Fishing in Holland

The Netherlands is the ideal holiday spot for anglers! Let yourself be surprised by the great fishing adventures you can have here!

A large part of the Netherlands is situated below sea level, making it one of the most watery countries in the world. From mighty rivers and the river delta to vast areas of wetland. From the characteristic polders to the canals of Amsterdam; the Netherlands has it all, and all these waters are great for angling. Go on big fishing adventures with monstrous pikes, huge perch, beautiful carps and strong sea bass. Or take it easy, angling for bream, tench or the common roach from your lazy chair.

Would you rather go catch some marine fish? That’s also possible in the Netherlands. There are plenty of hotspots along our 523 kilometres long coastline. Beaches, ports, piers, the famous Zeeland Delta and the Wadden Islands. All these spots offer an opportunity to catch a wide variety of tasty marine fish.

In the Netherlands we like to make you, the angler, comfortable and we like to keep things as affordable as possible. Here it is possible to catch fish all year through in lots of waters throughout the whole country with only one document – the VISpas – for about just 40 euros per calendar year! The Netherlands is the angling country par excellence, it’s only a few hours from belgium, Germany, Great Britain or France, see you soon!

Going fishing? Bring your VISpas!

The VISpas allows you to fish in all waters stated in the accompanying booklet entitled Lists of Fishing Waters (Gezamenlijke Lijst van Nederlandse Viswateren). That's more than 90% of the surfacewater in Holland.

The average amount you pay for a VISpas is around 40 euros. When you become a member of a fishing club, you receive the VISpas automatically. Every VISpas is valid until December 31st.

Order your VISpas easy online at www.vispas.nl. After payment by VISA or Mastercard you'll receive an automatic e-mail with a temporary permit that allows you to go fishing immediately.

VISpas Hotspots: De Alde Feanen (Friesland)

National Park De Alde Feanen is located between Leeuwarden, Drachten and Heerenveen in the province of Friesland. This wetland region, with bogs, ditches, canals, ponds and lakes was created as a result of peat excavation. In addition to the beautiful nature, this bog region is an excellent place to catch predatory fish, carp and coarse fish.

Closed season: what’s the deal? (video)

When fishing in the Netherlands you have to take into account a number of closed seasons. For example, there is the closed season for certain types of bait and the closed season for certain fish species. Especially for pike, zander and perch this sometimes gives rise to confusion. In this video we will explain the deal on the different closed seasons.

VISpas Hotspots: Kraaijenbergse plassen (Noord-Brabant)

The Kraaijenbergse Plassen are located around 10 kilometres south of Nijmegen. This large lake complex is a special favourite of predatory fish anglers, but it also offers some excellent challenges for catching coarse fish and carp.

VISpas Hotspots: De Amstel (Noord-Holland)

The Amstel river stretches from Amsterdam south into the polder landscape. With a length of more than 30 kilometres, and several kilometres of tributaries, it is a sizeable watershed. The varied fish stocks and easy accessibility make the river an interesting place to fish for predatory fish, coarse fish or carp.

VISpas Hotspots: Paterswoldse Meer (Groningen)

Het Paterswoldse Meer and the Hoornse Meer together measure more than 270 hectares just to the south of the city of Groningen. Their diversity of habitats and species give these freshwater lakes plenty of opportunities for anglers.

Video: XL perch in the Netherlands!

In November, Timo Keibel and Elmar Elfers, from German angling magazine ‘Rute & Rolle’, travelled to the Netherlands for Anglerboard TV to report on fishing for large perch. The video of this fantastic fishing adventure – during which the pair spent the night on the water in a ‘log cabin boat’ – is now online on YouTube. This is definitely one to watch, because under the supervision of the Fishing in Holland team, they managed to land some excellent perch.

Viewing tip: YPC in the Netherlands (video)

It is no great surprise that the Netherlands has been chosen as the stage for the YouTube Predator Cup (YPC) Bank. After all, it’s only here that you have a chance to land really large specimens of the three target species: pike, pikeperch and perch. Follow the participants from various countries in the exciting battle for the YPC Bank trophy. The episodes guarantee hours of viewing enjoyment.

VISpas 2023: now available to order online!

The VISpas 2023 and the NachtVIS- en Derde Hengeltoestemming can now be ordered online at www.vispas.nl. They will also be available for purchase at local angling stores starting in mid-December.

Fishingdestinations, -spots and -facilities map

With our Google Map below you find an overview of fishing destinations, - spots, -guides, - accommodations, - ponds and charterboats. These 'points of interest' can be filterd by fishspecies and -methods. You can also go to their website or Facebook fanpage or search by residence.

-> Check the Fishging in Holland Map

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