IJsselmeer cheat sheet
Every fish, the VISpas and the closed seasons, the rigs and the one box of tackle. One page to take to the water.
IJsselmeer
The IJsselmeer lure and dead-bait ban runs 16 March to 30 June, longer than the rest of the country. All three predators open 1 July. Autumn into winter is the prime window.
Licence
You need a VISpas, the Dutch national angling pass, bought through a local angling association (about €40 to €60 for the year, 2026; a national base of roughly €26 plus the club's fee). It covers the IJsselmeer. Check the VISplanner app for this exact water.
Minimum sizes
Zander 42 cm, pike 45 cm, perch 22 cm. Anything under goes back. No consumption ban here, but big-predator catch and release is the norm.
The rules that matter
On the IJsselmeer the lure and dead-bait ban runs 16 Mar to 30 Jun (longer than elsewhere); zander and perch must be released from 1 Apr; pike closed 1 Mar to 30 Jun. All three open 1 Jul. No night fishing on the IJsselmeer, any permit.
Bank vs boat · season · time → rig
| Fish | From the bank | From a boat | Best time | Rig |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pike | Yes, the main bank fish: dyke fronts, reed lines, harbour mouths | Yes, the same edges and the drop-offs | Low, grey light; autumn to winter; open from 1 July | Pike rig (trace, lure or deadbait) |
| Perch | Yes, harbour walls, dykes, marker posts and moored boats | Yes, the drop-offs and bait shoals | First and last light; open from 1 July | Drop shot or light vertical jig |
| Zander | Possible at the harbour mouths and dyke fronts in low light | Yes, the real edge: open shallows and channel drop-offs | Dusk (no night fishing); overcast and breezy; coloured water after a blow; open from 1 July | Vertical jig or trolling to find them; drop shot from the bank |
Bank only is mainly a pike and perch trip. A boat adds the zander.
The rigs
Braid → swivel → fluoro leader → 10–30 g jighead (2/0–4/0) + 7–13 cm shad
Palomar to the swivel; non-slip loop at the jighead (or Palomar)Braid → swivel → fluoro leader → hook in-line (#1–#4) point-up, tag to a drop-shot weight (5–20 g)
PalomarBraid → swivel → pike trace (wire or 0.50–0.90 mm fluoro) → big shad/jerkbait on a jighead, or a deadbait
Palomar (trace and swivel); non-slip loop for the lure (optional)Braid → fluoro leader → small crankbait/shad run behind the moving boat (a guided boat method to find the zander)
Palomar; non-slip loop at the lureWhat you need
One medium spin outfit and one small box of terminal tackle build nearly all of it. The pike trace and the unhooking tools are the only must-add extras.
The knots
| Knot | Ties | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Palomar | The workhorse: hook, swivel, jighead, trace. | Every rig |
| Non-slip loop | A free-moving loop at a jighead or lure. | Vertical jig, pike lures, trolling |
Learn the Palomar first; it ties most of this. Wet every knot before you pull it tight.
This one page is the printable I take to the water.
Give me an email and I will show it to you, ready to print. A one-page reference: what's on by month, the licence and rules, a rig for every fish, the shared tackle box and the knots.
I'll send you the cheat sheet, and email you when I add a new place to fish. Nothing else.