Sea fishing from the Dutch shore


With a coastline of over 500 km long, the sea fisher’s possibilities are endless in the Netherlands. First of all there is surf fishing. You don’t need heavy duty surf rods; a sturdy feeder rod will also suffice to catch some great fish right behind the surf. In summer, chances are you’ll mostly catch sole and seabass, whereas in winter you’ll probably catch dab and whiting. Surf fishing is refreshing and relaxing, staring at the horizon, looking at ships passing by in the distance while at the same time catching a good meal. You’ll be most successful if there’s a good surf and a sea breeze.

Beach fishing is very popular


Deep water

If there’s a land breeze, you may want to choose a spot with deeper water. Luckily there are plenty of deep water spots within casting distance along our coastline. Examples are the dikes of Zeeland, the port of Rotterdam, the piers of Scheveningen and the piers of Ijmuiden. The North Sea canal west of Amsterdam is also one of the hotspots for sole fishing in the Netherlands. Moreover you can catch all kinds of strange sea fish between the rocks here.

Seabass caught from the beach


Active fishing

Would you rather engage in some active fishing? Then try fishing for garfish with a float. A ragworm or a small strip of fish attached to a long hook is often a guarantee for fun in summer – especially along the coast of Zeeland, where the dikes (such as the one near Westkapelle) are the true hotspots. You might also go after those strong mullets using a piece of bread and a float. There are specimens here of over 70 cm long!

Garfish caught from shore

And what to think of the ‘Hollandse Nieuwe’ – exactly: you’ll have a good chance catching a herring in springtime at places such as the Grevelingendam.


All sorts of usable baits when fishing the sea

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