Oosterschelde - Sea bass

Date: 15 August 2016
Country: The Netherlands
River: Oosterschelde
Nearest city/town: Tholen
Fish: Sea bass
Technique: Spinfishing
Gear: Spin rod with braided line + 35/100 nylon + softbait (black minnow)

Another beautiful day at the Oosterschelde! Big schools of sea bass surfacing to eat anchovy with seagulls indicating their location. However, the big ones stayed down at the bottom... So we had to refrain from casting our softbaits between the feeding frenzy fish and let it go down to the bottom instead. In return we hooked some nice sea bass!

Oosterschelde - Sea bass

Date: 10 August 2016
Country: The Netherlands
River: Oosterschelde
Nearest city/town: Tholen
Fish: Sea bass
Technique: Spinfishing
Gear: Spin rod with braided line + 35/100 nylon + softbait (black minnow)

Port of Rotterdam/Oosterschelde - Sea bass

Date: 30 July 2016
Country: The Netherlands
River: Port of Rotterdam (morning) / Oosterschelde (afternoon)
Nearest city/town: Rotterdam / Tholen
Fish: Sea trout/Sea bass
Technique: Flyfishing / Spinfishing
Gear: Flyfish rod with floating or sinking line; streamers, shrimp, nymphs / Spin rod with braided line + 35/100 nylon + softbait (black minnow)

We decided to check out this spot in the port of Rotterdam that was recommended to us by Sepp Fuchs when we coincidentally met him after fishing in Rotterdam. He was kind enough to give us a shrimp and a nymph he tied for sea trout and sea bass. Unfortunately we didn't have a single bite that morning.
We got a phone call from our friend Tom: he was going to fish for sea bass with his boat on the Oosterschelde near Wemeldinge. We were catching sea bass all afternoon and were smiling all the way back to Antwerp!

Luxembourg - Trout

Date: 4 July 2016
Country: Luxembourg
River: Sûre
Nearest city/town: Arsdorf
Fish: Trout
Technique: flyfishing
Gear: 6-rod, 4x leader, 5x tippet, dry fly (may fly / caddisfly)

Because I was staying in Luxembourg for work, I had the opportunity to look for fishing spots in Luxembourg. One of the best spots I discovered was this small stretch of the Sûre river where I was all alone catching one small trout after the other.
I also tried the Lac de la Haute Sûre but I had no luck there. Another spot I tried was the place where the Sûre joins the Mosel river at the border between Luxembourg and Germany (Wasserbillig).
You'll need a different license for the 'border rivers' and the 'inland rivers' in Luxembourg but my advise is to buy the 'inland rivers' permit and fish the Sûre between the lake and the Belgian border.

Slovenia - Trout

Date: 12-18 June 2016
Country: Slovenia
River: Soça
Nearest city/town: Tolmin
Fish: Trout
Technique: flyfishing
Gear: 6-rod, 4x leader, 5x tippet, dry fly (may fly & caddisfly; nymph; streamer)

Accomodation: Pri Kafolu 
Guide: Lesley - Slo-Fly 

One year later and we're back in Slovenia. The rivers and nature here are just stunning!
I highly recommend the place where we stayed. Tomaz of Pri Kafolu is one of the kindest guys I have met. We had an excellent stay it was very affordable.
I think Slovenia is a hidden gem in Europe. Lying next to (Northern-)Italy, it has mountains, rivers, wildlife, vineyards, a mediterranean climate and of course... a lot of trout. You can catch big rainbow trout but also a more rare species of trout called 'marble trout' or 'mamorata'. This trout is spooked very easily and to catch it you will have to stalk the marble trout like a ninja!

Oosterschelde - Sea Needle (Geep)

Date: 3 June 2016
Country: Belgium
River: Oosterschelde
Nearest city/town: Kats
Fish: Geep (Sea needle)
Technique: Spinfishing
Gear: Spinrod with salmon strips as bait

It tradition to go fishing for sea needle ('geep' or 'may fish' as we call it) during the months of May and June. With the North-Sea and the Oosterschelde nearby we can fish for sea needle from the shore or from a boat.
In some of the well-known spots you'll be fishing shoulder to shoulder, so my brother and I went to a more quiet spot and we took my dog with us.
Some people don't like to eat this fish because it has a lot of fish bones. However, if you cook it right, the meat will come right of the bones. Yummie!

  

Riumar (Deltebre) - Tuna

Date: 2-6 May 2016
Country: Spain
River: Ebro / Mediterranean Sea
Nearest city/town: Riumar
Fish: Tuna & Bluefish
Technique: Spinrod
Gear: Spinrod with 60 gram metal jig

Guide and accomodation: Roned Sport Fishing

Our friend Tom invited us to go on a fishing trip to Riumar in Spain to catch tuna. We stayed in a beautiful house near the sea and harbour in Riumar that we rented from Roned Sport Fishing. Xavier, our guide and captain, brought us to right locations to catch tuna. We had to look for seagulls diving into the water to eat the small bait fish the tuna were hunting to the surface.
I caught a tuna, drilled it for 2 minutes and lost it because the line snapped. Luckily, Tom didn't lose his tuna and after an epic fight managed to bring it on board.
Later Kamiel and I both caught a bluefish when we were trolling with the boat on the Ebro river near the sea.
We were there early May which is probably early in the season to see a lot of tuna. On the other hand: there weren't too many boats on the water which was very nice! 

Oosterschelde - Sea bass

Date: 19 & 22 August 2015
Country: The Netherlands
River: Oosterschelde
Nearest city/town: Tholen
Fish: Sea bass
Technique: Spinfishing
Gear: Spin rod with braided line + 35/100 nylon + softbait (black minnow)

Two days on the water with some friends, catching sea bass, enjoying a cold beer in the hot sun!

Norway - Trout & Grayling

Date: 10-14 August 2015
Country: Norway
River: Rena
Nearest city/town: Rena
Fish: Trout & grayling
Technique: flyfishing from kayak
Gear: 6-rod, 4x leader, 5x tippet, dry fly

I booked a last-minute flight to Oslo, Norway, stayed one night in Oslo and took the train to Rena. At the station Ulf was already jumping, both arms in the air, to welcome me. The same evening, I was on the river in a kayak taking the first picture below. It was a magical evening and I caught a big grayling.
The river was full of trout close to the shore and grayling more in the middle of the river. Every evening there were may flies and sedges hatching and the fish went crazy. A calm river could turn into a feeding-frenzy fish pool in 15 minutes. We fished until it was to dark to see anything and we paddled back to the shore. Tired from fishing, we usually smoked a trout and had beer to exchange our stories of the day.
The afternoons were spent tying flies. Ulf was kind enough to teach me some basic fly tying. 
Check out Ulf's awesome flies (and how to tie them) on my YouTube channel!

Slovenia - Trout

Date: 12-15 July 2015
Country: Slovenia
River: Soça
Nearest city/town: Tolmin
Fish: Trout
Technique: flyfishing
Gear: 6-rod, 4x leader, 5x tippet, dry fly (may fly & caddisfly)

Accomodation: Pri Kafolu 

My first trip to Slovenia was so good I had to share this with my wife. So during our summer holiday we drove to Slovenia so I could show her the wonderful rivers. We also drove to the small coast of Slovenia between Croatia and Italy and visited a town called Piran. Next we drove to Italy (San Remo) and from there we went to the North of Spain to join our friends and family.