Fishing updates
In 2006 and 2007 I won the clubcompetition of www.zeevissen.com. Though I still partiocipate in some of their events I competed in the Eurovissers clubcompetition in 2008, more challenging as there's a few ex national champions competing and the entire team that won the bronze medal at the 2008 world chamionship in France and finished 4th in the world chamionship 2009 in Germany. As a 'rookie' you start in the B-competition and the top 5 progress to the A league. I finished 2nd in the B- league and promoted to the A-competion where I finished 6th in 2009. In 2008 I managed to qualify for the Dutch National championship on an individual basis and got through to the selection matches that follow. This time the Rancar fishing team that I am a member of did very well at the qualification and finished 3d. That means that we will compete at the nationals as a team. Much more fun and focus in preparation, as we are all good friends we'll have a lot of fun preparing for that day in October. Check the teams website In the meantime I'll try and target some larger bass and mullets as well, there are some big ones out there, and I haven't landed them, Yet..
May 2009 I visited the Holderness Coast, just north of Hull for 3 days. In the winter you can catch decent cod of the beaches, but that is a fish that I've caught quite a lot at home. But it does seem like an interesting area in summertime. When smoothound shark, bass, dogfish and thornback ray can be caught. When I arrived it was sort of between seasons. I did catch a dogfish and a small thornback ray plus some other less interesting fish. I'll be back for the smoothhounds and bigger rays another year in the summertime.
When I am fishing outside competitions I prefer to fish the beaches. Over there the sea is most alive, and maybe I am a bit of a romantic after all. In recent years I have discovered how special the Europoort harbour region is, a wide spectrum of very different waters. Some places you have to use heavy braided lines with at least 6oz gripper lead and really force the cod over the snags, in other places you can land large flatfish feeder fishing with a 2oz lead or catch very sizable bass floatfishing with shrimps or ragworms.
And most precious are the times that I can go fishing with my dad. We thought we lost him when he had a severe stroke at the age of 43 but now at 78 he is still there and on nice days he'll come to the beach nearest to home (Scheveningen). Here's a few pics of some of the places and fish that I mentioned.
