Boat fishing: Lake Plauer – what you, as an angler, should know about the area

​There is a wide choice of fishing spots – from Lake Plau in Mecklenburg, through the Netherlands, all the way to Spain. If you tow your boat, a whole host of destinations are open to you. To mark World Fishing Day, we’d like to introduce you to Lake Plau.

​It’s still dark when the first doors click shut. Somewhere, a lashing strap clicks into place; a cool box is slid into the boot; the outboard motor hangs silently from the stern. The boat stands ready on the trailer. The anticipation builds. For a moment, everything still seems still. Then the car starts up – and a normal day’s fishing turns into a journey. That is the appeal of the trailerable fishing boat. It doesn’t wait moored in a marina. It doesn’t belong just to one lake, one bay or one home waters. It can come along. Across country roads, motorways and borders. To places where different waters pose different challenges. Where the wind blows differently, the shores look different, the fish are in different spots, and the day is exciting simply because you don’t know the waters yet. The following pages are all about this feeling. About waters you can reach with your own boat – and which are little worlds in their own right.

Lake Plau in the Mecklenburg Lake District combines tranquillity, wide open spaces and a classic inland fishing ground. If you trail your boat, you don’t have to decide what sort of angler you are. Today the Lake District, tomorrow a river, and perhaps Spain one day. Sometimes pike in the shallow coastal waters, sometimes zander in the river, sometimes perch amongst the ledges and weeds, sometimes black bass on warm rocks. The boat remains familiar, but the water and the landscape are ever-changing. That is the strength of this system. You don’t just travel to go fishing. You experience regions. You chat to people at boat ramps and jetties. You discover harbours, campsites, holiday parks, boat launches, lakeside pubs and windows of good weather. You don’t collect fishing spots on a map, but memories.

Lake Plau​

The expansive Lake Plau is the gateway to the Mecklenburg Lake District and a hotspot for pike and perch anglers. Anyone setting out from Plau am See will soon realise that this is about more than just individual bays or spots along the shore. Covering an area of around 39 square kilometres, Lake Plau is one of the largest lakes in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. It combines open water with long shorelines, reed beds, bays and striking transitions between shallow and deep water. To the east and south, the banks drop off more steeply in places, whilst to the west and north they slope more gently. As a result, Lake Plau remains easy to navigate despite its vastness. Wind and weather play a part, but the area also offers plenty of structure – it is this combination that makes it so appealing to boat anglers.

A boat makes all the difference here. Many exciting areas are only accessible to a limited extent from the shore. It is only from the water that the whole scene opens up: reed beds, bays, open water, trolling spots, edges and transitions. Lake Plau offers particular potential for pike and perch anglers. Those who navigate systematically, read the water and assess the conditions will find a fishing ground here that offers both the classic logic of a lake basin and a genuine sense of open water.

The strengths of the district

However, its particular strength lies not only in its size. Lake Plau is part of the Müritz-Elde waterway and is therefore directly linked to the Mecklenburg Lake District network. To the east, the waterways open up via Kölpinsee and Fleesensee towards Müritz; to the west, the waterway leads towards the Elbe. You can spend a whole day fishing on Lake Plau – or broaden your horizons and explore the Lake District.

The town itself is also part of the area’s character. Plau am See lies on the western shore and sees itself as the gateway to the Müritz region. The lift bridge, lock, lighthouse, old town and harbour atmosphere provide the area with its maritime backdrop. Here, water, architecture and landscape intertwine.

In practical terms, the town is also well situated. With the town marina and Elde Harbour, it offers excellent starting points. The town marina is close to the centre and has guest moorings, a slipway, a crane, and water and electricity connections. Those staying for several days can, depending on the weather, either fish extensively on the lake itself or plan trips eastwards towards the Lake District and Müritz.

Important information

Lake Plau is not only a leisure and fishing area, but also a natural environment. Protected areas, sensitive shoreline zones, reed beds and wildlife refuges all require consideration. If you plan carefully, keep your distance and follow the signs, you will experience an area whose quality stems precisely from this balance.

Ultimately, Lake Plau is one of the most compelling gateways to the Mecklenburg Lake District: large enough for serious boat anglers, varied enough for targeted fishing, and open enough to look beyond the lake itself.