltic Sea region where natural salmon spawning areas still remain.
According to the Latvian government, the country has 2,256 lakes. That should give you enough options for your authentic cultural experience. It is however reported that “nearly all” are unpolluted, so make sure you do check with the locals before casting off.
After catching the fish, take it home and eat it. Yum. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]bare functionality — including fishing.
Fishermen try their luck on the Daugava River.
When you drive around Latvia you will see small black dots on top of distant frozen lakes. These are men crouching on their tackle boxes, necking vodka and waiting for a fish to take a bite of their bait that hangs through the ice.
The cool thing is that you can also do this. Just get a box, a line and a bottle of vodka and go find a lake. Now of course you need to know which lake is safe to walk on because if you don’t you will be in for a rude shock.
The best way to know if a lake is safe is to ask a local. If there are lots of drunk men with boxes on a lake, you can probably guess that its safe enough to sit on. Also, these men might help you drill a hole in the ice.
Make sure you take enough warm clothing because sitting still outside in the wind on a big slab of ice can make you pretty cold.
Once you have drilled a hole, dangle your line and pour a glass. The most common catches are pike and perch, which are of course both edible. Also, Latvia is one of the few places in the Baltic Sea region where natural salmon spawning areas still remain.
According to the Latvian government, the country has 2,256 lakes. That should give you enough options for your authentic cultural experience. It is however reported that “nearly all” are unpolluted, so make sure you do check with the locals before casting off.
After catching the fish, take it home and eat it. Yum. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]bare functionality — including fishing.
Fishermen try their luck on the Daugava River.
When you drive around Latvia you will see small black dots on top of distant frozen lakes. These are men crouching on their tackle boxes, necking vodka and waiting for a fish to take a bite of their bait that hangs through the ice.
The cool thing is that you can also do this. Just get a box, a line and a bottle of vodka and go find a lake. Now of course you need to know which lake is safe to walk on because if you don’t you will be in for a rude shock.
The best way to know if a lake is safe is to ask a local. If there are lots of drunk men with boxes on a lake, you can probably guess that its safe enough to sit on. Also, these men might help you drill a hole in the ice.
Make sure you take enough warm clothing because sitting still outside in the wind on a big slab of ice can make you pretty cold.
Once you have drilled a hole, dangle your line and pour a glass. The most common catches are pike and perch, which are of course both edible. Also, Latvia is one of the few places in the Baltic Sea region where natural salmon spawning areas still remain.
According to the Latvian government, the country has 2,256 lakes. That should give you enough options for your authentic cultural experience. It is however reported that “nearly all” are unpolluted, so make sure you do check with the locals before casting off.
After catching the fish, take it home and eat it. Yum. [/private_subscription 1 year]
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