Report: Boat fishing adventure with influencers Dustin Schöne and Felix Weckesser

Sometimes the best stories come from a single, slightly crazy idea. Imagine taking an uncompromising piece of fishing tackle - a modern bass boat - and turning it into a temporary home. No houseboat feeling, no cabin, no toilet, no "just below deck". Instead: storage space flaps, rod compartments, cool box, electronics - and a tent on top that is more about "keeping your position" in the wind than "feeling good".

Three men and a fishing boat: how Dustin Schöne and his fishing buddy prepare themselves

Dustin Schöne, YouTube star, fishing influencer and bass boat freak, and his fishing buddy Felix "Wecky" Weckesser are exactly the kind of people who are more likely to hear "then more than ever" when they hear "can't". They are accompanied by cameraman Marcus Gelhard - and thus from the third perspective, which makes the whole thing complete. After all, someone has to be filming when the other two are trying to pull bread, sun cream and a sleeping mat out of a storage compartment at the same time. And then there's this boat: Nitro Z21 XL. A bass boat that is normally built for quick spot changes and long fishing days. Lots of deck space, lots of storage space, brutally efficient - but not for living on for several days.

The crazy thing is that the idea is not "a bit of camping", but a real river trip. Eating up kilometres. Changing countries. Persevere. And fishing at the same time. Not scene by scene - but as one big, coherent journey. One that feels like a road trip - just without the road.

Packing like Tetris

Every centimetre of storage space is worth its weight in gold. The start is rarely glamorous. It's more like packing for three hours, even though you actually wanted to leave at seven o'clock. And suddenly every storage compartment becomes a puzzle. Every centimetre counts, every piece is discussed. What has to go? What can go? What is nice to have - and what will save the day later?

Then the first sign that this tour is not going to be a walk in the park: A brand new pair of glasses gets smashed in the first few moments. 400 euros, two days old, stepped on once - the end. You laugh for a moment because otherwise you'd be crying. And it is precisely this mood that runs like a red thread through the journey: Improvise, move on. Then the moment that makes every adventure official: farewell at the jetty, engine on, looking ahead. "See you in 1,000 kilometres!" You don't just say that. You only say it like that if you really intend to.

Start in France: heat, locks, doubts - and the first fish France does not welcome the crew - i.e. Dustin Schöne and "Wecky" - with postcard romanticism, but with 35 degrees, reflective water and the feeling that the back of the neck is burning despite the sun cream. The first casts are made somewhere near Strasbourg - "we've never been here before". Everything looks good: Edges, weed, structure. And yet at first ... nothing happens. And then: blue light.

Check. Just a few hundred metres into the 1,000-kilometre idea, a police boat is already alongside. It's a typical moment on a tour like this. You think: Oh no, stress now! And then the officers are friendly, curious and even give you tips. The reality is often better than the worries in your head.

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• Nitro Z21: Stay self-sufficient on long boat trips with the fishing boat

Then they come, the big hurdles of the river: locks. And no, not the small pleasure craft locks - but the reality of traffic: freighters, currents, radio, fenders, timing. And then there's the time pressure: you have to make kilometres today, otherwise everything will be delayed. A bass boat can be fast, but the river still dictates the rhythm. Meanwhile, morale sinks while fishing. No fish for hours, only short bites, stragglers. The constant question: was that a cabbage or an asp?

The tour gets off to a slow start - and therein lies the truth: the best laid plans are useless if the conditions work against them. And then, just before France becomes a disgrace without fish: Impact.

A pike. At last. Not small, not huge - but big enough to take a weight off your shoulders. It's this moment that turns "we're going that way" into a real adventure: you realise how much you cling to little things when everything else is shaky.

In the evening, the crew finds a place to sleep: islands, a quiet corner, anchoring, setting up the tent in the dark. They improvise, cook quickly: hot water, bagged meals, unfortunately no catch and cook today. The bass boat becomes a floating studio flat - and nobody pretends it's comfortable. But it's real.

Everyday life on board: 200 hours, little space, little sleep, lots of flow

When you hear "200 hours on a boat", you think of benches, a cabin and perhaps a small cooker below deck. Here it's different: sleeping means stowing away the day in such a way that you can lie down at all. The tent is more or less in place, the sleeping mats are thin and the nights are short. It's hot again in the morning. And yet: at some point, every move is perfect. And one detail becomes the secret game changer: energy.

Set-ups with clever charging management ensure that the batteries are recharged during the journey - even after long days with electronics, echo sounders and an electric motor. That sounds like a minor point, but in reality it's exactly what makes a tour like this possible in the first place. Without electricity, there is no navigation, no technology, no cameras - and therefore no story.

And then there are those river moments that you can't plan: A hat flies overboard at speed. Gone. Flotsam and jetsam in the water, where you swallow briefly because one hit could ruin not only your day, but also your engine. Waves from freighters that suddenly roll over the boat and get everything wet - including the area where you want to sleep later. The river is not just a backdrop. It is both an antagonist and a stage.

