DICER
15-04-2006, 09:06 AM
Yes it was my first fishing effort this year.
I read all my Dutch licenses (3), in Nederlandse of course, right when I received them earlier this year. 31 pages in total. Easy right, well almost (if you're good at Dutch). And I remember everything. But today was the sunniest, warmest day this year. Beats sleat, hail and sideways snow. Nothing left to do but head out my front door down to the dike, rod in hand, licenses in the backpack. Get some sun while it lasts.
There are two other fishermen on the otherside happy fishing, not catching anything though. Plenty of splashes and fish in the reeds. Water fowl are here and there. A duck too. It's the first real activity of big fish I've seen here that interests me. I have a license for two rods. No problem, I only have two rods. I have a license for this district - no problem I have that too. I'm using two hooks - that's allowed, yes. And I remember what the guy at the tackle shop said as well - I can fish almost everywhere in Holland.
I rig up a put-in-pole. I rig up my bait caster. Can I fish with what I've got - yes, I believe so. No live fish, no dead fish. My bait is bread, there are old carp balls for burley, plastics and one or two hard bodies. I chuck a piece of bread on the put-in-pole and a small plastic on the bait caster. All fish caught are going to be released immediately.
I flick the bait caster around for 5 mins, and then sit down for a coffee. Then I am accompanied by a 12 year old with two rods. He says "Emvangen?" - the same as "catching anything?" He's fishing with worms and instantly gets a bite. I'm jealous. The other two older guys on the other side pack up and leave. Ok, end of the day. It's law to stop fishing when the sun goes down here, but the sun is not down yet.
A couple of minutes later a dutch copper on a motorbike rounds the corner slowly and pulls up next to us. I'm thinking to myself, yes I have all my licenses and I'm not doing anything illegal. Twice before I've been checked for the correct gear. But the boy next to me sh$$ts himself though, and I too now become nervous. Was there something to worry about???? Did I forget something? The boy has gone red in the face. Uh Oh.
The copper insists on talking fast dutch for a while, until he notices that I really am not good. He checks our lines and license. "Wurm niet gemak - twee hengels" he says to the boy. There is some tough talking and the 12yr od boy is crushed and collapsed by the police presence. Apparently it is closed season for worm fishing and the boy is also booked for using two rods, when he should have been using one, because he is under 15. So that's two mistakes for him - he's booked. His licence might be revoked.
He turns to me now. Yes I'm fishing with a plastic and some bread I say. After a lengthy discussion about the plastic, and an explanation of page 4 of the third license, a white tape measure magically comes out of his jacket pocket. "How long is your plastic, your plastic must not be bigger than 2.5cm from the 1st of April to the last saturday in May". The tape measure expands to 7.5 cm. And I'm booked as well.
The moral of the story is I can't wait for my trip back to Brisvegas and Adelaide in August. 125 days to go.
Maybe I can just go down to my local coffee shop for some mushrooms or cake and think about fish in the bay.
I read all my Dutch licenses (3), in Nederlandse of course, right when I received them earlier this year. 31 pages in total. Easy right, well almost (if you're good at Dutch). And I remember everything. But today was the sunniest, warmest day this year. Beats sleat, hail and sideways snow. Nothing left to do but head out my front door down to the dike, rod in hand, licenses in the backpack. Get some sun while it lasts.
There are two other fishermen on the otherside happy fishing, not catching anything though. Plenty of splashes and fish in the reeds. Water fowl are here and there. A duck too. It's the first real activity of big fish I've seen here that interests me. I have a license for two rods. No problem, I only have two rods. I have a license for this district - no problem I have that too. I'm using two hooks - that's allowed, yes. And I remember what the guy at the tackle shop said as well - I can fish almost everywhere in Holland.
I rig up a put-in-pole. I rig up my bait caster. Can I fish with what I've got - yes, I believe so. No live fish, no dead fish. My bait is bread, there are old carp balls for burley, plastics and one or two hard bodies. I chuck a piece of bread on the put-in-pole and a small plastic on the bait caster. All fish caught are going to be released immediately.
I flick the bait caster around for 5 mins, and then sit down for a coffee. Then I am accompanied by a 12 year old with two rods. He says "Emvangen?" - the same as "catching anything?" He's fishing with worms and instantly gets a bite. I'm jealous. The other two older guys on the other side pack up and leave. Ok, end of the day. It's law to stop fishing when the sun goes down here, but the sun is not down yet.
A couple of minutes later a dutch copper on a motorbike rounds the corner slowly and pulls up next to us. I'm thinking to myself, yes I have all my licenses and I'm not doing anything illegal. Twice before I've been checked for the correct gear. But the boy next to me sh$$ts himself though, and I too now become nervous. Was there something to worry about???? Did I forget something? The boy has gone red in the face. Uh Oh.
The copper insists on talking fast dutch for a while, until he notices that I really am not good. He checks our lines and license. "Wurm niet gemak - twee hengels" he says to the boy. There is some tough talking and the 12yr od boy is crushed and collapsed by the police presence. Apparently it is closed season for worm fishing and the boy is also booked for using two rods, when he should have been using one, because he is under 15. So that's two mistakes for him - he's booked. His licence might be revoked.
He turns to me now. Yes I'm fishing with a plastic and some bread I say. After a lengthy discussion about the plastic, and an explanation of page 4 of the third license, a white tape measure magically comes out of his jacket pocket. "How long is your plastic, your plastic must not be bigger than 2.5cm from the 1st of April to the last saturday in May". The tape measure expands to 7.5 cm. And I'm booked as well.
The moral of the story is I can't wait for my trip back to Brisvegas and Adelaide in August. 125 days to go.
Maybe I can just go down to my local coffee shop for some mushrooms or cake and think about fish in the bay.