You may have noticed people with their rods next to canals and lakes
Fishing, initially hugely popular in The Netherlands, went completely out of fashion at the beginning of the 21st Century. But now during the Coronavirus outbreak, fishing is coming back in both Drenthe and Groningen, reports RTV Drenthe.
“We have already received 300 applications for a fishing pass in the past week, normally that number is around 100”, Henk Mensinga of Sportvisserij Drenthe / Groningen.
According to the organisation, it is mainly the parents who, together with their children, are sitting on the banks of rivers, lakes, and canals with a fishing rod. “People really have time now and it is relaxing. In addition, there is a lot of space so that people can keep a good distance. Compared to last spring, there are already 25 percent more fishing passes. Especially last week we received many requests”, Mensinga adds.
Ad Westenbrink of Sense Outdoor in Hoogeveen supplies fishing equipment to more than 400 angling shops in the Benelux region. “It varies a lot per region. Here in the North you notice that people flock to the waterfront. The stores that we deliver to in Drenthe are selling much more stuff. However, the situation in Belgium is different. Due to the lockdown, nobody is going fishing. The two compensate for each other, but I am curious how sales would go with this nice weather if we did not have the outbreak. ”
Image via Pixnio. License free.
