Lake Oostvoorne 28-12-2005-12-31

After a successful trip to Lake Oostvoorne on the 18th of December quite a few members
of our flyfishing club wanted to go there for a final flyfishing trip to seal off the year.
The big rainbows in the lake where a compelling reason to go there.
Unfortunately the weather was a factor that had a strong impact on my fellow flyfishermen.
Once the temperature dropped below freezing the volunteers disappeared as snow before the
Sun.
In the end only Tom and Bert where willing and able to go but I guess everybody had a slight
feeling that we might be totally insane to go fishing in this weather.



When we arrived at the lake the skies where bright and blue and a light breeze was blowing.
The otherwise packed parking lot at the lake was totally empty, how odd.
We only spotted three fellow flyfisherman from Belgium and saw two divers floating in the cold waters of the lake.
The water was actually warmer than the outside air, 41F water compared to 33F air.
I headed out to one of the entrances between the little dams in the lake and immediately
spotted a very big rainbow making a turn in the surface.
So the fish where present, the only thing needed was a fish that ate flies.


Slowly fishing the lake.

The cold weather called for fishing with sinking lines and making slow retrieves.
We used floating nymphs that in conjunction with the fast sinking lines
hovered close to the lake’s bottom.
Fishing was very slow, after seeing the big bow in the surface I saw no
more signs of life in the water.
Since nobody was catching any thing I was pretty sure I was not doing
anything wrong.
At one point during the day we saw a guy who was filming us, he was standing next
to Tom and asked how things where going.
Bert asked Tom later who the guy was affiliated with, I just replied it
might be psychiatrists weekly.


Tom taking a break.

So during the bright daylight hours nobody was catching any fish.
We would just have to tough it out until the golden hour of sunset arrived.
Then our chances of catching a fish would be increase greatly.
It was a fact that most fish where caught either at dusk or dawn.


Sunset at Lake Oostvoorne.

Bert busy during the golden hour.

Although it was cold outside we fared pretty well during the day because
the sun was shining and the dunes behind us shielded us from the North-easterly
winds.
The only drawback was the smell from the petrochemical plants located well in front of the
dunes in the Rotterdam harbour.
Once the sun was gone the temperatures plummeted and suddenly I noticed
ice in the guides and on the line.


Tom’s rod, guides frozen.

Tom and I had the same rate of success in the evening as during the day, none.
Bert on the other hand was shouting that he finally had a take.
Then came another shout and he was into a fish.
Tom rushed towards Bert and took a few pictures of the fish, it was not big so
most likely one of the years new stocked rainbows.



Bert and the catch of the day.

So Bert saved the day, at least a fish was caught so this whole exercise in the
bitter cold was not in vain.
Our reputation was saved and for now we where safe from being transported to
an asylum.
As we left the temperature had plummeted to 25F, we where happy to get in
the warm car and go home.
It was a memorable ending of the fishing year.

So this was it, last fishing trip of a very good 2005, the only thing to do is
to wish everybody the best for 2006.