There's a stillness to the flats in Aruba before the wind picks up. That early window when the water goes glassy and every shadow means something. Robin Van Der Woude has spent most of his life inside it. Aruba is known for its beaches, its resorts. Robin knows it for what's underneath the water.
We connected with Robin through Instagram and got to meet him in person when he made a trip up to Charleston. What struck us first wasn't his knowledge of the flats, though that became obvious fast, even far from home waters. It was how generous he was with it. We got to return the favor in a small way, putting him on his first low country bull red. Watching that fish peel drag was one of those moments that reminds you why any of this matters. He handled it the way he handles everything on the water. Calm. Present. Grinning like a kid.
Robin fishes spin and fly, mostly on the flats, and he does it professionally. "I'm fortunate that I can fish every day and that I can do it professionally," he says. No performance in it. Just true.
His first fishing memory is a hand line and a big snapper. His favorite is watching his wife land her first bonefish on a fly rod. Ask him what drives him and he skips past personal bests entirely. "Watching them eat the fly, and the best part of it all is seeing them swim away after you released it," he says. "Next to that I enjoy watching people catch fish and share the stoke."
The fish matters. The people watching it swim away matter more.
He's still chasing a roosterfish. Still fighting the Aruban sun for time on the water. Given one trip anywhere in the world tomorrow, he'd pick Charleston, chasing redfish, which makes sense now that he's had a taste of it.
Fishing has taught him patience. If he could change one thing about his fishery, it would be real catch and release regulations, protecting what's there for the next generation.
He left us with this: "A little bit of kindness goes a long way." Spend time with Robin on the water and you'll see he means it. One fish, one guest, one release at a time.
Aruba has more going on beneath the surface than most people realize. Robin has some things in the works for anglers looking to find that out for themselves. Consider this your invitation.