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Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam

By December 7, 2020General
Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam - 01

In this blog, I would like to share my passion for fishing in the big city. Hopefully, this creates a bit of inspiration for you.

First, I should note that in this article I am only discussing fishing in Amsterdam. After all, this impressive city with its thousands of canals and bridges is a popular destination for us, fishing tourists.

In this large Dutch city you have to be careful when casting, there are trams and cyclists everywhere. In the canals, there are also many boats. After several tours year after year, I would like to describe fishing in the middle of the city, why I love it, and to share some tips to simplify your next fishing tour.

By the way, did you know that there are more bicycles in Amsterdam than registered residents?

 

How do I find new spots?

 

During the day…

The boat traffic in Amsterdam is extreme and that is one of the things I use to my advantage. First I look for bridges and boat traffic, i.e. water crossings, there is always fish there. I’ve seen a lot over the past few years, and Google reveals most of it. The fairway is usually deepest at these points. Oxygen and swirling water are both factors that have brought me plenty of fish so far. If you look closely and fish at these spots before the big boat moves through, you will notice that the fish bite, but in less frequency when the water starts moving. The big predators just wait until the prey fish are moving through the water and then it pops.

Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam - 02

Of course, the houseboats are also very interesting. They are difficult to fish, especially with all the ropes and cables. It is not easy to fight when a big perch is on the line, but houseboats are always worth dropping the lure into the water. There are often more perch than zander there. People live there and wherever people live, food ends up in the water.

The nice thing about Amsterdam is that you inevitably get a large fish on the line via the frequency. It was not uncommon for me to have days when I could catch more than 50 fish. This included a lot of smaller fish, but as I just mentioned, the frequency means that the bigger ones also crop up.

At night…

It’s a good idea to fish at night, especially in Amsterdam. One crucial thing for targeted fishing for zander and other species is light! When light falls into the water, through lamps, spotlights or illuminated bridges, that’s where I catch the most Zander at night! Any light source is worth trying. Believe me, it’s almost as bright in the city at night as it is during the day.

Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam - 03

Lures…

I use an 8cm soft bait, almost all year round and always with a nice and bright colour. By the way, it’s not just me who swear by pink and bright green. There is a blog entry from me about the right all-rounder which you can read here.

In winter, when the temperatures are around 0 °C for several days, I sometimes use 10cm soft baits. But even there you can observe that 8cm is still catching. Mind you, I’m still only talking about city fishing in the middle of the city. I use hard baits infrequently and if so then mostly the ASP.

A little tip: vertically fishing along the wall, has brought me plenty of good catches.

Rod, reel, line …

I recommend a rod of around 2m with a 1000 or 2000 sized reel and a 0.08 to 0.10mm braided line. As a leader fluorocarbon around 0.28mm and a small snap.

In the city, I use the 2.10m SKILLZ ROD V2 with a casting weight of 3-14g. Matching this is the SKILLZ REEL V2 in the 2000 size with the new BALLAST BRAID in 0.10mm

Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam - 04

A few more good tips at the end!

Reduce the tackle that you have to carry to the bare minimum. In the beginning, I always had everything with me to be prepared for anything. At the end of the day, I always use the same thing. 1/0 hooks, 3-5g Jigs, 8cm lures, done. You need enough leader material. Quite often I have 10-15 snag breaks.

Please do NOT fish without a long landing net, preferably up to 3 or 4 meters AND (not or) a Dropnet! Believe me, there are spots that you want and should fish, but cannot because the Dropnet is missing.

Street Fishing in the Heart of Amsterdam - 05

Parking…

The Oosterdok car park is the cheapest there. I always park there. From there on you just take the first canal towards the city

I hope I could give you one or more tips and make fishing in the heart of Amsterdam appealing for you.

Tight lines, good luck and maximum success in city fishing!

Let’s rock, let’s tock
Markus Heil