We do our best to keep the below information up-to-date. However, we do not assume liability for the accuracy of the information given below. In case of doubt, please refer to the latest information on the websites of the respective ministries and institutions. Last Update: September 2018
Fishing permit
If you are between 16 and 65, you will need a fishing permit – whether you plan to fish in fresh water or salt water. There are three types of fishing permits: for rented, unrented and licensed water bodies. With a fishing permit for unrented water bodies you can fish in the sea, Curonian Lagoon, most of the rivers (except the Nemunas Delta and Merkys) and most of the lakes and ponds in Lithuania. A licence for rented water bodies is necessary in some of the lakes and ponds and a licence is necessary in Nemunas regional park territory, the Merkys River and several ponds and lakes. In most cases you can buy a fishing permit in all of the “Perlas” terminals which are in most of the bigger stores and supermarkets; you can also buy fishing permits at the “Tiketa” ticket office and from its website, and permits can be bought online through Environmental permitting information system “ALIS” website or directly from fishing clubs or their associates.
Several options for fishing permits are available: 14 euros for one year, 5 euros for one month, or 1.4 euros for two days. If you are going to fish in a licensed water body, a fishing permit may cost from 2.5 euros to several euros for a day permit.
For a better understanding what kind of permit is required in the water body, check “ALIS” or the Ministry of the Environment’s website.
All of the revenue collected from the permits goes to the preservation of fish and for stocking.
Bag limits
When fishing in the sea from the coast or a boat, you have to keep in mind that you can only take 1 salmon or 1 sea trout, 1 white fish, 5 turbot and 5 zander. For fish species whose minimum length is not limited, the permissible total weight is 15 kg. In fresh water you can take 1 salmon or 1 sea trout (only if you have bought a fishing licence; see rules for limited angling here), 1 wels catfish, 2 asp, 2 barbel, 3 pike, 3 zander, 3 eel, 3 grayling, 3 brown trout, 5 burbot, 5 ide, 5 chub and the total bag cannot exceed a total of 5 units of these fish species. If the fish species is not limited by units, you can take 7 kg in the Curonian Lagoon and 5 kg in all freshwater bodies (except in water bodies where a licensed fishing permit is required). While fishing for smelt in the Curonian Lagoon, the catch weight is unlimited.
Protected zones
Some parts of the Curonian lagoon and Nemunas River fall under the “Nemunas delta region park”, in which some river branches and shallow bays may be under conservation regulations designating them as protected zones. These zones are excluded as spawning grounds and feeding grounds for juvenile fish. During the spawning migration of salmon and sea trout in autumn, some river sections require a licence for any type of angling, and angling in other rivers or their mouth is prohibited. For more detailed information look at the Lithuanian Ministry of Environment web site or at the annexes of the Rules on inland angling. Such regulations reduce the angling pressure for migrating fish and ensure successful spawning. They aim to ensure that sea trout have free access to their spawning areas, and for most of the larger rivers these protected zones are in effect year-round within a radius of 500 m from the mouth of the river.
Conservation dates
Before you plan a fishing trip, you should be aware of up-to-date fish conservation dates. Most fish species can be caught all year round, but there are some fish species which, due to high fishing pressures, unsatisfied stock conditions or high vulnerability during the spawning season, must be protected to ensure successful spawning or migration to spawning grounds.
Fresh water:
- Sea trout and Atlantic salmon: 15 – 31 October
- Pike: 1 February – 20 April
- Zander: 1 March – 20 May
- Asp: 1 April – 15 May
- Grayling: 1 March – 15 May
- Brown trout: 1 October – 31 December
- Whitefish: 1 October – 31 December
- Burbot: 15 December – 15 January
- Vimba: 15 May – 15 June
- Wels catfish: 1 November – 1 April
- Noble and Danube crayfishes: 15 October – 15 July
- Bream (only in “Nemunas delta region park”): 20 April – 20 May
Salt water:
See the complete list of conservation dates on the Lithuanian Ministry of the Environment’s website.
Minimum measurements
If you wish to take a fish home, you should know that the fish is in accordance with the minimum measurements. Not all fish are covered by minimum measurements, but the most popular sport fish are. Here you can see the minimum measurements for the most common fish species in Lithuania; a complete list can be found on the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuanian website.
- Salmon (Salmo salar) 65 cm (60 cm in Baltic Sea);
- Sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta) 65 cm (60 cm in Baltic Sea);
- Pike (Esox lucius) 45 cm;
- Zander (Sander lucioperca) 45 cm;
- Wels catfish (Silurus glanis) 75 cm
- Asp (Aspius aspius) 55 cm;
- Burbot (Lota lota) 45 cm;
