Fishing the IJsselmeer: the fish, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

The IJsselmeer sits between Friesland and Noord-Holland in the northern Netherlands, the country's largest lake at about 1,100 km². It is a shallow former arm of the sea, the old Zuiderzee, closed off by the Afsluitdijk in 1932 and now fresh. Shallow, wind-swept and full of baitfish, so the predator fishing is its draw.

This is an inland sea more than a lake. Most of it is only a few metres deep, the bottom is broad and even, and there is little of the steep structure an alpine lake gives you. What it has instead is space and food: huge shoals of smelt and other baitfish, and the zander, pike and perch that follow them. The wind has a free run across open water, so it kicks up quickly and the lake can turn from flat to rough in an hour. That shapes both the fishing and the safety.

The IJsselmeer was split in 1976 by the Houtribdijk (the Enkhuizen to Lelystad dyke), so what people now call the IJsselmeer is the northern part, with the Markermeer to its south. The two fish in much the same way, and the neighbouring Friesland lakes (Tjeukemeer, Sneekermeer and the others) are the same style of shallow predator water, so the methods on this page carry across all of them.

It is easy to reach. The Friesland shore towns of Stavoren, Lemmer and Makkum, and the Noord-Holland shore towns of Enkhuizen, Medemblik and Den Oever, all sit on the water with harbours, slipways and dyke access. Amsterdam and Schiphol are roughly an hour and a half away by road, so a long weekend is realistic.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Zander is the headline, a boat fish taken vertical or on the troll over the open shallows. Pike sit along the dykes, the reed lines and the harbour mouths, reachable from the bank as well as a boat. Perch run big here and shoal over structure. The cards below give you where, when and how for each, so you can match your dates and kit to the fish.

Others, for context. The system also holds eel, bream, roach and other coarse fish, and the connected waters carry the same predators. The neighbouring Friesland lakes (Tjeukemeer, Sneekermeer and others) and the Markermeer to the south fish the same three predators the same way, so this plan carries across them. Those three cards above are the trip for most visiting anglers.

I have set each species out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how it moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method.

How the fishing changes by season

Spring and early summer are the closed patch, with the predators shut for spawning and a long lure and dead-bait ban in force (16 March to 30 June on the IJsselmeer). Everything reopens on 1 July. High summer fishes early and late around the heat and the boat traffic. Autumn into winter is the prime window: the zander, pike and perch all feed hard in the cold over the bait shoals. No night fishing, all year.

Here is the year in plain terms.

• Spring and early summer (the closures). On the IJsselmeer the lure and dead-bait ban runs from 16 March to 30 June, longer than the rest of the country, so the predator fishing is shut through this whole window. From 1 April the zander and perch must be released too, and the pike closure runs to 30 June. Through this window you can fish for non-predators by other methods, but the predator fishing is off the table until July. Plan around the 1 July opening rather than turning up in spring to find everything shut.
• High summer (July and August). All three open from 1 July. The lake is busy with sailing and the days are bright, so fish dawn and the last light, and use the wind: a breezy, overcast day puts a chop on the water and switches the fish on. Coloured water after a blow helps the zander.
• Autumn (September to November). The standout window. The bait shoals pack up, the water cools, and the zander, pike and perch all feed hard. The best all-round fishing of the year, and the most consistent for a planned trip.
• Winter (December to February). Cold-water zander and pike fish well over the deeper channels and along the dykes, on the troll, the vertical jig and the deadbait. Watch the weather and the ice risk in the harbours, and remember the IJsselmeer lure and dead-bait ban starts again on 16 March, with the pike closure from 1 March.

What you can eat (and what you should consider releasing)

There is no consumption ban here as there is on some lakes, so a zander, perch or pike kept legally within its minimum size is fine to eat, and zander is excellent on the plate. But the IJsselmeer fishery is managed, big-predator catch and release is the norm among predator anglers, and you should keep only what you will eat and check the current rules first.

This is simpler than some waters, but worth being exact about. The minimum sizes are the law: zander 42 cm, pike 45 cm, perch 22 cm (Sportvisserij Nederland, as of 5 June 2026). A fish under those sizes goes straight back. Above them, keeping a fish to eat is legal, and zander in particular is one of the best freshwater fish for the table.

That said, the convention on the IJsselmeer and across Dutch predator fishing is catch and release for the predators, especially the bigger zander and pike, to keep the fishery strong. Most guides fish that way. A big pike is worth far more in the water than on a plate. So keep a zander for supper if you like, within the size limit, but return the big fish and the spawning-condition fish.

