It's always exciting to explore a new fishery, doesn't matter how much you enjoy fishing for your favourite species at your favourite location. A change once in awhile is refreshing, and it lifts your enthusiasm and makes you realize how diverse fishing really is. It's also a progress of learning. Learning the resource that is available in other parts of the world often makes you appreciate what you often take for granted back home. After an unpredictable salmon season, I once again set my foot on the land of the Vikings. December is the month that I long for each year. It's not necessarily the fishing. In fact, most will probably agree that fishing does not get any better than British Columbia. When I inform people that I will be fishing in Denmark during December, the response is often a puzzling look on their faces. Why on earth would a British Columbian want to fish in Denmark when most of the Danish anglers are eager to come here?

It's the overall experience! Angling is simply a very small component of it. Being able to interact with people from a different culture and taste some of the best traditional cooking are just some of the attractions that drive me back each year. Basically, being able to experience something completely alien is quite a welcoming contrast to the same old driftfishing that we participate each fall.

In the last two years, I tested some of the local put and take lakes where you have to pay to fish. These lakes are privately owned and stocked regularly to ensure your success. For a region that has no major mountains and streams, this is a good alternative to kill the fishing bugs. This year, I decided to search for other options that I may have during the winter months. After a bit of research, I was pleasantly surprised that the options are plenty. Fishing in December is not limited at all in Denmark. I had a choice of hopping on a charter boat to target large atlantic cod and herring, beach fishing for sea trout, or hunting for northern pikes, sea trout, redfins and some of the other native species in lakes and small creeks. Temperature was definitely a factor, December is not exactly a warm month. Hauling in some cod and herring may sound fun, but exposing my face to sub-zero windchill just did not seem pleasant. I decided to play it safe, with some guidance of a couple of wonderful local anglers, we fished a small creek that is about one hour outside of Great Copenhagen.

This creek was completely dwarfed by the rivers of Northwest, it was only 10 to 15 meters wide. Beside the CDN$20.00 annual license that I had to pay for, in addition we had to pay for day passes that were CDN$10.00 per person. The money goes to a local fishing association that maintains the river. On your day pass, a map is drawn out, showing the area that you are allowed to fish. Only certain sections, banks were allowed to be accessed by anglers, while the rest of the sections are owned by private housing or operated by other recreational users. A total of 3 to 5km of fishable stretch was available, which is quite different to what I am used to in British Columbia. The species that are found in this little creek include sea trout, northern pike, redfin, eel, and some of the european coarse fish. During December, we had a chance of catching some pikes, redfin and sea trout. Sea trout are sea migratory brown trout, its lifecycle is somewhat similar to North America's steelhead. Because the sea trout were returning to spawn, catch and release were required during winter months. A redfin is simply the european version of a yellow perch, and it can grow as big as 2kg! Northern pike is a native species in Denmark, and in some system such as the one where we fished, it can reach as big as 28kg! After learning these facts, I was excited to give it a try!

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