Wels Catfish

Silurus glanis

DE: Wels

* · Not threatened

Maximum Size: 250 cm
Waters: 23

Distinguishing Features

Elongated, scaleless body, huge mouth with two long and four short barbels, long anal fin, very small eyes.

Habitat

Large rivers and lakes, deep holes and under underwater obstacles.

Red List Germany

* · Not threatened

Not threatened in Germany.

Red List of freshwater fish:: Freyhof et al. 2023 · Rote-Liste-Zentrum
IUCN global:: LC · Least Concern

Fishing rules by federal state

Can I keep it?

Federal state	Minimum size	Closed season	Notes
Baden-Württemberg	none	none	Does not apply to Lake Constance, which has its own rules.
Bavaria	none	none	Districts may set different rules.
Berlin	75 cm	none
Brandenburg	none	none
Bremen	none	none
Hamburg	none	none	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Hesse	none	none	Harvest slots: only fish between the minimum and maximum size may be kept.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern	70 cm	1 May – 30 Jun	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Lower Saxony	50 cm	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own rules.
North Rhine-Westphalia	none	none
Rhineland-Palatinate	none	none	Many waters (incl. Rhine, Mosel, Lahn) have additional closed seasons.
Saarland	none	none	Night fishing is prohibited.
Saxony	none	none	1 Feb – 30 Apr: fishing with predator baits is prohibited.
Saxony-Anhalt	none	none	The fisheries authority may allow different minimum sizes for individual waters.
Schleswig-Holstein	none	none	Values for inland waters; coastal waters have their own ordinance.
Thuringia	50 cm	none

Compare all states

Statewide rules for anglers as of 24 Oct 2026, without guarantee. Clubs and waters can set stricter rules; the ordinance text is binding.

Waters

Native

Expected in these federal states

Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringia

Expected occurrence, modelled from each water's fish zones, habitat type and the federal states the species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations.