Dutch specialties
Overview of this page:
- Dutch creels
- Fish kanis
- Baitboxes
- Maggot chutes
- Dutch float and linewinders
- Fishing tiles
- Dutch lures
- History
Dutch creels
There are two types of "Dutch creels", the first one is a perch "tub" (the Dutch name is "baarstonnetje" ) the second one is what we call a "kanis". The perch tub is always made of wood, mostly mahogany and sometimes oak. (As far as I now a creel is always made of wicker, reed or rush). It is a so-called 19th century item and there are only a few really old ones left. The height is about 30 cm and the diameter about 20/25cm. The model is oval with a 3/4 hinged lid, without a hole. A good perch barrel made by a professional has always 4 hoops around the, slightly bended "tubbed" laths. The rings were mostly reed or rush, sometimes brass or alpaca. The inside is painted orange, or green. Two strong, nice decorated, rings on attach-plates are necessary to carry the perch tub with a strong belt. The front is always decorated with an embossed "perch" in brass, or alpaca, sometimes engraved.
How where they used? In the area of Amsterdam and a part of the province Noord-Holland, there were clubs, so called "colleges" of small groups of recreational anglers whom often held competitions; inter-club-contests especially to catch, as much as possible.....perch. When the anglers left home the only "materials" in their perch barrel were a packed lunch and the usual spirits. The story is that most of the times they arrived at the river, or lake bank both the lunch and the liquor had already run out. That was not that bad, because the anglers needed an empty perch tub. Just before the start of the contest they filled the perch barrel up to about 25cm water. And that is the "creel" function, because they have to keep the caught perch in the perch barrel until the end of the competition when the fish were counted, weighed and measured for the prices give that the fish were released. By the way, the reason that most of the perch tubs are so beautiful is because they were some kind of a status symbol. Now and then there were contest held between the "colleges" or "clubs" of the different area’s in The Netherlands and the anglers liked to show-off with their materials.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)Fish kanis
The name in Dutch is (fish)"KANIS". It has also the function of keeping the fish, but only for dead fish. More important is the function as a stool and, as some kind of big box, to store the smaller anglers gear, food, drinks and cloth. They were produced mostly in the province of Zuid Holland and parts of the provinces in the east of Holland. They have been manufactured since the 19th century until the 19-forties. The height is about 35 cm to use it as a "comfortable" stool.
Approximately 35 cm wide at the bottom and 25 cm depth the upper side is about 15% smaller. It has always a strong and thick wooden hanged lid. Underneath the lid is sometimes an inner-tray with compartments for small stuff. Although a kanis was "simply" manufactured with only two brasses, screwed or riveted, parts of hoops, yet often made of a good kind of wood such as mahogany and oak. But you can also find them made of dark stained pine. It has two connections, mostly metal sometimes brass, for a belt because they are heavy to carry. The front is always round and conical shaped, made from straight laths. The back has a little "hollow" curve special for the "anglers-back" and made of wood or zinc. Also a kanis is sometimes decorated with a embossed fish at the front, most of the time, is a roach or minnow. In the kanis the angler had often the baitbox and the maggot chute.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)Baitboxes
The perch fishers always use there own baitboxes, also called "wormboxes" because in those days they always used worm as bait for perch. The baitboxes were carried on a hipbelt, so they have their hands free for fishing. That’s why they always have two beltloops at the back. Those boxes were used by members of the fish" colleges", just like the perchbarrel. The baitboxes have been manufactured since the 19th century .Those boxes are also very nice, often also to impress the colleagues, and are mostly made of mahogany, grain and sometimes beech or birch.
A good box is made out of two parts of wood. One for the box which is scooped out and one part for the hinged lid. Sometimes, the cheaper examples are made of more parts, but then the connections are "swallow-tailed". Some nice examples have an embossed fish at the front. There are also examples made of brass, copper and zinc!, these are also carried on a hipbelt. Those baitboxes are made in many variations. The brass , copper and zinc baitboxes are also used for some different bait than worms, for example maggots.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)Maggot chutes
Maggot chutes are made of brass, copper or zinc. It’s used to put in the maggot. Mostly they have a small ring on the backside, so the angler can hang it with a cord on his neck so he has his hands free for fishing. These anglers are not popular at the homefront !, because the smell of the maggots is hanging around there for hours! This item is be used mostly in the province of Zuid-Holland.
Dutch float and Linewinders
Dutch float & linewinders are made in many designs and models, they were used to keep and to protect the line and especially the floats. When a angler has lost his line/float or the weather condition had changed or he needs a heavier float, it was handy when he had already one in stock. By this way a angler did not lose "expensive" time.
The most interesting examples can storage more lines/floats from 4 to 10 each. Some of them has a extra inner compartment in which one can keep the shots and hooks. The older Dutch float & linewinders are made of mahogany, oak, beech or birch. There are also some examples which were kept in a leather wallet where they also could kept some small fishgear, but they become scarce. Some of them has a wooden bookform. Also in England they are used, but elsewhere in the world you don’t find them often in this style.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)Fishing tiles
The old Dutch tiles which were used at the kitchen walls are very collectable.You can find them with a lot of illustrations like; religious, ship, animals, etc. etc. and also with the for mine collection interesting fishing tackle pictures. Some examples are very old and dates from 1700-1750!!. They were removed from the walls from houses that were nominated to be pulled down, this is the reason that it is difficult to find an undamaged one. Somewhat damaged they are always in the corners!. I think they are very decorative and a valuable addition in every tackle collection.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)Dutch lures
Lures where never popular in the past here in The Netherlands, they preferred to fish with live or dead bait on the pike and pike-perch. What there is made you can count on one hand. Most of the lures were imported. But I do have a couple of Dutch made lures in my collection. The first one is a "Hurricane spinner" and looks funny and did already catch many pikes. The second one is of more interest and is called the "marionet spinner". It is including a wooden box and made in different models. I have 2 of them, the first one has a heavy jighead for mount on a dead fish on it. The second one already mounted on a fish, which is made totally of leather!!. I guess they are made around the 19-30/40 but It could be older. Maybe there are more Dutch lures out there, I like to hear it from you. P.S. there is of course made a lot by handyman itself. As I told you not really popular in The Netherlands but more in the States (see also "Miscellaneous"). note: as far as I now there is never made a lure like this with a leather body world-wide, so it must be a unique one!, am I right or not?, let me know.
Ga naar boven (pagina top)History
I think it is clear that our Dutch fishing forefathers must have been strong men. Just to mention something, they were carrying a heavy leather coat, knee deep, against the cold and wet Dutch weather condition. They fished with 6 to 8 meter wrist thick heavy bamboo-rods. On the way to the water they carried all there stuff in a heavy wooden perchtub or fish "kannis" over there shoulder. THAT WERE REAL FISHERMEN!!.
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