The Rotterdam fisherman his favourite is pike perch

With eel a close second and sole in third place.

 

The pike perch, a lovely catch weighing in at more than one and a half kilograms, is lying there peacefully. According to the fisherman, with all the gear and ready for anything, it’s just a small one. The ‘crash barrier’ at the end of the Heiplaatweg, with a view over the Sluisjesdijk, is his favourite spot, although he knows other good places to fish in Heiplaat. He only fishes for pike perch: his wife makes great curry with it. Fresher than you get from the market, straight out of the water and onto your plate. The other fishermen on the Sluisjesdijk catch eel and sole, as well as pike perch, but his family isn’t so keen on them. He’s been fishing at the crash barrier and around Heiplaat for six years. The fishing is best at high and low tide and sometimes he catches as many as ten a day. However, the river police will only let him take three home and they have to be bigger than 42 cm: anything else has to be thrown back. Also, the fishermen aren’t allowed to fish with more than two lines. The police run almost daily checks to make sure everyone is following the rules. Some days, he doesn’t catch anything, but at least he gets to watch the ships slowly sailing by. He smiles and says, ‘It’s the best view in the world’.