Beep, beep, beep,…

Sunday morning 5.00 AM, time to get out of bed.

Outside it’s still dark and rain is pouring down.

It’s probably only 3 or 4 degrees Celsius.

I couldn’t be more exited.

Today I go out fishing.

Half an hour later I’m in my car, gear in the trunk and off to a new adventure.

First stop… Petrol station for some coffee.

Next stop… Lake, river, sea.

The sun hasn’t come up yet but who needs light to rig a rod anyway?

Once I hit the water, game’s on. Full focus, completely in the zone until that first (sometimes last) tug. The battle that follows, man versus fish. Always epic.

That’s when I feel alive…

Some people call it insanity, I call it passion.

My passion for fishing.

As long as I go out fishing, I often have to explain what’t is all about. Why do people go out fishing? Well…

Of course, fishing is about having fun and being outdoors. But fishing is also about thinking ahead and making plans. The best days of fishing are the ones with a plan and not the ones were you randomly choose some water and try some things. It sounds boring, but it isn’t. That’s where the fun begins. It’s like a good friend of mine always says: “You have to fish, where there’s fish!” Sounds quite evident, simple even, but it is oh so true. So the first question should be: “What am I fishing for?”

Based on that choice you can start planning and new questions have to be answered.

Where to find them? What do they eat? How do they behave? What’s the best way to catch them, or even more important, the most fun?

There’s an important difference between those last two. The best way to catch fish is not necessarily the most rewarding one. If you fish for your survival, you couldn’t care less about having fun. You simply go for the fastest and easiest way. I often wonder whether those people who kill even the tiniest fish have fun or are just really hungry.

A lot of people ask me if I had any luck while fishing. Of course, every time I go out to the water, I feel the luckiest man alive. But usually that’s not what they mean by luck though. The kind of luck they refer to is the kind you force. A plan works or it doesn’t.

It is as simple as that.

Every fisherman has his unique story. Big fish, extreme weather conditions, dangerous situations, strange encounters, great spots,…

If you ask them about it, they take you on an inspiring trip through their experiences that tend to get more spectacular and colourful (or bigger) as the evening goes by. They al have their own theories which they gladly share with everyone who is willing to listen or which are a very well kept secret.

That’s exactly what I like to share. My stories about my passion…