Franc is doing a couple of workshops over here in Holland for the weekend with a friend. Whilst here we are staying with Renita in her flat in the middle of a delightful little village called Strijen. This morning I ferried the girls into Rotterdam and then drove back to the village to do a little fishing.
There is water everywhere in Holland, but right outside Renita’s flat there is a river called the Keen, which flows towards the Holland Diep, but back up stream there are some delightful stretches, with lily pads, bends and a deep bay which I’m looking forward to fishing later in the year.
There is water everywhere in Holland, but right outside Renita’s flat there is a river called the Keen, which flows towards the Holland Diep, but back up stream there are some delightful stretches, with lily pads, bends and a deep bay which I’m looking forward to fishing later in the year.
I had my new sneaker rod from Dave Lumb and was chatting to a Dutch guy who fishes this part of the river in the village itself. While we were talking about the fishing, I had a take, just after changing from a Rapala to a Storm Wildeye Perch soft plastic. The fish fought well on the new rod, and it was good for several firsts.
First Pike in Holland, first pike on a soft plastic, first on a multiplier and first on Lumby’s new rod. Excellent! I would say it was around 8 pounds, but I didn’t weight it. Ramone, the Dutch guy did the honours with the photo’s. She slipped quietly back seemingly none the worse for her brief encounter with the outside world and I continued to stroll upstream.
Once you're through the town part of the river, the reed beds are more extensive and I tried casting along most of these as well as alongside the lily pads that were beginning to show ready for the summer.
Although I fished on for some time, trying out a lot of new lures and fishing in the big bay, I caught nothing else. The sun has come out, though and the day was bright and clear, it would have been nice to start a little earlier but there you are.
