Cracking the Zevenhuizer Code Part 4

Here in The Netherlands the “real” pike season starts in September / Oktober.
In spring we have a closed season for predatory fish. And when the closed season is over,..weeds and plants already start to grow fast.
A lot of smaller waters cannot be fished anymore as they are very much neglected in the past decades. Allthough they seem to be attractive to fish,….when you take a much closer look the water levels are extremely low and we all know what that means for the well being of fish.
In the lake where I fish, depth is not an issue. The deepest point I found sofar is 34 mtrs.
In September / Oktober the temperatures at night drop and the abundant flora built up above and under water level starts to deteriorate.

The fish start to feel the dropping temperatures and start thinking about the coming winter.
In this time of year a lot of predatory fisherman are active, and so am I.
I am fishing in the evening on the east part of the lake. Armed with my JK Coosa HD and a fly rod, I am taking my chances. It is quite a nice evening. The sun is slowly setting and you can already feel the temperature dropping. It will be a cold night tonight.
The first hour I fished several spots. Had a chat with some other specimen hunters on the water and drank some hot tea to keep warm.
I am casting out the fly, tied with white rabbit zonker strips and I let it sink to the bottom. Depth is approx 3-5 mtrs. When it hits the bottom I leave it to rest for a couple of seconds. Than I start retrieving with slow movements. Now and then I let the fly make a little jump on the bottom.

Than,….I am stuck,………I guess !!! Probably a small rock or a branch on the bottom. But when the obstacle downstairs decides to start moving I am suddenly in the middle of the game.
10 minutes and a powerfull fight later I see a nice pike sliding towards the kayak. Put my fingers behind its gills and remove the barbless fly from its mouth.
Another nice succes on the Zevenhuizer lake as it is sometimes giving me serious headaches in catching fish. There is one consolation. The other guys I talked to on the lake have the same issue with this beautiful water.