SWEDEN – Hobie kayaks are becoming more an more visible across Europe.
It didn’t take long for Jesco Peschutter to get the hang of kayak fishing. The editor of the German fishing magazine Rute & Rolle caught a 94-centimeter long pike on his first day. “The experience is amazing. Could there be a better start? I don’t think so,” he said happily.
Peschutter was fishing Sweden’s Lake Vanern, the third largest lake in Europe, while staying at Edsleskogs Wärdshus, a popular lakefront lodge with easy kayak launching and a well-known reputation for outstanding food.
RELATED: 4th Hobie Fishing European Championship
Guests of the lodge included Morgan Promnitz, Hobie Fishing Product Manager, and Gero Priebe, Hobie’s European Product Manager. They were testing product at the lake, getting feedback from a variety of everyday anglers and a small group of media that happened to be in the area to sample the productive waters.
Sweden abounds with lakes and fish. Fishing kayaks are becoming increasingly common; not just here but in Europe as a whole. It’s quite simple. They get you to places inaccessible by powerboat.
Fly fishing is becoming more and more popular and people are enjoying doing so out of kayaks – probably more than in the U.S.
Olle Bulder fished with Peschutter. The Hobie Mirage Outback owner took his first spin on a Mirage Pro Angler 14 outfitted with a reversing MirageDrive 180 and found it very much to his liking. “It is so much better than expected and offers solid new possibilities for my main passion, fly fishing,” the freelance fishing writer from the Netherlands said.
Nicka Hellenberg, a freelance writer and photographer for Swedish Fiskejournalen Magazine agreed. “I’ve been fishing from a kayak before, but never from a Hobie. Such a nice experience! I will definitely do this again. Tomorrow I’m going to catch the big one,” Nicka said. The beautiful environment and exciting fishing waters inspired him. He wasn’t the only one entranced by Dalsland’s Lake Vanern.
“I had a fantastic time here at Amal, Sweden, getting to know the Hobie fleet and catching pike. Even though I’m Swedish I’ve never been here. What could be better? Just amazing,” said Felix Frey, owner and editor of Tackelsnack.se, one of Europe’s largest fishing websites.
