Five species, three new personal bests and a double hook-up

The day started very hard. Here and there we caught a fish, but the takes were spread out with a fair bit of time in between. That happens in the middle of the day, so I was not worried yet. Only when the sun began to drop and the current picked up did it start to run.

In the afternoon we had caught a few small pike, but now it was the zander that became more active. In quick succession we caught several zander on chatterbaits among the weed. There was even a double hook-up. Always good to see, and the numbers began to climb nicely.

Where the afternoon was hard, the evening was beautiful. The weather was with us, the fish played along and the company was good. What more do you want as a guide? For the third day running a catfish turned up, and that was a new personal best for Dennis. It is always nice to have new records in the boat, but it was going to get much better.

We decided to head to the last spot to fish the final hour of the day. I know this spot very well, and once we were on the hotspot within the spot I told Dennis and Raymond they might try a shad here. Everything had come off that day, but catching a fish by casting a shad had not. After a few casts it was still quiet, so I told Dennis to cast straight ahead. I knew there was a small scour hole there, cut out by the current, and there is often a fish or two sitting in it.

We soon noticed that 10 grams was slightly too heavy, so we switched to an 8 gram head. First cast it was on. A good take, and by the way the rod tip was tapping it might well be a good perch. Earlier that hour Dennis had happened to say that a big perch would really make his day. Well, he got one, and what a fish. A thick river perch of 47 cm was the culprit.

For the last stretch we cast a chatterbait, and here Dennis got a strange take. A beautiful ide came up, the fifth species of the day. The river remains a wonderful place where you never know what will bite. Five species in one evening, and not one of them was on the plan.