Waller World 2.0

In the Waller Welt 2.0 by Black Cat team angler Johann Troppacher, it's all about catching big catfish. For some time now, the expert has been taking his guests into the hidden kingdom of the enigmatic river giants. Here, those thirsty for knowledge learn everything about the most promising methods, bait guidance and many other peculiarities of the approach.

Also the experienced Austrian Black Cat supporters Kurt Raaber and Peter Klamminger were recently on a catfish tour and were welcomed at the Grande Fiume with great pleasure by Johann Troppacher. They were definitely well positioned for their adventure, as you can easily see from the pictures.

For the two catfish enthusiasts it was the first tour on the upper reaches of the "big river". So they had also imposed a step-by-step guide on themselves, with which they wanted to proceed step by step. On their first visit, the main task was to familiarize themselves with the new section of the river. Kurt and Peter already knew the area below the dam well, so this new challenge was all the more appealing to them.

As the sole catfish camp in the headwaters, guests here get a handpicked adventure vacation to an area with almost limitless possibilities. Because of the exclusivity of the location, guests can sit back in comfort. The location receives almost no traffic from other catfish anglers. The only problem here: You are spoilt for choice!

Many natural shore areas with overhanging trees and branches as well as small inlets and outlets of overflow basins are an invitation to get close to the extraordinary creatures. Low-flow areas as well as sections where the water really rushes through guarantee exciting fishing. The river offers an incredible amount of structure, edges and breaks in abundance.

In principle, the catfish lover will find similar hot spots here as everywhere else on the Po. But still: "The fishing here is different!" Everyone who knows the middle course of the Po could gain this experience. The river is generally wider in the upper reaches and deeper on average. The meter-high water rises, which are not uncommon below the dam, are normally absent at the top. And: Here, a rise of half a metre is often enough to get the catfish in a mood...

Kurt and Peter didn't necessarily find the best conditions during their fishing week. The first big autumn flood, when the catfish really fill their bellies, was just subsiding. Still, they didn't let it get to them and tried to make the best of the situation. And? "The week went brilliantly." That's how it can go - out of a total of six bites, they managed to score five. Among them, a bombastic catfish caused a sensation! Johann congratulated the two heroes and immediately pulled out his camera to capture this unique moment in front of his lens. Kurt said, "There are no bad conditions for catfishing, the approach just has to be carefully thought out, a sophisticated plan helps." And that's how the two Austrians went about it:

In the current-calmed area, they tied off dead wood lying in the water at a steeply sloping bank edge with the help of an Adjustable Outrigger. They used a crucian carp as bait, which was placed at a depth of about one metre, in about four to five metres of water. They fished a hair rig with 1.2 millimetre mono, the Black Cat Gripper Hook as a holding hook and the Cat Hooker as a catching hook. A 30 gram Black Cat Front Zone lead was mounted about 40 centimetres in front of the baitfish.

The longed-for bite of the giant came and the Cat Hooker gripped perfectly in the corner of the mouth. Immediately the catfish started a fight by hook or by crook. The catfish tore Kurt immediately several meters of the S-Line in 0.55 millimeters from the almost closed Black Cat Extreme FD reel down. Again and again the fish looked for the depth of the river. The catfish rod The Bank proved its "inner values" and helped to bring the fish to the top. A safe and gentle landing formed the crowning conclusion.

All good things come to an end and so, sadly, did Black Cat supporters Kurt and Peter's first flying visit to the upper river. Both vowed, "This was not the last time." Their curiosity is only now really piqued. "We're going to study this area even more closely to fish it more effectively and to put one or two, probably mostly still unknown, freshwater giants on the mat," they conclude.

"Thank you Johann, for these great days. When the mood is right, so is the success."