VISpas Hotspots: het Twiske (Noord-Holland)

The whole waterbody (except the ligt blue parts) can be fished with the VISpas.  

The clear, plant-rich Stootersplas (80 hectares) is located at the heart of the nature reserve and recreation area. This lake was created following sand extraction and therefore has a varied lake bed, with over 30 metres of water at its deepest point. The north side of Stootersplas is open to kilometres of creeks and ditches, where the depth ranges from between fifty centimetres and two metres. The southern part of Het Twiske - which is closed off from Stootersplas by a dam - mainly comprises large ponds and wide ditches and is designed for intensive daytime recreation. Although it bears some resemblance to an ancient peat lake area, Het Twiske was actually designed at the drawing board. There are also some (small) sections of water where angling is not permitted (check the free VISplanner app for details and special provisions).

Predatory fish

You can catch pike anywhere in Het Twiske, which is why this predatory fish is fished the most here. Stootersplas offers the best chance for catching larger specimens. The average length is around 70 cm, but there are also fish of over a metre here. The huge variation, from large and deep waters to narrow and shallow peat bogs, means that covering distance is the key to finding Esox lucius. You can use various techniques: casting, trolling, vertical jigging, fly fishing with streamers or using dead bait. In early summer, you can encounter sizeable perch (30+ cm) on the lake, mostly close to the slope towards deeper water. Large pikeperch can also be found here, but they are not fished often. Your options increase enormously with a boat, so it’s worth considering renting one (see below).

Coarse fish

Coarse fish anglers at Het Twiske usually catch bream, silver bream, roach and rudd, but don’t be surprised to hook some tench as well. The variation in fishing spots attracts both traditional coarse fish anglers as well as fly anglers. If you fancy a comfortable day of coarse fish angling using a feeder rod or pole, the good accessibility and beautiful grassy edges make the wide ponds between The Kiosk and Pikpot Road the perfect spots. Bear in mind that the bed at Het Twiske is predominantly hard, but there are also some sections with a soft peat bed. You should, therefore, use light cage feeders (up to 20g) or feed balls that disintegrate before landing on the lake bed. The creeks and ditches are the domain of fly and bread-fly fishing anglers from spring to the end of summer. They catch roaches and beautifully coloured rudd along the reed-covered embankments. Wellingtons or waterproof shoes are highly recommended here because of the soggy ground.

Carp

Carp are not fished for very often at Het Twiske, partly because of the night-time access ban (between 11.00 pm - 6.00 am). However, static carp anglers and strolling pen anglers alike can enjoy this unique area near Amsterdam to the full. The majority of carp - in both sections of Het Twiske - are small, wild domesticated carp, but there are also some sizeable specimens of up to 40 pounds. The small, domesticated carp are more attracted to the murkier creeks in the northern section than to the often clear, deep lake (where you are more likely to get ‘monsters’). There are larger numbers of mirror carp and more spots to fish from the banks in the closed southern section. Note that the improved accessibility has made this area considerably busier with recreational visitors.