Inside the Lonely Bliss of Urban Fishing

This article originally appeared on VICE Belgium

When Antoine de Bellefroid isn't doing his day job, the 31-year-old photographer likes to capture everyday life in his hometown of Brussels.

For his latest photo series, Antoine was attracted to the art of urban fishing – specifically how a quiet sport usually reserved for old men and their flasks, floating out in the middle of nowhere, can be replicated in the middle of a crowded city, still complete with that feeling of total seclusion.

Urban fishing is legal in Belgium with a permit, as long as you respect the privacy of local residents. None of the fishermen Antoine captured around the city's canals actually took home their catches – largely because of how filthy the water is. But that's not the point anyway, Antoine says. Over the weeks he spent with them, the photographer learned that most of the fishermen just see their hobby as an excuse to meet up with their mates and hang out together in peaceful solitude.

Scroll down to see more photos from the series.