Fishing the Haringvliet: In Search of Monster Predators!

A month or so ago, I embarked on an eagerly anticipated adventure to the legendary waters of the Haringvliet with my good friend Gary Spencer. This trip had been in the works for months, and in the lead-up, it was impossible not to daydream about the monstrous predators lurking beneath its vast expanse. The Haringvliet isn’t just a lake—it’s an inland sea, home to some of the biggest perch, pike and zander in Europe, and we were determined to get stuck into some serious fish.

Our mission led us to Jeroen Eijssens, a man who wears two hats—one as part of the team at Westin and the other as a seasoned guide, offering trips during select months of the year. I first came across Jeroen after watching a YouTube video where, during one of his guided sessions, his client landed some absolute giants. That was all the convincing I needed. If we wanted a shot at something special, he was the man to put us on the fish. 

With that in mind, we booked a two-day guided trip, fully focused on tracking down some true giants. If I’m honest, my main goal was clear—I wanted a perch over 4lb. That would comfortably eclipse my current PB of 3lb 6oz, and on a venue like the Haringvliet, it felt like an achievable, yet still ambitious, target. Of course, anything in the depths of January would be welcome. It’s undoubtedly the prime time to hook into real monsters, but let’s be honest—it’s also brutally cold!

How We Travelled to The Haringvliet

Our journey began in Cambridgeshire, with the plan to drive down to Folkestone and take the Eurotunnel across to Calais. There are a few ways to reach the Netherlands for a guided fishing trip, but driving gave us the most flexibility—especially when the final go-ahead wasn’t confirmed until the week before departure. Flying or booking a ferry would have been a hassle to rearrange or cancel, and let’s be honest—who wants to spend all night on a ferry when you can drive it in roughly 7 hours?

Once across the Channel, we took a left—now driving on the right-hand side of the road—and began skirting the coastline through France, Belgium, and finally into the Netherlands. Of course, no road trip is complete without a slight detour, courtesy of my own questionable navigation skills. This one only set us back about 30 minutes, but who doesn’t enjoy an unexpected tour of Belgium’s industrious port cities like Ghent? Let’s call it a scenic bonus!

One of the real perks of driving is getting to see and experience what Europe truly has to offer. The countryside is stunning, and even the cities and towns we passed through were impressively clean, litter-free, and welcoming. It was a stark contrast to what you’re greeted with once back in the UK — our motorway verges, lay-bys and rest stops are an absolute disgrace. It really does make you notice the difference.

The journey itself was surprisingly simple. For us, it was a straightforward three-hour motorway run down to the south coast, followed by a quick 40-minute hop through the Eurotunnel. Once in Europe, it was another smooth three to four-hour drive to our destination. All in all, it was quick, easy, and—aside from my minor detour—pretty much stress-free.

The Accommodation

We arrived at our accommodation, the Beach Hotel Cape Helius in Hellevoetsluis—try saying that after a couple of pints! Perched right on the banks of the Haringvliet, it was exactly what we needed: comfortable, convenient, and just a short hop from the boat ramp where we launched Jeroen’s beast of a vessel.

If you’re planning a trip to fish the Haringvliet, this hotel is well worth considering (depending on your launch point). It’s ideally located, and the nearby town is definitely worth a visit. Nestled within the walls of a former fort, the town centre has a unique charm, with the Haringvliet itself running right through it—offering yet another fishable stretch to explore!

After the long drive, we grabbed some food and a well-earned pint before settling in for the night, ready for an early start the next morning.

Day 1 – Fishing the Haringvliet for Perch

We arrived at the boat ramp around 8:00 AM—an easy ten-minute drive from the hotel. With Jeroen yet to arrive, we chatted about how we thought the day might unfold. Gary, ever the wise one, offered a simple but solid piece of advice: “It’s just a boat ride.” What he meant was—don’t pile on expectations, just enjoy the experience, whatever happens.

It’s advice worth remembering. Watching YouTube videos and social media clips of anglers smashing personal bests left, right, and centre makes it easy to fall into the trap of thinking you’ll be breaking records all day. The reality, of course, often has other ideas.

Jeroen arrived, and after the introductions, we launched the boat and set off. It wasn’t long before we reached the first spot, and once we were confident there were fish present, we got to work.

