Big Fish Hunter
Volkmar Strikkers

Meet Volkmar

Volkmar grew up on the banks of the river Ijssel, in the North of the Netherlands. Fishing became his passion at the age of four. From cycling through the Dutch polders, fishing ditches and channels, to walking the river banks in search of predatory fish.

After purchasing his first boat at age twelve, he quickly knew he needed eyes under water. Blind fishing can only take you so far. For Volkmar, the goal has always been to catch the biggest fish possible, and for that, knowledge is key. Using Raymarine’s electronics since 2013, the amount of knowledge gained has been tremendous. What used to be mystical large bodies of water, nowadays feel like the back of his hand.

Apart from travelling the world to target a variety of large gamefish, Volkmar specialises in fishing freshwater lakes and rivers, hunting for Northern Pike, Perch, Zander, Catfish and Asp. Volkmar is known for his high knowledge level of both fish species and fishing equipment; often sharing his knowledge through articles, videos, and lectures, he’s a well-known face in the fishing scene of western Europe.

Raymarine Equipment

Dragonfly, E97, CP100, CP200, Es98, Axiom, Element HV, Axiom 2 RVM; Volkmar has seen Raymarine’s fish finders evolve from good to better, into the world class equipment they are today. With his technical background, he’s always pushing his equipment to the limit, to find out what else is possible. His 16-foot tiller boat is fitted with the latest Raymarine technology. Knowing the ins and outs of sonar technology not only helps him to get the most out of his equipment, it also enables him to teach fishermen of all knowledge levels how to use their own tools.

Running an Axiom 2 PRO RVM gives him the most accurate GPS location and movement, taking specimen hunting to the next level. It also ensures a save voyage home, no matter what. Coupled with an Axiom+, GPS and Fishfinder information can be read from all positions in the boat. IPS displays with HydroTough™ water repellent coating are the way to go in a 16 foot tiller, where direct sunlight and occasional spray are inevitable.

CHIRP Sonar Technology

The key feature of CHIRP-sonar is target separation. Using CHIRP-sonar, fish can be distinguished from structures, but more importantly big fish can be seen in, under and around big schools of bait. This helps focussing on the fish that matter and thus fishing more efficiently, while still seeing all the details that would become invisible when using lower frequency sonar equipment.

Volkmar’s favourite fishing style being casting, Raymarine’s second to none SideVision might well be his most important tool. The 1,2 megahertz  HyperVision of his Element HV is the ultimate fish finding tool in shallow water; allowing him to explore vast areas in great detail to find hotspots, bait and predatory fish. 

As Volkmar says "If my Raymarine isn’t showing fish, there are none!"