Whatever you keep, check the minimum size and the closed season first, handle fish in wet hands, unhook them in the water where you can (especially pike, with a wire trace and the right tools), and clean your kit between waters so you do not carry anything from one water to the next.

Licence and rules

Yes, you need a licence: the VISpas, the Dutch national angling pass. It covers the IJsselmeer (and most Dutch waters) and costs roughly €40 to €60 a year through a local angling club as of 2026. There is no UK-style day ticket; the VISpas is the route. Minimum sizes apply, there is a spring and early-summer closure with a long lure and dead-bait ban (16 March to 30 June on the IJsselmeer), and night fishing is forbidden on the IJsselmeer.

What the VISpas is and what it covers. The VISpas is issued by Sportvisserij Nederland through a local angling association (hengelsportvereniging), and it comes with the "Gezamenlijke Lijst van Nederlandse Viswateren", the combined list of waters it gives you the right to fish. The IJsselmeer and the Markermeer are on that list, along with most public Dutch water, so one pass covers the great majority of a trip here (Sportvisserij Nederland, as of 5 June 2026).

2026 VISpas cost (via Sportvisserij Nederland and a local association, as of 5 June 2026):

There is no single day licence in the UK sense. The usual route for a visitor is to join a local angling association online and receive the VISpas (a digital version is available quickly through the app). Confirm the exact figure with the association you join (Source: Sportvisserij Nederland; ahv.nl; as of 5 June 2026).

How to get it

• Choose a local angling association (any Dutch hengelsportvereniging; a city club such as the Amsterdam one, AHV, sells to visitors online).
• Buy the VISpas through them online. A digital pass is available through the Sportvisserij Nederland app soon after, so you can fish on it while the card arrives.
• Carry the VISpas (digital or card) and the combined list of waters while you fish.
• Install the free VISplanner app and check the IJsselmeer entry for any water-specific conditions before you go.

Minimum sizes

(Source: Sportvisserij Nederland, as of 5 June 2026.)

Closed seasons and the lure ban

(Source: Sportvisserij Nederland; Charlie's Fishing close-season guide; as of 5 June 2026.) The IJsselmeer carries a longer pike closure than the rest of the country:

So spring and early summer are thin on the IJsselmeer: the lure and dead-bait ban shuts down the predator fishing from 16 March right through to the end of June, longer than the rest of the country, and the pike stays closed until July as well. From 1 July the lure fishing for all three is back on. Autumn into winter is the prime predator window. (Note: nationally the lure ban ends on the last Saturday of May, 30 May in 2026, but the IJsselmeer carries the longer 16 March to 30 June closure per the Combined List of Dutch Fishing Waters, so do not bring the national dates to this water.)

Other rules that matter

• No night fishing on the IJsselmeer. Night fishing is forbidden here regardless of any permit. The separate night-fishing permission (NachtVIStoestemming) sold elsewhere does not open the IJsselmeer at night. Fish in daylight. (Source: Sportvisserij Nederland, as of 5 June 2026.)
• Check the VISplanner for the exact water. Conditions vary between connected waters; the app is the authoritative per-water source.
• Clean your kit between waters so you do not move invasive species or disease.

Where to fish

From the bank, fish the harbour mouths, the dyke fronts and the reed lines for pike and perch, at the shore towns: Stavoren, Lemmer and Makkum on the Friesland side; Enkhuizen, Medemblik and Den Oever on the Noord-Holland side. For zander, you want a boat over the open shallows and the channel drop-offs. The lake is flat, so structure is everything.

This is a shallow, even-bottomed water, so you fish what little structure there is: the dykes, the harbour entrances, the reed margins, the channel edges and the marker posts. These are the reliable access points round the lake.

• Stavoren (Friesland). A harbour town on the south-east shore with dyke and harbour-mouth access and a slipway, a good base for the Friesland side and the route to the Friesland lakes inland.
• Lemmer (Friesland). A larger harbour town at the south-east corner, with marina access, slipways and the lock to the inland waters. A practical base with boat hire and charters nearby.
• Makkum (Friesland). On the east shore by the Kornwerderzand end of the Afsluitdijk, with harbour and dyke access.
• Enkhuizen (Noord-Holland). A historic harbour town on the west shore at the Houtribdijk junction, with harbour mouths, dyke fronts and a slipway. One of the better bases on the Noord-Holland side.
• Medemblik (Noord-Holland). A harbour town up the west shore with marina and dyke access.
• Den Oever (Noord-Holland). At the western end of the Afsluitdijk, with a fishing harbour, the sluices and strong dyke fishing for pike and perch.

