“I was taught to fish from childhood. My favorite toys were small fishing lures specially made for children. I would cast them into the river with the greatest enthusiasm. After setting them at night, I often couldn’t sleep from excitement, because I was so anxious to see what I’d find when I checked the traps in the morning. I’d always find a few fish: a pike or an eel, roach, bream, and the occasional tench.” (From the memoirs of W. Trauschies of Dreverna).
Gradually, these games turned into serious work. The older children were taken along more and more often when they went out to check the gates (the set nets). How proud they were when they set out with their parents in a sailboat onto the lagoon! The children eagerly tried to learn their parents’ skills and start fishing on their own as soon as possible.