Fishing in Poland
San River Fishing
Information
Poland is extremely popular with anglers especially the fly and coarse fishing venues in the country - including the San River in the south-east, Dunajec in the south and Borne Lake in the north.
The San River according to many anglers is the best mixed wild brown trout and grayling venue in Europe.
The vast variety and quality of fishing in Poland makes it a wonderful place for anyone interesting in either a serious and challenging fishing holiday or as a fun add-on to a more varied outdoor holiday. Some of the best fishing in Poland is in Lubuskie in the far west of Poland.
Many ponds and lakes there contain large carp and giant catfish. You can also fish in some of the man-made lakes in Poland, for example, Zalew Zegrzyński, not far from Warsaw, Sulejowski, close to Łódź and Soliński in the Bieszczady, and many others.
If you want to fish in Poland you will need to buy a licence and this unfortunately cannot be purchased in advance (however most family run hotels will be happy to arrange this for you). It is not too widely known over there, but you can buy one in most post offices and you will need to buy one for the district you are fishing in.
As a tourist you will not need to take the exam that Polish anglers have to take. The licence costs about £20 (for lakes) and £30 (for lakes and rivers) for the entire season. Most lakes are free to fish, with just a small handful that you actually have to pay for. There are a few private lakes well stocked with carp that are free to fish on the condition you buy what you catch.
Fish which can be caught in Poland include: pike, carp, catfish, eels, shad, perch-pike, perch, bream, barbel, chub, trout, and rudd.
The record pike caught with a fishing rod in Poland weighed over 24 kg, and the biggest carp was 3kg heavier. The anglers who caught them said that the fight took over five hours! In Poland, even the calm waters on the shores of a Mazurian lake can turn into an adventure.