What the flat bottom means for method

• Harbour mouths and the dyke fronts (the reachable depth from the bank): pike and perch. A drop shot worked along the wall and the stones, or the pike rig cast along the reed and dyke line. Low light is best.
• The reed margins and channel entrances: pike sit tight to the cover. Cast a big shad or a deadbait along the edge on a trace.
• The open shallows and the channel drop-offs (boat only): zander, found by covering water on the vertical jig or the troll and a sounder. This is where the headline fish is, and it is boat country.

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

From the bank, target pike and perch at the harbour mouths and dyke fronts in low light, on a drop shot or the pike rig. From a boat you add the zander over the open shallows and the channel drop-offs, found on the vertical jig or the troll. Overcast, breezy days beat flat, bright ones, and there is no night fishing at all here.

Plain version: if you only have the bank, fish pike and perch along the dykes and harbour mouths at dawn and dusk, and take a low-light zander where you can. With a boat you keep all of that and add the zander properly over the open water, which is the fish most people come for. Use the wind, fish a chop and a grey sky, and stop at dusk because the night is closed.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

The boat: guided, hire, or your own

Three ways onto the water. Book a guided predator charter (the simplest for a first visit, and the standard route for the vertical-jig zander fishing), hire a boat at one of the harbour towns, or launch your own at a slipway. Guided predator days here run roughly €300 to €500 for one or two anglers, tackle included. The wind matters more than on a sheltered lake, so watch the forecast.

A boat is what opens up the zander on this lake, and the vertical jigging is best learned with a guide who knows where the bait and the fish are holding, so a guided day is worth it even for a short trip. The IJsselmeer is open water, so the wind has a free run and the lake can turn rough fast: check the forecast before you go out, wear a lifejacket, and do not push a small boat in a building wind.

Guided (recommended for a first visit)

Dutch predator guides run vertical-jigging and trolling charters for zander, plus pike and perch trips, on the IJsselmeer and the connected waters, supplying the boat, the tackle and the local knowledge. Guided freshwater predator trips here typically run €300 to €500 per day for one or two anglers, tackle included (Source: fishingbooker.com Netherlands guide, as of 5 June 2026). Book through:

• FishingBooker IJsselmeer charters – a directory of vetted IJsselmeer and connected-water predator guides, with day rates and booking.
• UFX Fishing – Dutch guides for zander, pike, perch and catfish.
• Catch a Guide – listed local zander guides in the Netherlands.

Hire a boat

Self-drive boat hire is available from the harbour towns (Lemmer, Stavoren, Enkhuizen and others) through the marinas and watersport hire firms. Confirm whether a licence (vaarbewijs) is needed for the boat you hire, and whether it is suited to open water, when you book. For the open IJsselmeer, hire a boat built for the lake, not a small inland tender.

Launch your own

There are public slipways at the harbour towns round the lake (Lemmer, Stavoren, Makkum, Enkhuizen, Den Oever and others). Launch fees and any harbour rules are set locally, so check with the harbour office before you go. Again, only launch a boat fit for open water, and watch the wind.

Where to stay

To base yourself near the fishing, stay at one of the harbour towns. Lemmer and Stavoren on the Friesland side, and Enkhuizen and Medemblik on the Noord-Holland side, all have hotels, holiday parks and marina accommodation on the water, so you can stay, launch and fish in one place.

Stay near the water

• Lemmer (Friesland) – a harbour town with hotels, holiday parks and marina berths, central for the Friesland shore and the inland lakes. A practical, well-served base with charters nearby.
• Stavoren (Friesland) – a smaller harbour town with waterside accommodation and a slipway, quieter, and the gateway to the Friesland lakes.
• Enkhuizen (Noord-Holland) – a historic harbour town with hotels and holiday accommodation, a good base for the west shore and the Houtribdijk.
• Medemblik (Noord-Holland) – a harbour town up the west shore with marina and holiday accommodation.

