Located in Regio West, Nieuwkoopse Plassen is a very large public lake of 1,400 hectares open to fishing under the Dutch VISpas system. Species include Pike, Perch, Carp, Bream, Tench, Roach, Eel, with carp present and subject to mandatory catch-and-release under Dutch rules.
Night fishing at Nieuwkoopse Plassen is permitted with restrictions. Night fishing permitted on main open plassen with NachtVIStoestemming. Natura 2000 protected sections have restricted or no fishing. Verify on VISplanner before session.. Regarding boats: Electric and rowing boats allowed on larger plassen. No motor boats in protected nature areas..
Nieuwkoopse Plassen is 204 miles from Calais. The Netherlands offers free public fishing under the VISpas system — no venue booking or day tickets required on most waters.
Night fishing is permitted with restrictions. Night fishing permitted on main open plassen with NachtVIStoestemming. Natura 2000 protected sections have restricted or no fishing. Verify on VISplanner before session.
Boats: Boat access is restricted at Nieuwkoopse Plassen. Electric and rowing boats allowed on larger plassen. No motor boats in protected nature areas.
Permits required: VISpas required. NachtVIStoestemming for night fishing. Some sections require additional HSV club permit.
VISpas (~€40/year) — required to fish most public waters in the Netherlands. Available online at sportvisserijnederland.nl.
NachtVIStoestemming (€17.50/year) — required in addition to the VISpas for night fishing. Night fishing is permitted here with restrictions — check VISplanner for current rules.
Always verify rules on VISplanner.nl before your session — rules can vary by specific water.
Nieuwkoopse Plassen holds pike, perch, carp, bream, tench, roach, eel. Note: carp are mandatory catch-and-release on Dutch public waters — they must be returned alive.
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All year. Closed season for Pike/Perch/Zander applies. Some waterfowl protected sections closed April–May.
All anglers fishing Dutch public waters require a VISpas (~€40/year) from Sportvisserij Nederland — buy online at sportvisserijnederland.nl before leaving the UK. For night fishing, an additional NachtVIStoestemming (€17.50/year) is required. Always check VISplanner.nl for current rules on the specific water before your session.
Nieuwkoopse Plassen is 204 miles from Calais — allow around 3 hours from the Hook of Holland ferry. No booking required — Dutch public waters operate on free access under the VISpas system.
Regio West covers a wide range of public fishing venues accessible under the VISpas system. Use PiscaMaps to find all venues in this region.