Fishing in France, the Friendly Competition

On Sunday we made the bicycle trip into Sarrebourg to see the Chagal stained glass window. As we were leaving the boat, an elderly couple was just setting up their fishing encampment right behind us. It seemed like it took an hour for them to get all their gear in exactly the right configuration, Oma put on her plastic apron and the fishing began. Several hours later, when we returned, they were still there, fishing away. An hour or two later, as we had our aperitif on the back deck, they began to pack up their gear. They had each been stashing every fish they caught a in mesh bag, one of which is owned by every French fisherman and dangled in the water to keep the fish alive while the fishing continues. First Oma pulled her bag out of the water, took some pictures and hooked it up to a hand-held scale. 18 kilos of fish, almost 40 pounds! After returning the fish to their native habitat, it was Opa's turn. He managed only 14 kilos. As we applauded their accomplishment, he raised her hand in the air. The Champion Pecheuse was crowned!