93 public lakes, rivers and canals across 10 Sportvisserij regions — with VISpas licence info, night fishing rules, bivvy permissions and distance from Calais. No booking required on most waters.
IJsselmeer, Markermeer, Randmeren and the polder lakes of Flevoland. Note: night fishing forbidden on IJsselmeer.
Loosdrechtse Plassen, Vinkeveense Plassen and the peat lake district of Utrecht and Noord-Holland.
IJssel river, Twentekanaal and Gelderland lakes. Some of the Netherlands' best river fishing.
Haringvliet, Hollands Diep, Volkerak and the Biesbosch delta. Big waters, big fish.
Lauwersmeer and the northern canal network. Strong night fishing permissions throughout.
The Frisian Lakes — Sneekermeer, Tjeukemeer, Fluessen. Carp, pike and bream in beautiful surroundings.
North Holland polders, Geestmerambacht recreational lakes and coastal waters near Alkmaar.
The great rivers — Waal, Rhine and Maas — as they cross central Netherlands. Specimen bream and zander.
The Maas river and Maasplassen gravel pits near Roermond — one of Europe's great carp destinations.
Noord-Brabant rivers — Amer, Bergse Maas and Mark. Good pike and bream fishing.
The Netherlands offers exceptional carp fishing on its vast network of public waters — and unlike France, most Dutch public waters are free to fish with just a VISpas. No venue booking, no day tickets, no waiting lists. This makes the Netherlands ideal for spontaneous sessions or longer road trips.
The Maasplassen in Limburg — a chain of former gravel pits near Roermond — is one of the most celebrated carp destinations in northern Europe, holding fish to well over 30kg in clear, deep water. The Frisian Lakes (Sneekermeer, Tjeukemeer, Fluessen) and the Randmeren hold large carp in beautiful surroundings. Night fishing is possible with the NachtVIStoestemming on most of these venues.
Notable exception: the IJsselmeer and Markermeer forbid night fishing regardless of permit status. Always check VISplanner.nl for current rules on specific waters before planning an overnight session.
All anglers fishing Dutch public waters require a VISpas (~€40/year), issued by Sportvisserij Nederland. Buy online at sportvisserijnederland.nl before your trip. The standard VISpas covers most public lakes, rivers and canals with 2 rods.
For night fishing, a separate NachtVIStoestemming (€17.50/year) is required in addition to the VISpas. Not all waters permit night fishing even with this permit — always verify on the VISplanner app (visplanner.nl) for the specific water you plan to fish.
An optional Derde Hengeltoestemming (€32.50/year) covers a third rod where permitted. All licences are digital — carry them on your phone while fishing. Inspectors operate on Dutch public waters regularly.
Full access to all 93 Netherlands venues plus 4,000+ in France and Belgium. Cancel anytime.