Pomeranian Bay – Fishing South Baltic

Fishing Spots

The beaches on Wolin Island offer attractive angling spots almost everywhere from Swinoujscie to Dziwnówek, except for the no-angling zones in the Wolin National Park (WPN). When fishing, consult local anglers or guides for tips and tricks. You can find useful information at the Stepnica Tourist Organization, Oder Delta Safari, the Arapaima Fishing Center (Jacek Kaczmarczyk) or the NEMO angling shop (Andrzej Sitarski, Karol Jędrej). The possibilities for renting boats are quite limited, so you should have your own floating equipment before the expedition. It is necessary to check weather forecasts, because with winds from the north, the waves greatly impede angling. However, experienced anglers are still able to catch fish at wind speeds of 5 to 6 on the Beaufort scale. Likewise, fishing from boats also depends on the strength and direction of the wind.

Infrastructure

There is no problem finding accommodation, as a rich offering exists in almost every town on Wolin Island. During the low season (autumn to winter), prices are lower. The village of Grodno is a great place to stay, but rooms need to be booked well in advance. Help is provided by employees of the WPN – which is also the place where a special additional licence can be purchased if you want to go angling in the protected waters of the park zone. It does not matter what type of fishing you prefer, guides will help you to find the best place for fly fishing, spinning, trolling and others.

Angling seasons/closed seasons

Throughout the year it is possible to find many interesting fish species in the coastal waters of the Pomeranian Bay, although some of them swim in these waters only in certain months. The most interesting season for angling starts in November and ends in April. At that time, the main species is sea trout. The end of the season for sea trout angling correlates with the appearance of garfish. In the meantime there is a good opportunity to catch herring. Their spawning takes place in early spring. To the shore come sea roach, followed by their predators, pike and perch. During summer you can catch eel from the beaches and on cool nights, especially when weather conditions are likely to change rapidly, you can try to catch burbot. Surfcasting fans will find many interesting species in these waters, both marine and fresh-water species, with a special focus on bream.

http://www.wolinpn.pl/upload/mapa_lowisk.pdf

Angling techniques

The beach does not exclude any angling techniques, although of course for some species it is most effective to choose specific methods. Sea trout are caught by fly fishing, spinning and trolling. For spinning, you should use bait with a shape similar to Baltic shrimp or the great sand eel. Fly fishing requires a boat or a belly boat in windy conditions. Be careful in belly boats when it is windy, as there are strong currents near the shore that can be dangerous for inexperienced anglers. Angling from shallow waters (in waders) is possible on most beaches, and fly-fishing anglers have some interesting species to catch, not only sea trout. You might find rainbow trout, perch or garfish, and depending on the season cod and some flatfish can be found close to the shores.

Fish species

During the year it is worthwhile considering the following:

Autumn, winter and early spring – sea trout
Spring (up to April) – herring, sea trout
April, May and June – garfish, turbot
July and August – in shallow waters, bream, eel, perch, roach
September to November – pike, perch, asp
In bad weather you can visit the rivers nearby – Wołczenica, Rega, Ina, GowienicaVolcano, Rega, Ina and Gowienica, for sea trout, brown trout and grayling

Rules and regulations

A large part of the water area is supervised by the WPN, and the rest is under the jurisdiction of the Regional Fisheries Inspectorate (OIRM) in Szczecin. There are also announcements about rules of protection for specific periods. Inspectors from the WPN and OIRM, as well as officers of the Border Guard and the police, are on the water and on the beaches for checks. You will find the rules for angling on the WPN and OIRM websites. Rivers from the estuary looking up are supervised by the Polish Angling Association (Szczecin district). Angling areas and vessels might be controlled by both the national and voluntary fishing guard, the police and the forest guard in forest areas.

Fishing license

n the WPN and OIRM websites you can find information about angling fees for marine waters (this is a different licence to those for angling on lakes or rivers, which are controlled by the inland water owners, mostly the Polish Angling Association or PZW). Possessing a licence for angling in marine waters is obligatory. You can purchase the licences over the internet. In the waters of the WPN, you need additional permits (available at the WPN office).

Fees:

For 1 week – 30,00 pln
For 1 month – 70,00 pln
For 12 months – 140,00 pln

Other things to see when you visit the region

The surroundings of Pomeranian Bay and Wolin Island are part of Natura 2000, the largest site in Poland. It is an area full of water, fish and birds, with the white-tailed eagle the most important example. When angling it is worth taking a camera, as you might see rare birds, otters or beavers, or even seals visiting these waters in search of food. Visitors will have an unforgettable experience while admiring the scenery of Wolin Island, with its cliffs, rocky beaches and beech forests.

Apart from angling, wildlife watching is a popular activity organized by Oder Delta Safaris and the WPN.