Ems

River

The Ems crosses the northwest German lowlands and is shaped by tidal estuaries.

River system: Ems
Length: 371 km
Species: 37
Threatened (Red List): 8

Federal states

Map: Natural Earth (public domain); © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)

Fishing here

Besides a fishing licence (Fischereischein) you need a permit (Angelkarte) from whoever holds the fishing rights for the water.

Lower Saxony

No licence required

No statutory licence: an ID card and a permit from the rights holder are enough. Many clubs still require the angling exam.

Fishing licence Nds. FischG BiFischO

North Rhine-Westphalia

Guest licence for non-residents

Licence without the exam for people registered in Germany for no more than a year; available online.

Fishing licence LFischG LFischVO

Species	Lower Saxony	North Rhine-Westphalia
Common Carp	no rule	35 cm
European Eel	35 cm	50 cm
Northern Pike	40 cm · 1 Feb – 15 Apr	45 cm · 15 Feb – 30 Apr
Pike-perch (Zander)	35 cm · 15 Mar – 30 Apr	40 cm · 1 Apr – 31 May
Wels Catfish	50 cm	no rule

Minimum size · closed season, per state; a range is a harvest slot. Statewide rules for anglers as of 24 Oct 2026, without guarantee. Clubs and waters can set stricter rules; the ordinance text is binding.

Fish species in this water body

Expected occurrence, modelled from the fish zones of this water (barbel zone, bream zone, and estuary (ruffe–flounder zone)), habitat type and the federal states a species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations here.