Fishing in Latvia: From morning relaxation to the catch of a lifetime
Latvia is a true angler's paradise. With over 2000 lakes, thousands of rivers and streams, and an extensive Baltic Sea coastline, the choices of where and what to fish are almost limitless. Whether you're drawn to thrilling spinning, active carp fishing, or peaceful float fishing, tench fishing, or bream feeder fishing, our waters offer something special in every season.
Predatory fish, whitefish, and seasonality
The main targets for spinning anglers in Latvia are pike, perch, zander, and catfish. However, pike and zander have spawning restrictions:
-
Pike: Their season starts with a bang on May 1st. The ban on pike fishing is from March 1st to April 30th. May and late autumn are the best times for trophy hunting, as that's when large pike actively feed.
-
Zander: The season opens on June 1st, and the ban on keeping zander is from April 15th to May 31st. They are the rulers of the night and twilight, especially popular in large rivers and deep lakes. For zander, the trophy time is also late autumn, as that's when there's the highest chance of catching an 80+cm zander.
-
Perch: These striped fish are active almost all year round, but "perch kettle" hunting in mid-summer is particularly exciting, when they feed from the surface of the water and bites are also visually noticeable, and active perch fishing is also popular in winter ice fishing. There is no ban on perch, and they are allowed to be caught and kept all year round.
-
Catfish: These giant fish can also be caught all year round, as there is no ban on catching and keeping catfish in Latvian waters.
Important! From March 1st to April 30th, fishing from a boat in inland waters - lakes and rivers - is prohibited. There is no ban on fishing from a boat in the sea and sea bay.
Peace and patience: Carp, bream, tench, and other whitefish
If chasing predators isn't for you, Latvian lakes and ponds offer excellent carp fishing. The carp season usually starts in mid-May when the water has warmed up sufficiently.
-
Carp: Latvia has many private ponds where you can battle truly impressive specimens. Carp are also abundant in the wild and in rivers.
-
Tench and Crucian Carp: Classic Latvian summer fishing. Nothing beats tench fishing on the edge of an overgrown lake or in a river bend when the sun is just rising. Or autumn sea crucian carp fishing, when you can catch a full bag of this delicious fish.
-
Bream: The Daugava and Lielupe are famous for their "golden" bream, best caught with a feeder. In winter, Lake Alūksne and Lake Alauksts are popular for bream fishing.
Where to go? Popular fishing and spinning spots
|
Water body
|
Main catches
|
Description
|
|
Daugava
|
Zander, catfish, bream
|
Latvia's river of destiny with enormous potential and deep holes. Both Koknese, Salaspils, and Riga side of the river are rich in fish.
|
|
Lake Babīte
|
Pike, perch
|
Shallow, overgrown, but legendary pike lake, where many have caught their first meter, their first trophy pike. In winter, this lake is excellent for ice fishing for perch.
|
|
Lake Burtnieku
|
Pike
|
The pearl of North Vidzeme, home to a large number of pike. The lake is excellent every May, catching 20, 30 and even 50 pike a day is not uncommon.
|
|
Lielupe
|
Vimba, bream, perch
|
An excellent river for spring vimba and summer bream feeder fishing. Vimba fishing in March and April is great, bream are caught from mid-June. Zander and perch also enter the lower reaches of the river in late summer, and their fishing is active with excellent results.
|
|
Lake Usmas
|
Perch, zander
|
One of the most beautiful lakes in Kurzeme with clear water. Catches in both summer and autumn do not disappoint, and catching predatory fish is interesting due to their active and aggressive bites.
|
|
Lake Alūksnes
|
Pike, perch, bream
|
Lake Alūksnes is a very beautiful lake with great depths and clear water. In Latvia, it is the most famous lake for catching trophy-sized pike or perch. This is a lake that also delights with pike over 120cm in length. In winter, catching bream and perch is very productive.
|
|
Venta
|
Perch, carp
|
Every year, when perch enter the Venta, anglers from all over Latvia go there to fish and catch the active striped fish. Also, it is one of the rivers where wild carp live. Here you have the opportunity to break your wild carp record.
|
|
Salaca and Gauja
|
Vimba, salmon, trout, sea trout
|
These swift rivers are Latvia's largest salmon rivers, where the most spotted fish enter. In the winter season, there is licensed spinning, and both salmon and trout are often caught. In spring - during vimba season, both float and bottom fishing yield excellent vimba catches.
|
What to know about licenses?
In Latvia, fishing rules must be observed by everyone. Two things are required:
-
Fishing card: It is mandatory for everyone aged 16 to 65 (excluding persons with disabilities). It is valid in all public waters and costs 15eur per year.
-
Licensed fishing permits: In some places (e.g., Burtnieks, Salaca, Lake Alūksnes, Lake Usmas, or certain sections of the Lielupe, as well as elsewhere), a special daily or seasonal license must be purchased in addition to the card.
The easiest way to obtain the necessary license is on the website or in the Mana Cope app. There you will also find detailed information about the specific rules and catch limits for each location, as well as information about the required license.
Fishing training, techniques, and guided fishing
There are various fishing techniques, for example:
- Feeder fishing, which uses a long rod and actively feeds one spot to attract a large number of whitefish. A popular method for catching bream and vimba.
- Bigbait spinning - a classic spinning technique with lures over 100g targeting trophy-sized large pike.
- Jig, dropshot, retrieve – techniques for successful zander, perch, and pike fishing.
- Live bait – less active fishing with the chance to catch all predatory fish, including catfish.
- Hair rig fishing – mainly used in carp fishing with boilies.
For beginners, anglers who want to learn more, or fishermen who want to have a good time, fishing guides are available. Experienced and highly-decorated anglers who can teach the basics of spinning, as well as in-depth tips and tricks that only someone who spends 200+ days a year on the water can master. They will also talk about each fishing technique and explain the best way to catch the target fish. With professionals, the chance of gaining knowledge and catching fish will be much greater than starting fishing from scratch on your own.
For spinning and Live technologies, guides from www.Rigafishing.com with Gatis Ernstons and Toms Klabis will be the best choice. They are available for spinning lessons and trophy hunting in both classic spinning and are experts in Live technologies. Fishing in Riga and other bodies of water.
For carp fishing, guide Ričards Milašs, who is also a consultant and salesperson at the NGT store, is the best carp fishing guide in Latvia. It is possible to visit both smaller and larger carp ponds to catch your trophy carp.
For StreetFishing tips, both for fishing in the streets of Riga and for equipment selection, you can get advice from the NGT StreetFishing team led by Aigars Zumbergs at Duntes Street 5!
