Despite the heavy industry of Europe’s largest commercial port, Rotterdam produces exceptional lure fishing for bass. Tom Sintobin spent aday there with the famous Dutch bass fishing guide Patrick Verbrugge to see and hear how he tackles this spectacular fishery, which is only a short trip for anglers visiting from the UK
Although the Netherlands is best known for its fantastic fishing for freshwater predatory fish, there is also a lot of superb fishing to experience at sea.
Admittedly, we don’t have really big game such as halibut, tuna, skate or blue shark; however, with light equipment we can experience top-notch sport with a smaller species such as sea bass. One of the best marks is the harbour zone of Rotterdam, the so-called ‘Europoort’, which combines industrial looks with an astonishing rugged natural beauty.
The conditions couldn’t have been better: bright sunshine, a cooling breeze and a suitable tide – just in the right season for bass. My fishing buddy Mark and I stepped aboard Patrick Verbrugge’s Orca in the harbour of Maassluis with a smile from ear to ear. In recent weeks there had been quite good fishing at times, as the many Facebook messages had made clear to us. So we were hopeful, even though Mark had never fished for bass from a boat before. After all, Patrick is a very experienced guide and also able (and willing) to explain the technique. And it worked! At the end of the day, the three of us had caught around 30 bass and missed dozens of bites. We had several fish of over two feet and Mark even caught the largest specimen of the day! Our smiles had become even wider when we sailed back in.
The techniques we used not only work perfectly in Rotterdam, but almost everywhere where Dicentrarchus labrax terrorises everything that swims and crawls in our coastal zone. Hopefully both novice and more experienced bass fishermen can benefit from it.
SEA BASS AND LIONS
I’ll start with a detour. I was once on a safari in Uganda and came across a group of lions relaxing in a spot with some trees and bushes, next to a grassy plain. A ranger explained to us exactly why they were there: they were resting in the shade, hidden from view by the foliage, while they had a perfect view of the place where the antelopes came to graze. As soon as dusk fell, the lions would take advantage of their superior eyesight and strike. He also told me that lions like to hunt near a river or a lake: this body of water gives the prey one less direction to flee. And the wind direction also plays a role, I understood: lions always approach their prey against the wind, so that their scent does not give them away. The conclusion of all this: so-