Book directly with the town's hotels, holiday parks or marinas, or through the usual booking sites; choose a base on the shore you want to fish, since the lake is large and the drive round it is long.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

A small set of rigs covers everything here, and they share most of their tackle. The vertical jig is the core zander method from a boat. The drop shot is the all-rounder for perch and low-light zander, bank and boat. The pike rig adds a trace for pike. Trolling is the guided boat method to find the zander over open water. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Zander, from a boat over the open shallows → vertical jig. A jighead and a soft shad dropped straight down under the boat and worked with a slow lift-and-drop, watching the sounder. The method the IJsselmeer zander fishing is built on, and the one to learn here.
• Zander, covering open water to find the shoals → trolling. Small lures run behind a moving boat to search the broad shallows and the channel edges. A boat-and-gear method, best with a guide on a first visit; once you find the fish you can stop and jig them.
• Perch (and low-light zander) → drop shot. A small soft lure hovered just off the bottom, worked actively along structure. The most versatile rig here, lighter from the bank and heavier from a boat in wind. The bank angler's main method for perch.
• Pike, bank or boat → pike rig. A wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace, then either a big soft shad or jerkbait (lure version) or a deadbait under a float or on a ledger (bait version). The trace is the one non-negotiable, because pike teeth cut a light leader.

The knots that tie these rigs are the Palomar (the workhorse, for hooks, swivels, jigheads and the trace) and the non-slip loop (a free-moving loop at a jighead or lure). Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on the bank or in a boat, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to what you need. A medium spinning outfit and a small box of terminal tackle build the perch and zander work; pike adds a trace and bigger lures; trolling is a boat method best done on the guide's gear. No brands, no prices.

That is the whole list. One medium spinning outfit, a spool of braid, a spool of leader, a wire trace for pike, and a small box for the jigheads, hooks, weights, swivels and soft plastics. Add the boat rod and a sounder only if you are fishing from a boat. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a zander.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the closed seasons, buy the VISpas through a local association, install the VISplanner and check the IJsselmeer entry, decide bank or boat and book a charter or hire, pack the one shared kit, and note the sizes. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates against the seasons. Confirm the fish you want is open on your days (the "what's on" strip above). On the IJsselmeer the lure and dead-bait ban runs 16 March to 30 June, longer than the rest of the country, and all three predators open on 1 July. Spring and early summer are shut for the predators; autumn into winter is the prime window.
2. Buy the VISpas. Join a local angling association online and get the VISpas (a digital pass is available quickly through the app). Carry it and the combined list of waters while you fish.
3. Check the VISplanner. Install the free app and read the IJsselmeer entry for any water-specific conditions, and remember there is no night fishing here.
4. Decide bank or boat, and book it. Bank only: target pike and perch along the dykes and harbour mouths at dawn and dusk. Want the zander: book a guided charter or hire a boat fit for open water, and watch the wind.
5. Pack the one kit. Medium spinning outfit, braid, fluoro leader, a wire trace for pike, the small terminal box, soft shads, net and unhooking tools. The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list. Add the boat rod and a sounder only for boat work.
6. Note the sizes. Zander 42 cm, pike 45 cm, perch 22 cm. Return anything under, return the big fish, wet hands, unhook in the water where you can.
7. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: turning up in the spring or early-summer closure before everything opens on 1 July, expecting zander from the bank, fishing flat bright days instead of a breezy grey one, taking a small boat out in a building wind, fishing after dark where it is banned, and bringing the wrong line for pike. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Fishing the closure by accident. On the IJsselmeer the lure and dead-bait ban runs 16 March to 30 June, longer than the national 1 April to end of May, and the pike is also closed until 30 June. All three predators open on 1 July. Do not bring the national dates to this water; check before you book.
• Expecting zander from the bank. Zander here is mainly a boat fish over the open shallows. You can take a low-light one at the harbour mouths, but for the proper fishing you want a boat and the vertical jig. Bank-only is mainly a pike-and-perch trip.
• Fishing a flat, bright day. This shallow lake fishes best with a chop and a grey sky. A bright, calm midday is slow. Pick the breezy, overcast windows, and fish the coloured water after a blow.
• Taking a small boat out in the wind. The IJsselmeer is open water and the wind builds fast. Check the forecast, wear a lifejacket, and only take a boat fit for the lake. The wind is the real hazard here.
• Fishing after dark. Night fishing is forbidden on the IJsselmeer, and no night permit changes that. Stop at dusk.
• Bringing the wrong line for pike. A wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace is essential, because pike teeth cut a light leader. Carry the trace and the unhooking tools whenever pike are about.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about the IJsselmeer: what is here, the VISpas, the cost, the seasons and closures, bank versus boat, the minimum sizes, night fishing, the boat, the best spots, and the kit.