The lake in brief
The Westeinderplassen lie directly south-west of Aalsmeer, twenty minutes from Amsterdam, Haarlem and Hoofddorp. It is one of the largest lakes in Noord-Holland: over a thousand hectares of water, divided into the open Grote Poel and Kleine Poel and a maze of islands, ditches and reed beds on the east side — the old lilac fields. The lake is mostly two to three metres deep, with deeper channels and basins. That mix of shallow, deep, open and sheltered is what makes the water so good for predators.
Which fish are there?
- Pike — the star. October to February is the season; read pike fishing on the Westeinderplassen and winter pike fishing.
- Perch — in large numbers around jetties, posts and channel edges; see perch fishing.
- Zander — in the channels and deep basins, especially at dusk; see zander fishing.
- Coarse fish — bream, roach and carp for the pole and feeder, all year round.
- Catfish — reported more and more often on the lake in recent years.
From the bank or from a boat?
Most of the shores of the Westeinderplassen are private or inaccessible: islands, gardens, marinas. From the bank you have a handful of public spots; from a boat you have the whole lake. You motor to the reed beds you can only look at from the bank, hold above the channels and change spots ten times a day. Our page on fishing spots explains how to read the water.
What do you need?
- A valid VISpas — see buying a VISpas and VISpas & rules. The VISplanner app shows whether the lake is covered by your pass.
- Knowledge of the closed seasons: pike from 1 March up to and including the last Saturday of May, perch and zander from 1 April up to and including the last Saturday of May. See closed season for pike.
- A boat — your own via one of the slipways, or a hire boat with us on the Oosteinderweg. Our aluminium fishing boats need no boat licence.
- The right clothing: it is colder on the water than on the bank — see weather & clothing.
Through the season
October–November: pike and perch active and shallow, the best lure season. December–February: slow and deep, dead bait and big shads, the chance of a really big pike. March: pike closed, perch and zander still open. April–May: all predators closed and bait ban — coarse fishing time. Summer: busy with pleasure craft; fish early or late and look for the quiet corners.
Fishing boat hire in Aalsmeer
From October to March we hire out our stable aluminium fishing boats for €150 per day (09:00–17:00), including fuel, life jackets and a chart. No licence, no deposit, free parking at the jetty. See the options or book online.