By Dirk Temmink

We looked out of the windows while the train tracks flew by underneath. We saw flashes of graffiti on the walls of the tunnels we moved through, and when the metro slowed down for the stations we tried to get a glimpse of Budapest. We had already spent two days in that beautiful city, done plenty of tourist stuff, seen the sights and we even went to a football match. But now we were on our way to check out a new area. We had two more things to do on our last day and one of them was the main reason to pick Budapest for our trip. The anticipation grew as the metro got closer to our destination.

In our group chat the youngest of my two brothers asked us how we felt about going on a citytrip together. Everybody was enthusiastic about the idea and we started spitballing locations. I immediately thought of a trip two friends of mine had in 2015. They caught guppies in a park lake in Budapest and since then, I’ve wanted to do that myself. So of course, I suggested Budapest as a destination for our trip and maybe even pushed my suggestion a little, but not much convincing needed to be done and soon tickets were booked and preparations were made.

As I mentioned before, we had two more things on our to-do list. The first one was fishing for guppies and the second one was the reason those guppies are able to survive there; we wanted to go swimming in one of Budapest’s lovely thermal baths. The water in those baths comes from natural hot springs, deep in the ground and are heated by geothermal activity, which is natural heat emanating from the earth. Some of that water is diverted to a park lake close by, resulting in high water temperatures the whole year round, and tropical fish being able to survive the cold European winters. As those fish aren’t native to Hungary, someone must have been done with their hobby and emptied their aquarium in that park lake, where the fish now thrive.

When the metro arrived at our destination we almost tripped over each other, hurrying up the stairs to be the first to catch a glimpse of the lake. We couldn’t see the water yet, but we saw streaks of mist dance up into the air. The last info we got about this spot was over four years old, so we weren’t even sure if it still existed. It was freezing in the city so the steamy mist was a really good sign. The footpath we followed ended at the lake at a spot where there was also an inflow into the lake. There was a grate incorporated into the edge and we spotted dozens of baby guppies. 

It was right next to a no-fishing sign so we had to work inconspicuously. I started fishing a handline as the fish were right in front of my feet. They showed interest in my bait but they were too small, even for my smallest Tanago hook. Where there are juvenile fish there must also be adults, and my brother went for a walk around the lake to try and locate the bigger fish while I kept trying for the babies. I got a call; he had found some next to a submerged concrete bar, what seemed to be the roof of the underlying metro tunnel, on the other side of the lake. These fish were further out and with just a baited hook I couldn’t reach the fish. As these fish are just below the surface, I added a tiny float and a small split shot (right below the float) so I could present the bait high in the water. With these tiny fish, I barely feltl a bite so it was a nice extra that the float shows a bite clearly.

The lure we used was a nice mini fly larvae (or maggot) imitation. It’s from the brand Nikko and known under the name Dappy Fly Larvae aka Sashi, and we used the size SS. I’ve also found them in size M but have never tried those. They float, so it is easier to drag through the surface. A pack is filled with five strands, with 10 Sashi per strand. You can tear them off and use a single one, but for smaller micros I even cut them in half. The plastic is quite durable and will last for lots of fish. They are strong but are completely biodegradable and contain no plastisol, phthalates or any toxic chemicals, which is a big plus in my book. I got them from a well known Japanese auction site. 

What worked best was dragging a bait through, or just below, the surface. The fish would chase the bait and in the process hook themselves on the moving hook. Not your regular lure fishing I must admit, but a little ingenuity helped us succeed in our mission this time. In an hour of fishing, all three of us succeeded in catching our first ever guppy! 

The guppy is easily confused with a mosquitofish, but there has been research done at this location and they concluded they were all guppies. It would have been easier if we caught a colourful male specimen (as mosquito fish males are as bland as the females) but all we got were the ladies. While fishing we noticed a nice contrast; next to the steamy park lake filled with tropical fish was an outdoor ice skating track, where people were up to their noses in jackets, hats and scarves. And after having our fun at the lake it was time to warm ourselves up and dive into one of those thermal hot baths. A proper way to end our very enjoyable city-trip for sure.