Laws and restrictions for fishing

Fishing license

All persons between 18 and 65 must have a valid fishing license to fish in salt- or fresh water. Fishing in the Put & Take lakes are excepted. A Fishing license can be acquired with 3 periods of validity; day cards, weekly cards or season cards. Revenue from fishing licenses is used for fish care. Fishing license can be purchased at tourist offices, post offices, tackle shops and on www.fisketegn.dk

In addition, a number of fishing spots - especially in streams and lakes - require special fishing license, and it may be entirely prohibited to fish. Always check where you can fish, and whether it might require a special fishing permit.

Protected areas

Fish that swim from creeks and into the sea – or vice versa – must be able to do so freely. This is one of the reasons why some zones are stated as “protected areas” where it is not allowed to fish. The protected areas are the places where creeks and brooks run into the sea and the fjord.

There are a couple of protected areas in Mariager Fjord. Some of the areas are protected from fishing during the entire year, while some are just protected from 16th September to 15th March. It is very important to respect these rules, since its purpose is to protect the fishing stock.

See all the protected areas on www.havørred.com. The website and/or app will use your location and therefore make it easier for you to keep an eye on how close you are to a protected area. The app is a must for every angler in Mariager Fjord.

Close seasons and minimum lengths

Some fish are protected in certain periods of the year, and for some species also provided a minimum length. Protected fish and fish under the minimum size must always be returned - whether they are alive, injured or dead. During the descriptions of species here on the website, the close seasons and minimum lengths anno 2019 are listed. Minimum size and closed seasons can change.

Fishing control

Do you experience illegal fishing by Mariager Fjord, then please contact the local fishing control (Fiskerikontrollen) by phone +45 72 18 56 09. You can also report the illegal fishing activities on this website: anmeldelse.fiskeristyrelsen.dk (only available in Danish)

Distance to anglers using fishing tools

As an angler it is very important to keep a distance of 75 meters to the tools that have been set out into the water – like fishing nets, fishing traps etc.

The unwritten rules

Besides the formal rules, a number of unwritten rules for anglers, as always should be obeyed:

1. Show respect to nature. You who are a guest, so respect the fauna, crops and wildlife.
2. Always clean up after yourself.
3. Show consideration when parking. Use the possible parking spaces, and do not block small roads.
4. Keep your distance from other anglers, which particularly applies when wade fishing for trout.
5. It is good manners not to fish with more than a maximum of two rods per. angler at a time.
6. If you encounter large schools of small trout or smolt, choose another fishing spot. If you continue to fish, there is great risk that many of them die after latches and discards. Large schools of small trout and smolt occur particularly in spring, and often it is enough to move a few hundred meters.
7. If you experience a fantastic day of fishing - and you catch many fish over the goal - then also discard fish over the target, or stop when you’ve caught plenty for the freezer.