Germany: weather collapse, guests, multi-species and the turnaround

The weather changes on the Rhine in Germany. Thunderstorms, rain, cold - and that moment when you realise: you don't want to be on the water right now. So get off the river, moor somewhere, as long as it's safe. From now on, the adventure is not just "kilometres and fish", but also risk management.

And then comes a trick that keeps the story alive: Special guests. First Marc, a local who knows the Rhine, knows spots, reads structures. With him, the "let's have a go" becomes "here it is". First a pike, then the long-awaited catfish - a dream come true. And because fishing on the Rhine is rarely linear, the next scene comes as a gift.

A big perch. 44 centimetres. A statement fish for the Rhine. And one of those catches that stay in your memory because it's not just a fish, but proof that you can do it. You just have to keep at it. And then what makes this river tour even more special: community. People turn up in Worms, bringing ice cream, snacks and cool drinks. Spontaneously. Just like that. These encounters are more than just fan moments - they are part of the reality of travelling. When you live on the water for days on end, stops like these are like little harbours for the brain. A second guest follows: Rhine expert Birger.

And suddenly things happen that previously seemed impossible. Zander? During the day? With frequency? And then a 47 perch? That's the moment when the slow start turns into a story that you tell later on the jetty - with this mixture of disbelief and grins. What are we eating today?

Catch and Cook - the motto of Dustin Schöne and Felix Weckesser

Between all the kilometres, maps (a different ticket for each section), refuelling stops and weather windows, the one thing that makes the trip human happens: food. Not a restaurant. Not another kebab. But of course: Scotty on, fillet on, improvise. We have catfish sandwiches. Pikeperch with rice. Eggs during the rain break. Avocado, half-frozen. Sand in the fish, because the Rhine is the Rhine. And that honest kitchen criticism that is always best among friends: "It's okay." Which, in the context of wet clothes, tiredness and constant wind, actually means: this is pure luxury. The most important point: this is not food content. It shows what happens when you're really outside. Not romantically, but practically.

Pit stop Cologne, honey in Düsseldorf - and then towards the Netherlands

In Cologne at the latest, it becomes clear how absurd - and at the same time how logical - this tour is: a bass boat in the middle of the city. A quick service check, a little mountain festival feeling, a drink in the beer garden, a view of the cathedral - and onwards. And then Düsseldorf: community meeting. A scene that tells so much: Life jackets, GoPros, grinning people on the shore - and honey bottles as a running gag, because the crew in the survival part suddenly realise that even honey can be "gold".

From here, the tour becomes even more challenging. 48 hours of eating only what the river has to offer: Fish, fish and more fish. But also wild herbs and mushrooms from the riverbank (with an expert check, of course, because adventure doesn't mean recklessness). And while the boat ticks quietly in the background - engine, electronics, routine - the journey continues towards the Dutch border and the river delta. The North Sea is waiting. And with it the finale of this unusual idea: a bass boat that is gradually transformed from a day fishing boat into a real expedition boat - not by a conversion, but by three people who simply do it.

Unlimited freedom for Dustin Schöne and his fishing buddy

Why this tour is more than just a YouTube trip You can see this river tour as a crazy social media project. As "they're crazy". But if you take a closer look, it is above all a modern form of leisure adventure: freedom, distance, overcoming boundaries. On the water. And not just in the figurative sense, but also literally.

The Rhine is not just a river. It is a European lifeline that provides you with more changes of scenery and impressions in just a few days than some coastal journeys do in several weeks: the most diverse nature, heat and shallow water, locks and freighters, castles and industry, storm fronts and sunsets, harbours and oxbow lakes, community and solitude.

And the Nitro Z21? It remains a bass boat. Fast, flat, uncompromisingly built for fishing. But that's exactly what makes it so appealing: when something is not designed for this purpose but still works, a story emerges.

The Nitro Z21 XL fishing boat in detail

• Boat type: Bass boat (GRP/composite)
• Manufacturer: Nitro (White River Marine Group/ Bass Pro Shops)
• Length over everything: 6,45 m
• Width: 2,41 m
• Depth: 40 cm
• Unladen weight: 975 kg
• Max. persons: 4
• Outboard motor: max. 300 hp
• Tank: 228 litres
• Speed (max.): 130 km/h
• Price: from 90,000 euros
• Dealer: RheinlandBoats.com
• Echo sounders: 3 x Humminbird Xplore12
• Live technology: Mega Live 2
• Bow engine: Minn Kota Ultrex Quest
• Energy: 36V/100 Ah LiFePo bow motor, 12V/200 Ah LiFePo echo sounder, 12V/100Ah on-board power supply, range extender, shore power, on-board charging systems
• Trailer: Pega bass boat special construction, tandem, 2.5