Fishing In The Netherlands

First, let me apologize if you came here looking for info on fishing in the Netherlands.  I got squat.. nada.  Other than this photo, which I took yesterday during a bike ride near Groene Kruisweg in the south of Rotterdam.

I stopped to take a photo when I saw these people fishing, because it looked nice and also because I was curious.  I see people fishing all the time in pretty much every body of water they can find, big or small.  In parks, on canals, in the rivers and ponds.  Absolutely everywhere…

I’ve never been one for fishing.  When I was younger my father used to take me down to the wharf in our home town and hang the line over the edge so I could catch crappy little fish that weren’t worth anything.  I would come home beaming to inform my mother that I had caught dinner and while I washed up, my father was sent to the local supermarket to buy fish for my mother to cook.  The best part?  I wouldn’t even eat it, I hated fish!

I often say to my husband that I’d love to start fishing, because I can totally get the serenity that comes along with it.  Sitting out in the sun, relaxing and waiting for that bit of excitement when you get a nibble.  The only problem is, I still am not a big fish lover, so I certainly wouldn’t be catching dinner.  I could catch and release but I know myself better than to think I could do that guilt free, without getting weird about hurting the fish for sport.

I guess I could catch fish and make Xander clean it and eat it so I didn’t feel like it was all for nothing.  He definitely wouldn’t mind the eating part, the cleaning I’m not so sure about.  He’s a gagger.

I’m curious what is involved in this fishing here.  I see people doing things all sorts of different manners.  Some just have a chair and a pole by a canal while others sit next to lakes with tents set up and all sorts of fancy looking fishing gear.

How do they know where the fish are?  I see people fishing everywhere, does that mean there’s edible fish in every body of water in the entire country?

Are the fish all really edible or do people throw them back?

Is it an expensive sport?  Do you need a license for every kind of fishing or only for certain types of fish or places?

What kind of fish are they?  Is it different depending on where you are or are there fish that are most commonly found here?

Do people here really use bread as bait, or is this another little bit of bullshit my husband is telling me because I’m gullible enough to believe it?

Do you fish in the Netherlands?  Tell me all about it, I really want to know!  Especially the bread thing…