With the year ending it was time for the annual pike fishing session with some of my friends.
Due to pandemic  issues we where left with four attendees but all in good health and spirit.
The plan was to visit a local stream and harass the pike if any where around.
As a result of several days of rain the stream we wanted to fish was  dirty and high.
Combined with  the presence of other anglers we switched to plan B, fishing a nearby canal.

The canal was dug in 1887 to transport goods from nearby Germany to the Netherlands.
Soon after its opening the competition from railroads made it obsolete and shipping ceased in the sixties.
Some of the bridges where replaced with culverts and now it was just used for drainage and recreational purposes.

We tried but the action was slow to non-existent.
Only one of us actually landed a small pike while another one had a hookup but missed the fish.
It was still a pretty day to be outside and nice to see everybody doing ok.

The fact that I would end this shitty year with a blank sat not well with me.
With the company closed for the holidays I had some time on my hands and decided against better judgement to give it another try.

A look at gages from nearby rivers did not promise anything good, everywhere the levels where
double of what they should be.
When I came at the stream close to where I live I heard the water rushing and as expected it was high and dirty.

I first tried to dump a squirmy along the edges of the fast flowing water hoping to entice a yellow perch to hit the fly, it did not work.
With the lack of visibility I figured the only thing that could work in these conditions was a large flashy fly.

As I had the four weight with me large flies where a no-no but I had two large black and silver streamers that where light enough to do the job.
I added a nice trace in front of the fly and probed the more slowly flowing eddies.
Within half an hour I got a hit, a small pike had grabbed the fly.

This was surely a lucky shot and it would be hard to replicate, I tried anyway.
With the water  flowing so fast the only other feasible spot nearby was a
removed weir.
The weir had been replaced by a cascade of small dams and the wide pool at the end would be my next target.

This time it took longer for a fish to hit but again a small pike decided to hit the fly.
As I noticed the crowds arriving I figured it might be a good time to spot.
So in the end the last fishing session of the year ended with success leaving me to wish everybody the best for next year.