Simple Match Fishing Forum

Well it all started a couple of weeks ago when the Tank commander said finely i could go . That afternoon i booked the tunnel and planned my route by road to Holland 388 miles road trip with me and my trusted Sat-Nav . bait was ordered just for the weekend as its so much easier to order fresh bait for each day and of course cancel it if you didn't need it .so casters maggots and worms were ordered for each match .Digs all sorted and i couldn't of lodged with a nicer bunch of lads .
Well the big day arrived up showered and on my way 5am heading down the M1 towards the tunnel. around 8 am i pulled up i was a little earlier than i should of been but to my horror there had been an incident in the tunnel and because i'd opted for a time slot it meant my slot was going to be pushed back and could of been 4pm so the only way i could get on the tunnel was to pay a additional cost which allowed me to join the anytime bookings [lesson learnt dont do thing on the cheap they always backfire ] perhaps an hour later i was on the train and heading into Europe my first job was to pick some fags up for the lads so a coffee and a breakfast was also needed . Once you had started driving the time pasted as quick as the miles and i was soon near Gent in Belgium as i approached before my very eyes two or three lorries jack knifed across the road


At this point i realised we were not going anywhere for the next couple of hours well i couldnt believe it the police had closed the road two junkions behind us allowing us to turn around and use the first one to get off .this point a little panic set in as my Sat-nav would try and get me on the same road the N57 .so brave as i am i stopped at one of the police cars and told them my problem and before no time they had given me a different postcode and said once you reach this postcode put your orginal postcode back in and everything should be fine would you get that sort of help over here ::) ::) i arrived at the Citta around 2 pm so straight down the canal where i found the lads fishing a afternnon match so tagged on the end loads of linners a few foul hooker but no bream until a little later but still only two . still it told me there were loads of fish in the canal


realising i hadn't put my watch forward one hour it was time to pack up and head to the digs



With it being a last minute dash to Holland i had offers all over the place and the first was from the stainy lads and what a house it turned out to be
The Godfather John Hall Lee Hall Andy Mundel and Bicko it was a pretty big hounor i can tell you but as soon as i arrived the kettle was on and i was waited on hand and foot and really welcomed so it was a wash and out for some food .but what i didn't realise the bar that closed on the dot at 12pm now stayed open until 3am all day the time had pasted and when Lee said its time we went back to the digs i was well and truely slorted dear-o-dear thats just the first night
part two later

After a few hours sleep showered and breakfast out the way attention turned to fishing the knockup match on the sunday afternoon .the best part about fishing in Holland is its so laid back all the matches are 10 am draw pre-baiting at 12.30pm and fish from 1.30pm to 6.30pm which is great as you park behind every peg . the only problem with the saturdays and sundays the Dutch hold their matches and fish till 12.30 dinner time so our matches over the weekends have to wait for the Dutch to finish before we can get on the canal .on the whole it works out really well and gives you plenty of time to mix your G/B and recover from the night before .

 

This year like most years there will be changes in the way the canal fish feed.
two years ago bait droppers were key part of your tackle this year i didn't see anyone using them. Sicky maggots another method last year didn't seen so good and perhaps the fact this year you were allowed 1 kg of worms to your peg and after the first week it was clear the fish wanted the worm .



first match i drew 35 with 31 being a sluice and favoured peg although saying that the Voorne canal is full of surprises and fish can settle in any peg . i must say the canal is like no other you have fished before as fish can stop feed and then go and you seem to wait for the next swimming shoal.



The plan was to feed 10 balls of G/B at 11 metres with a few freebies in it caster maggots and some corn. then at 13metres fish a double leam and start off with a good helping of chopped worm and caster . where as other years this has been a maggot line either with sticky mag or just dead maggots this worked lovely on the practice match




The anglers that had fished the week before knew what they were doing and had far better results but at least i thought i was on the right track

Bicko once said to me how easy is it to catch a bream out of the Voorne canal
well let me tell you as good as it is frustration, hair pulling, shaking your head all come into a day on the voorne 3 or 4 bream one after the other then nothing then the angler 4 pegs up has 4 or 5 frustrating hook bait changes re-feeding then they turn up again
this year it seemed that some pegs held more fish for longer and quite a few big weights this year stood out where the anglers either side hadn't caught half as much [don't get me wrong you all catch ]
well the festival wasn't as kind to me as other years i couldn't get away from the middle of the sections or i drew a peg that had a weight the day before something on the voorne you don't really want . The Crazy Dutch and Belgium Bast##ds had our pants down again using little 8ft picker rods and straight bomb quite a art i can tell you
    
adzee had a lovely week consitantly catching fish as did Snedstar



our house did pickup a few times with Lee hall winning the first day Individually off 31



i managed a few



but again Bicko stoll the show finishing 3rd overall with some outstanding  catches over the week



and fellow Sensas angler Paul hughes fishing after a long spell away from holland finished 7th



sorry about the quality of the photo it must of been condencation

a great time was had and if you are thinking of having a go don't leave it too long before at least putting your name down 

Big Thank you to all the lads



and thanks to the Godfather John for stopping me getting in volved a jagarmiester bomb fest

Brilliant write up Joffie. The place looks stunning

nice write up joffy looks like citta are taking notice of how much the fishermen spend ie, keeping the bar open til late as before it was midnight and your done..... no matter how many was in the bar when we first started going over the food was spot too but it got worse year on year so in the end we started going to stay at cape hellius .digs are far superior than citta plus you was nearer town for a pint or too plus food as well and it was cheaper too so it all helps as for the voorne its the bloody road noise that does your nut in but its horses for courses but we fish the harrinvleit more than any where had some fantastic days off their

The food is better although still up and down and your not spoilt for choice but you wont starve  But they have certainly learnt how much money they have been wasting, the bar was open until we agreed a closing time

I'm with you on the road noise, on the very odd time there isn't a car going one way or the other, you all of a sudden think you have gone deaf 

That said I've been going now for the last 7/8 years and fish both festivals every year and every time I get home I cant wait to go back 

Road noise :( never really noticed it must be me the only noise is them bloody buses behind you . then the shaking steve's platforms but you can't beat parking behind your peg .simple not all of us can win not all of us can catch loads of fish at the same time but we all have something in common we all get on and enjoy the time we are together .

yeah im not knocking it lads as I say I love the place we have done it a dozen times at least did you drop on dennis loves a pint and his footy.... I was talking to him and I got on about service at the bar and beer  in citta n saying it was yellow stream poor n like washing up liquid then he says al sort that out for you leave it with me turns out dennis is the main man at citta is office is just at the side of reception I felt I right pillock but it got the beer sorted !!!

suppose its bang right with the times you fish your festivals
two weeks that's too hard core for me but if you ever get chance to look round or stay at cape helius do it, because it blows citta out the water  plus you can fish that point at the back just to the right of that little beach its solid with bream n good ide
this is off channel at back off pumping station up at back of the voorne

http://www.maggotdrowning.com/forum/upl ... olland.jpg

n this is off groins on harringvleit




http://www.maggotdrowning.com/forum/upl ... 51_tut.jpg

Nice fish

Waldorf and Statler stayed there this year and liked it

Citta has its moments as you say but its so handy for us and the festivals, draw and presentation is all done there so just makes life easy

Aint a clue how to post pictures on here but we had some good doubles ( all commons ) out of citta this year, passes an hour on while doing grounbait and sh!t in a morning

but you can't beat parking behind your peg .

I'd delete that comment Joff or Dodge will have you banned

Nice brace of commons 

Nice brace of commons 

Why thank you