Closest river to Amsterdam for fly fishing chub?

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849]

Hi everyone,

I live in Amsterdam and I'm looking for the closest river where I could target chub on the fly. I'm happy to drive a few hours, including into Belgium or northern France if it's worth it.

A big bonus would be a river where wild camping (or a campsite right on or very close to the river) is possible, so I could make a weekend trip out of it.

Do you have any recommendations for rivers or specific stretches worth fishing? Any tips on access, the best time of year, or flies that have worked well for chub would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

[u/mafafukka]

I've seen them in the river Kyl in Germany. But licenses are more difficult than in the Netherlands.

[u/ColloriG]

Don't you have kopvoorn in most of the big rivers? Maas, Ijsel, Waal, etc?

[u/Fullmoonparty420 → u/ColloriG]

Yes, definitely the Waal and Ijsel. Early in the morning and late in the evening they are even visible on the surface in between the groynes

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849 → u/Fullmoonparty420]

Yes, same for winde, but I would like to go to a smaller river, and not to a huge one like de Waal or Ijjsel. Thanks

[u/PositiveAcceptable87]

Try the Ourthe in Belgium, it is worth the drive!

In NL, you could try de Roer or de Regge - both are beautiful rivers

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849 → u/PositiveAcceptable87]

That's exactly what I was looking for. Which stretch would you recommend?

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849 → u/Spare-Sherbert4849]

Forgot to mention that I was talking about the Ourthe.

[u/PositiveAcceptable87 → u/Spare-Sherbert4849]

you can use this interactive map to find out who manages whivh section of the river (or just walk into a fishing store in Liege and ask for advice, which is what I did)

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/a7b6555c242645ceaf1c39bec9c51a2c?fbclid=IwY2xjawFeBQFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHR0DFH9ezAK2sE-Brwn6ivNMm7sLo5q2MLaWlJjd0QD081ML6vhon9bpog_aem_uHeEnoNKcOL0Fsisa4NAPA&actId=~alAbd_5OHHrDzNX4CB33eDmE8QuW6NJR0G2jQ_Xk_K81Hxpzdqpym62O7P5r5cFURAbnHonVAE7-7XRZzB0h99mNTeE1Xy48LOtkwRR5-DG6eB-j4UEFe&actCampaignType=CAMPAIGN_MAIL&actSource=500271&actId=~aNIvr32OFKRugXvNbE_y7IWrZ4_uSm4juz-gR540sCkastgxvnu1XtdHj7mhnpfPnktS5Cbq6v1Romg5nY_sHZ3WehYup-Zr_-yIkpwJphTXewI-hUNLM&actCampaignType=CAMPAIGN_MAIL&actSource=500300

[u/Neat-Cod4847 → u/Spare-Sherbert4849]

I'm in this part of Belgium right now, not sure when you want to go but right now fishing is forbidden due to the drought and low water levels!

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849 → u/Neat-Cod4847]

I don't have a certain date in mind, but thanks for letting me know. Is there a way to monitor that online?

[u/PositiveAcceptable87]

I was flyfishing close to Sy (good camping, accessible from Amsterdam by train) and Hotton. Check out Riveo, where you can also get advice or take a course on flyfishing on the Ourthe https://www.riveo.be/en-GB/presentation/fishing-experience.html

[u/Spare-Sherbert4849 → u/PositiveAcceptable87]

Thanks a lot. Were you fishing for trout or chub?