Jeroen wasn’t on the rods initially, but he was in charge of the tech, making sure we had at least some chance of success on this vast expanse of water. I haven’t had much hands-on experience with LiveScope or sonar, but every time I glanced at the screen, it was surreal to see the fish and know almost exactly where they were.

Of course, interpreting that data is another story. It takes a keen eye and years of experience to fine-tune it properly—especially with the specific settings Jeroen was using for the Haringvliet. To me, the fish just looked like a cluster of moving pixels on the screen, but in the right hands, that pixelated chaos reveals an underwater world in incredible detail.

Into the Action!

Around 9:30 AM, we were into the first fish. If memory serves me right, I was the first to get off the mark—a hard-fighting Haringvliet perch that couldn’t resist a Carolina-rigged Westin CreCraw. The rush was unreal. Barely an hour into the trip, and I was already connected to a perch that would dwarf most of the fish I catch back in the UK.

Once landed, it was clear this wasn’t a monster by Dutch standards, but at 3lb+ and over 40cm, it was more than welcome—my first fish of the trip and a solid start. The pressure was off, and as most of you will know, that feeling of relief is priceless. With the blank avoided, I could finally settle in and enjoy the session.

Not long after—on almost the same spot—Gary bent into a zander. I think it was only about ten minutes after my perch, and the way things were shaping up, we started to think we were in for a hell of a day. With us both off the mark, even more pressure lifted. Now, it was time to really enjoy ourselves.

Jeroen had now joined the action, and for the rest of the morning, we witnessed a masterclass in perch fishing. Hauling them out one after another, we watched in awe as he landed fish up to 6lb+ and over 50cm!

I can’t even begin to describe the madness of seeing a perch that size—in real life. It didn’t matter that Jeroen was the one catching them; just witnessing fish of that caliber come out was incredible. It was proof that these monsters really do exist, and we were fishing in the right place to find them.

After a fun morning, we stopped for a lunch break and took in what just happened. 

The afternoon proved much more challenging. The flurry of action from the morning slowed, and while we managed a few hook-ups, several fish frustratingly came off. Spot after spot, the perch seemed to have switched off, and we ended up covering a serious amount of water, exploring the length of the Haringvliet in search of a bite.

Jeroen clearly knew his marks, and with a boat like his, we could move quickly—if a little bumpily—to reach them. As the day progressed, we shifted further down the Haringvliet, away from the dam end, targeting slightly deeper water in the hope of finding active fish.

Not long before we arrived, though, a commercial trawler had passed through, no doubt wiping out huge numbers of perch, pike, zander, and anything else unfortunate enough to be caught in the drag net. I hadn’t realized this sort of thing happened here—but it does. With two or three boats trawling weekly, it’s amazing that anglers catch anything at all.

The day was getting on and i dont know about Gary or Jeroen but i was ready for another fish. It was freezing cold and for a chap who normally spends all week sat in a warm office my hands felt like they was going to fall off. 

Monster Pike Madness!

By this point, it was cast after cast, my mind drifting to thoughts of a hot shower, when I suddenly felt a snag. It would’ve been my second of the day, but something felt off—my first had been on a mussel bed, so that was expected. As far as I knew, we were fishing over relatively clear ground.

For a split second, the lure wouldn’t budge. “Think I’m on another snag,” I started to say—when the snag moved. A solid, dead weight came to life, slowly pulling line. Jesus, this is a big fish, I thought. One moment, I was daydreaming, the next, I was locked in battle, completely disoriented. By now, we’d all worked out what was happening. This was a pike. “A fucking big pike,” Jeroen confirmed.

It surfaced fairly quickly, and what we saw was the biggest pike I had ever seen—ever. It still hadn’t even clicked that I was fishing with a light lure rod, light braid, and a very light fluorocarbon leader. Usually, that setup spells disaster—a clean bite-off waiting to happen. But that thought never crossed my mind. Instinct took over.

I went into full hauling mode—after a slow afternoon, I wasn’t losing this fish.

Jeroen stretched as far as he could with the net, just inches away, when suddenly, the pike woke up. With a violent turn, it powered straight under the boat. The reel screamed like I had a marlin on the other end, and all I could do was hold on, giving it line.

Still, I hadn’t considered how fragile my setup was. I just kept heaving, reeling in the slack whenever I could. The fish surfaced again—this time, Jeroen was ready. With one swift scoop, it was in the net.

The moment it hit the mesh, my fluoro leader snapped!

