Public waters play by different rules to commercial lakes
This isn’t about day-ticket holiday complexes that market themselves on overnight carp sessions — those tend to spell out their own rules clearly. This is about the public water network: AAPPMA-controlled lakes, rivers and canals in France, federation and club waters in Belgium, and the public network covered by a standard licence in the Netherlands. On these waters, night fishing rights come from the licence and category system itself, not from a venue’s marketing.
Rather than working through the rules below for every trip, every venue on the PiscaMaps map already shows its confirmed night fishing status — check the specific water directly instead of applying a national rule and hoping it holds.
France: it comes down to water category
France’s national fishing regulation draws the line at category, not location:
- 1st category waters (broadly, salmonid and trout streams and their classified stretches) — night fishing is prohibited nationally. This isn’t a local variation, it’s the default position everywhere.
- 2nd category waters (coarse fishing — the great majority of carp, catfish and pike waters) — night fishing is permitted by default under national regulation, unless a specific arrêté préfectoral (departmental order) restricts it for that particular stretch.
On a public 2nd category AAPPMA lake or river stretch, the starting assumption should be that night fishing is allowed, and the exception is a local order saying otherwise — not the other way around. That is a meaningfully different starting point to “check every water individually with no default.”
Most carp, catfish and pike waters in France are 2nd category. If you are targeting these species on a public AAPPMA water, night fishing is permitted by default unless the venue or a local departmental order says otherwise. Trout rivers are 1st category — no night fishing regardless of where you are.
Belgium (Wallonia): the permit tier does the work
Unlike France, Belgium doesn’t split rules by water category — it splits them by permit tier, and this applies directly to public waters managed by SPW (Service Public de Wallonie) and local federations.
In Wallonia, only Permit C carries night fishing rights. Permits A and B don’t, regardless of which public water you’re on. Buying the wrong tier isn’t a fine risk — the session simply isn’t legal.
- Permit A — daytime only, 2 rods. No night fishing.
- Permit B — daytime only, 3 rods. No night fishing.
- Permit C (~€110) — includes all Permit B rights plus night carp fishing on designated Wallonian waters. This is what you need for an overnight session.
Not all waters in Wallonia are designated for Permit C night fishing — check with the venue or local club that the specific water is covered. On many popular carp venues this will be confirmed in the water’s rules. On public rivers such as the Meuse and Sambre it is generally permitted with Permit C, but local signage or club rules may impose additional restrictions.
Permit B does not include night fishing in Wallonia. This is the most common mistake UK anglers make in Belgium. If you are planning an overnight carp session, you need Permit C — it cannot be added to an existing Permit B after purchase.
Belgium (Flanders): generally not permitted on public waters
The Flemish licensing system is structured differently from Wallonia’s, and night fishing is considerably more restricted. On public Flemish waters, fishing is restricted to between 2 hours before sunrise and 2 hours after sunset. There is no Flemish equivalent to Wallonia’s Permit C — the standard visverlof and groot visverlof do not carry any night fishing rights.
Some private carp venues in Flanders operate their own overnight permissions, separate from the regional licence system. Where this applies, the venue will confirm it directly. On public waters managed by the Flemish authorities, overnight sessions are not permitted as a general rule.
Most UK carp anglers fish in Wallonia, not Flanders — the Ardennes, the Meuse, the Sambre and the Eau d’Heure lakes are all in the Wallonian south. If you are specifically targeting the Flemish canals around Ghent, Bruges or the Albert Canal, check your venue’s rules directly before planning an overnight session.
The Netherlands: the VISpas covers access, not the clock
On the Dutch public network — the waters covered by Sportvisserij Nederland’s federation system — the VISpas gets you onto the water, but night fishing is a separate layer on top:
- A standard VISpas does not automatically include night fishing rights.
- Night fishing requires an additional endorsement, and even with it, permission is set per water via the VISplanner — the federation’s own tool for checking exactly this.
- This is actively enforced on public waters, particularly in carp season, with fines starting at €150 for fishing without the correct pass.
The practical difference from France: there is no “default permitted unless restricted” position here. The default is not included, and you check the VISplanner to find the exceptions where night fishing is available.
Having a VISpas night fishing endorsement is not enough on its own. You also need the specific water you are fishing to be listed as night fishing permitted in the VISplanner. Both conditions must be met. Check the VISplanner before every session, as permissions can change between seasons.
Side by side
| Country / Region | Default position on public waters | What changes it | Where to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| France (2nd category) | Permitted by default | Local arrêté préfectoral restricting the specific stretch | Per-venue on PiscaMaps |
| France (1st category) | Not permitted, nationally | N/A — blanket prohibition | N/A |
| Belgium (Wallonia) | Not included unless Permit C | Permit tier at purchase + designated water status | Fédération / permit type / venue |
| Belgium (Flanders) | Not permitted on public waters | Private venue exceptions only | Venue directly |
| Netherlands | Not included by default | Separate endorsement on VISpas + per-water VISplanner permission | VISplanner |
Why this matters more on public waters than commercial ones
A commercial lake tells you its own rules upfront. A public AAPPMA stretch, SPW-managed canal, or federation water doesn’t come with a leaflet — the rule sits in national or regional regulation, and you’re expected to already know it.
That’s exactly why we built venue-level night fishing status into the upgraded PiscaMaps map. Instead of working out where a lake or river sits on the category system, or whether a Wallonian permit tier covers it, every venue on the map shows its confirmed night fishing status directly — so you’re checking the specific water, not applying a national rule and hoping it holds.
Check night fishing status per venue
Every public water on PiscaMaps shows its confirmed night fishing rules alongside species information, bivvy permissions and access notes.
Open the mapQuick summary
- France — night fishing is permitted by default on 2nd category waters (most carp, catfish and pike venues). Prohibited nationally on 1st category (trout) waters. Local departmental orders can restrict individual stretches.
- Belgium (Wallonia) — night fishing requires Permit C (~€110). Permit B does not include it. The water must also be designated for night fishing — confirm with the venue.
- Belgium (Flanders) — night fishing is generally not permitted on public waters. Private venues may have their own permissions — check directly.
- Netherlands — night fishing requires a VISpas night endorsement plus per-water permission via VISplanner. Neither alone is sufficient. Fines from €150 for non-compliance.
- The biggest pitfall is assuming France’s default-permitted position applies elsewhere. In Belgium and the Netherlands it doesn’t — the default in both is not included.