We're Off !

Off on a trip around northern Europe, where and how far I don't really know. Sort of aiming to get to Sweden ( and maybe southern Norway ) via Holland, Germany and Denmark. 

Nothing booked, just a camper full of rods, tackle, bait, food and drink.

First stop a nice park up with facilities right on the river Ijssel. It's a brute of a river, re enforced boulder strewn banks, it's six foot down at the moment and still flowing like the Wye in full winter flood. 

First quick evening recce and I fished like a plonker, trying to fish to far out, messing about and  rewarded with a deserved blank.

Next morning I was out on the bank early, a bit more organised and very slowly working things out. Big 3-4 oz feeder stuffed with seed and corn fished no more than 20 yards out in about fifteen feet of water. Plenty of bites missed but I did have some big silver bream ( they follow me around these days ), a proper bream and a 2.5lb ide, my first ever.

I was using a very powerful fourteen foot feeder rod and all those fish put a very healthy bend in it, incredibly strong fish. I suppose they have to be to cope with flow.

I saw some big predators hitting prey fish on the surface at dawn and dusk. There's cats, zander, pike and asp present, all growing big. Best spring and autumn as you would expect.

Oh and barbel, though I didn't have one. Weirdly, the bream and silvers came in the very fast water, the ide however were mostly along the edge.

I fished four short sessions and had bream well over 5lb, ide to 2.5lb and some huge silver bream, the biggest three weighing 1lb 13 oz,  2lb and 2lb 2oz. Even the "small ones were 12 oz - 1lb ! And I managed a smeggy eel on sweetcorn.

One of the spots I tried was an area of slower water by one of the many groynes. It was, I guess, thirty foot deep. I moved from that spot after two casts ! A favourite area for the local zander anglers.

Moved on to northern Germany now, heading in the direction of Denmark. Hopefully.

I only scratched the surface and look forward to giving it another go soon.