I couldn’t believe it. The hook had lodged perfectly in the scissors of the mouth, keeping the leader just out of reach of those razor-sharp teeth. During the fight, I must have somehow kept the line on the safe side of the fish, avoiding a cut-off.

I won’t pretend there was any real skill in hooking this fish—we hadn’t even marked it on sonar. My lure just happened to pass by at the right moment, and it was obliging enough to snap at it. Maybe there was a little skill the fight, but who really knows? A huge dose of luck was at play. I guess it was just my day.

Once the pike was on the boat, we could truly appreciate just how huge this thing was. Easily the biggest fish I’d ever seen, let alone caught. Would I ever top this? Probably not.

We settled on a weight of 39lb and a length of 123cm—an absolute unit. Luc Coppens and Toon Van Ham of Westin also stopped by to see the beast! Which was a nice bonus. 

I’m not often shocked by much, especially when it comes to fishing, but this one left a mark. Even after the celebrations died down, I kept replaying it in my mind, struggling to fully believe it had happened. A 39lb pike caught on a Carolina rigged Westin Crewcraw! It just doesn’t happen.

We came to the Haringvliet in search of a monster, and we found one. Okay, it wasn’t the monster perch we’d originally hoped for, but let’s be honest—I’d take a pike that size every day of the week!

Post-pike mayhem, we got back to searching for perch. I know Gary managed to bag a nice perch at the final stop of the day—a very welcome 3lb+ / 40cm+ fish to round things off nicely. Jeroen may have had another one or two, but honestly, after that pike, my memory was a bit of a blur.

With the day done, we headed back to warm up, eat, and get some rest—ready to do it all again on Day 2!

Day 2 – Fishing the Haringvliet for Zander and Perch

Gary was the first to get off the mark, landing a decent zander for his efforts. Fishing in deep water with a strong cross-current wasn’t easy, so it was good to see him figure it out and get rewarded. He worked between jigs and Carolina rigs, tweaking his approach until he dialled in what the fish wanted.

I, on the other hand, struggled with the zander. Whether it was my bite detection or just pure bad luck, I couldn’t tell—but whatever the reason, it just wasn’t happening for me.

Later in the day, we hit a new spot and found the perch again, which gave us something to properly focus on. From that point, I think we just fished for whatever would bite, making the most of what was turning out to be a much tougher session than Day One.

It wasn’t easy going, but we still banked a few fish between us, and that’s all you can ask for sometimes. It was far less eventful than day one so i won’t pad this out too much more with waffle. 

I believe the final tally for the two days was as follows;

Gary: 2 x Zander up to 7-8lb and a 3lb+ / 40cm+ Perch.
Jereon: Multiple Perch up to and over 6lb / 50cm+. I think a Zander also.
Steve: 3 x 3lb+ / 40cm+ Perch and one huge Pike – 39lb / 123cm.

Fishing The Haringvliet with LiveScope

During the final hour of Day Two, I spent some time with Jeroen, fishing with the LiveScope. He’d point out fish on the screen, and I’d cast to them, hoping for a take. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convince any onto the hook, but it was fascinating to see how this method worked in real-time.

That said, while I’d happily fish from a tech-loaded boat to chase monster perch, I don’t think it’s something I’d want to do day in, day out. I’ve always loved river fishing, where you never truly know what’s lurking beneath. There’s something about relying on intuition, past experiences, and reading the water that I really enjoy.

Of course, on a venue as vast as the Haringvliet, that approach would be near impossible. So, far from knocking LiveScope, I can fully appreciate how valuable it is for locating and catching fish—there’s no doubt it helped us massively on this trip!

All Good Things Come to an End

After two solid days of fishing, it was time to head home—and honestly, I was ready. The fishing and company had been top-notch, but the cold was definitely starting to wear me down. I hadn’t achieved the target of a 4lb perch but we had witnessed perch massively exceeding that weight which was enough. The pike was just the cherry on top – a very nice one!

That said, I’d go back in a heartbeat, and I’d 100% book with Jeroen again. Not only is he an exceptional angler and guide, but he’s also just a great guy to spend time with on the boat. If you’re thinking of booking a guided trip to the Haringvliet, I can’t recommend him enough.

Now, almost a month later, I’m already itching to get back out there. I definitely will, though with personal commitments taking priority, I’m not quite sure when.

I know Gary is heading back at the end of the year, and I wish him all the best—hope you smash a monster perch or pike, mate!