Trip Preparation
This is now my 3rd and Garry's 2nd trip so the usual prep (deciding what to take, ordering bait, getting all location details together etc) is getting easier. This time we pre-ordered our maggots and casters from Zunnebeld tackle shop in Zwolle. We had heard that they now sell red maggots and so that's what we ordered. We ordered 7 litres between the 2 of us and 14 litres of casters. We also ordered 4 x 2 litre bags of worms from Fons Albers.
Late-breaking news a few people questioned whether red maggots can be used in Holland. On my return I did a bit more digging and found out that it is not against the rules to sell red maggots or possess them BUT IS against the rules to use them. How bizarre! So please be warned, I wouldn't want you getting into trouble.
As the departure date grew closer we were getting concerned about the potential impact of this years hot & dry summer on the fishing. The rivers Ijssel and Vechte were our main concern. I took it upon myself to have a session with AI and setup a daily report that included weather, levels and flow information from the areas that feed these rivers along with local weather and outlook for the Zwolle area.
Fortunately a week or so before departure the weather started to break. It would take much more prolonged rain at the headwaters to significantly affect the Ijssel and Vecthe but it was better than nothing and at least the fishing would be more comfortable for us (as would sleeping in the chalet - didn't fancy hot & humid nights). This also put us in a more confident mood.
The Journey
Same old - same old. Nothing to report on either the ferry crossing or the drive to Zwolle. We were late booking our breakfast in the Brasserie on-board so missed out and had to eat in the Costa Coffee area on the boat. We made sure that, on the way back, we would book breakfast straight away.
Late-breaking news As soon as we boarded the ferry on our return, I went to the Brasserie to order breakfast. I was told that they no longer do breakfasts in the Brasserie so we would have to eat in either the buffet or the Costa Coffee area. I asked if that had changed since our trip out (just a few days earlier) and was told that the Brasserie hadn't served breakfasts for several months. This was odd because we were definitely told that we were late trying to book it on the way out. I assumed we were a few minutes late and not several months late! Anyway, one to watch if you use this route.
Upon Arrival
We drove straight to the accommodation at
De Koerberg. We were early for check-in but needed to move stuff around in our 2 cars, leaving 1 in the car park, so that we could both go in 1 car to pick up the baits and reconnoiter our first fishing venue. We also thought it worth trying to see if our chalet was ready early by any chance. The reception staff were very helpful and tried hard to get us in early but it didn't work out. We decided to have lunch at the park's restaurant before heading off. It was the 1st time we had eaten here as it wasn't open when we came at the start of April. The food was superb and set us up well for the rest of the day.
Our first stop was Zunnebeld to get the maggots and casters, then we checked out the river Vechte as there had been intermittent rain in the headwaters for the past few days. We drove to Broekhuizen weir and were delighted to see a strongly flowing river (visible from the road) and a lot of water coming over the weir. This was more than we could have hoped so the venue for fishing day 1 was now established. After that we drove to Fons Albers (worm farm) to collect our worms. Then it was back to De Koerberg (stopping at the supermarket in Wapenveld en-route to stock up). At the park we put the bait in the bait fridge, checked in, unpacked and setup our rods etc for day 1.
When we went to the bait fridges, we met up with Daz Wright and Andy. We had been in touch over Messenger so knew would be here at the same time. They were going to pre-bait Big Zalk for their first day.
Learning from our first stay here, we decided to pack some food and then alternate between meals in and meals out. Garry's wife had prepared some chilli so we sat down to that (and a beer) whilst we discussed how we would approach day 1. We decided that an early start was in order for a few reasons: -
- There aren't many pegs close to the weir
- It was a Saturday so more locals were likely than during the work week
- It was probably the 1st time the Vechte had been freshened up for weeks so might be a popular place
