The nets have to be cast. The lake is 5.7 kilometres long and almost one kilometre wide. Alexander Scheck starts the engine on his “Plätte” – the name given to this typically long, wooden fishing boat with a flat bottom, a design that has been used on Lake Grundl for decades and which makes it possible to easily land anywhere on the lake shore. He places the nets in the bow and sets off. “The lake char is a very special fish. You can’t compare them to trout. The char has a much finer taste; I would say it is nuttier.” Alexander Scheck is a passionate fisherman by his own admission. At the weekend he helps out behind the counter at the fish market. He is 31 and an able man who loves the mountains and lakes in equal measure. His parents own an inn at the end of the lake; the speciality of the house is char. “I grew up with fishing rods and cooking pots. I know that the best fish is always the one you catch yourself,” he says. “The only thing that can beat it is a fish you’re not really allowed to catch.” Alexander laughs, his eyes twinkle mischievously. The sins of youth, fishing during the off season. Those days are long gone.