Ade Kiddell researches Barbel fishing in Holland Part 7

The last day in Holland before we move on to Germany started with a look round Nijmegen and a chance to look around the famous market and buy some local produce plenty of cheese and some rather tasty pastries.

In the afternoon we went to the River Waal to the same Kribs we had been baiting all week, with plenty of groundbait and pellets left over from the trip I gave the peg a good helping too hopefully get some instant action, I had barely got settled when the tip nodded and then lunged over a lively barbel of over 6lb came to the net after a decent scrap. An enjoyable afternoons sport followed with another 6 decent barbel coming to the net.

Not for the feint hearted an 8oz feeder was needed to hold the rig in the current where the fish were feeding, but the bites were all the same typical barbel rod off the rest bites and the dogged resistance of the barbel testing tackle to the limit.

Ship traffic was heavy on the river and a pattern developed where almost every time one of the very big ships passed by I would get a bite either from a barbel or and ide, when these bigger ships pass by the whole flow pattern of the river changes water that was flowing right to left suddenly flows left to right and huge vortexes form before it all settles down and returns to normal.

Just after a huge 6 barge coal ship passed by the rod knocked and the baitrunner screamed as a barbel was hooked at a range of 70 metres down the swim, immediately on striking I knew I was into a better fish as the clutch gave line against a powerful run, gradually I gained some line on the fish and slid the net under a nice double a good few minutes later.

Regards Ade