Sometimes you catch something truly special, a completely unexpected eel... on a crankbait.
We all know that the mighty Volkerak is incredibly rich in fish. Many species swim there, and for most freshwater species, the Volkerak often holds the largest specimens in all of Europe. When it comes to eel, not only are there many, but also some truly massive ones. Yet despite their abundance, we never fish for them, nor had we ever caught one there. For this anecdote, we go back to June 2023, during the European competition The Predatortour 2023. As with any top-level sport, a lot of training is required, and in competitive angling this is called pre-fishing: A few days or even a full week or more before the competition, the fishing grounds are explored and training sessions are held to catch the desired species. So my regular competition partner: my best friend Didier and I were training hard for our tournament. Today was a crankbait session on the Merwede, a large river next to the Biesbosch, part of the competition area. It goes without saying that cranking is Didier’s absolute favorite technique. He is a true master at it! And his worldwide collection of crankbaits is his most precious treasure: worth more than gold to him!!! We had done our homework, checked the tides, analyzed the river’s current, and were at the right spots at the right time. With steady regularity, a nice zander came in, and occasionally a chunky perch. Then suddenly, from behind a groyne head, I got a massive strike! The fish shot off like a high-speed train in the current. I just couldn’t get it under control. Even once under the boat, it kept fighting bravely.“What is this man, what a fight!”
Our amazement was great when I finally caught a glimpse of the fish: a real eel of 84 cm! Netting and measuring it was quite a challenge, but with patience we managed. Taking photos was another adventure entirely!
"This one does NOT want to be photographed!"
Normally we always practice catch and release, but for this one time we made an exception.
I don’t need to tell you that it tasted amazing — extra vitamins, fats and omega‑3 for the competition :-)
EEL ON THE CRANK !!!
When suddenly your crankbait gets grabbed by a completely unexpected customer!
Unforgettable memories.