Saale

River

The Saale is a left-bank Elbe tributary with numerous reservoirs.

River system: Elbe
Length: 413 km
Species: 37
Threatened (Red List): 5

Federal states

Saxony-Anhalt Thuringia Saxony Bavaria

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.

Saxony-Anhalt

No tourist licence

No tourist licence. Licences from other German states are recognised.

Fishing licence FischG LSA FischO LSA

Thuringia

Tourist licence for everyone

Three-month licence without the exam for anyone aged 14+, once a year, rod and line only.

Fishing licence ThürFischG ThürFischAVO

Saxony

Guest licence for non-residents

Guest licence without the exam for people whose main residence is outside Germany, one month.

Fishing licence SächsFischG SächsFischVO

Bavaria

Guest licence for non-residents

Without the exam for adults not resident in Germany, for up to three months; issued by the municipality.

Fishing licence BayFiG AVBayFiG

Species	Saxony-Anhalt	Thuringia	Saxony	Bavaria
Common Carp	35 cm	35 cm	40 cm	35 cm
European Eel	50 cm	50 cm · 1 Nov – 28 Feb	50 cm	50 cm · 1 Oct – 31 Dec
Grayling	30 cm · 1 Dec – 15 May	35 cm · 1 Feb – 31 May	35 cm · 1 Jan – 15 Jun	35 cm · 1 Jan – 30 Apr
Northern Pike	50 cm · 15 Feb – 30 Apr	50 cm · 15 Feb – 30 Apr	50 cm · 1 Feb – 30 Apr	50 cm · 15 Feb – 30 Apr
Pike-perch (Zander)	50 cm · 15 Feb – 31 May	45 cm · 1 Apr – 31 May	50 cm · 1 Feb – 31 May	50 cm · 15 Feb – 30 Apr
Wels Catfish	no rule	50 cm	no rule	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 (grayling zone, barbel zone, and bream zone), habitat type and the federal states a species lives in, and checked against GBIF records — not a record of observations here.