French pike

Pike fishing in Belgium has never been so difficult as it is at the moment, there’s hardly anything to catch. And it’s not just me, it’s everyone I know, both fly- and lure-fishermen (and everybody they know). Even people who spend their weekends in Holland hardly catch anything. So Koen and I figured, let’s give it a try in France.

So we went to a private water called ‘Domaine de la Vallée” in the north of France

( http://www.domaine-de-la-vallee.com ).

 

A very beautiful water,

 

with lots of small islands,

 

nice coves,

 

and perfect hiding places for pike,

 

 

and Captain Koen navigated us to all of them.

 

We’ve fished with all kinds of streamers, with all kinds of lines, and with all kinds of retrieves.

And posed for a picture from time to time.

 

 

But it was already noon (after 4 hours of fishing), when I was able to land the first pike. Certainly not a monster, but it felt good to catch a fish.

And about an hour later, Koen was able to land this one.

And that was it, after an entire day of fishing. Although I have to say that we both lost a fish and missed a few as well. So with a little more luck, it could have been a little better. But still, at a renowned pike water as this, it would still have been a poor catch.

But we spent a beautiful day outdoors, had lots of laughs and had a great time. And when you get home at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

And the pike? Well…we’re not giving up yet!