Baltic Sea · fish in season in November
Peak season
Northern pike Esox lucius
Common on low-salinity brackish coasts: the German Bodden lagoons, the archipelagos of the Swedish east coast, the Finnish coast and Denmark's southern Baltic shores. Spawns in April in vegetated shallows; lean after spawning and heaviest in winter. In Danish salt water it is protected from 1 April to 15 May. On the Swedish east coast the limit is 3 pike per day, 40–75 cm only.
Where: Reedy, vegetated shallow bays, lagoons and archipelago sounds.
Shore spinning Boat spinning Ledgering Soft plastic Freshwater spoon Minnow (hard bait) Fish strip Sardine Mackerel strip
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark · Fiskeristyrelsen / DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
In season
Pikeperch Sander lucioperca
Spawns in May and feeds more willingly from June into autumn. In Helsinki waters autumn is the most productive time. Minimum size in Finland is 42 cm (45 cm and 3 fish per day in Helsinki city waters). In Danish fresh water May is the closed season.
Where: Turbid brackish bays, canals and harbour basins, edges of deep channels.
Shore spinning Boat spinning Ledgering Soft plastic Jig head Swimbait Fish strip Small live fish
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark · Kalatalouden Keskusliitto (ahven.net)
European perch Perca fluviatilis
Resident along Baltic coasts, including around Bornholm and the Øresund; many coastal stocks run into fresh water to spawn. Most active from spring to autumn; it still feeds in winter and is taken through the ice on frozen coasts. One of the most common catches on urban shores such as Helsinki.
Where: Harbour structures, piers, archipelago channels and reed edges.
Float fishing Drop shot Shore spinning Soft plastic Spinner Jig head Earthworm Maggot
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark · Helsingin kaupunki
Atlantic herring Clupea harengus
Can be met along the coast all year, but big shoals usually enter the straits and fjords on the spring and autumn spawning runs. In early spring it is caught from land very close in, and from piers throughout the day in season.
Where: Harbours, piers, breakwaters and the edges of straits.
Sabiki / feather rig Sabiki feathers
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark
Roach Rutilus rutilus
One of the most common catches on the Helsinki shore; gathers around harbour structures and piers, especially in the warm seasons. Responds well to worm on a float or bottom rig.
Where: Piers, stone revetments and sheltered harbour basins.
Float fishing Feeder Ledgering Maggot Hemp seed Pellet
Source: Helsingin kaupunki
Occasional
Brown trout Salmo trutta
CLOSED SEASON
One of the most sought-after angling fish on the Baltic coast. On the coast the best season is usually spring, then autumn; in summer it is mostly caught in the evening and at night. In autumn and winter much of the stock is in the rivers. Rules differ a lot by country: in Denmark coloured fish are protected from 16 November to 15 January (around Bornholm from 16 September to the end of February, with at most 3 trout a day); in Finland wild sea trout with an intact adipose fin are fully protected in all sea areas, and fin-clipped fish have a 50 cm minimum size. River mouths have no-fishing zones. Not legal advice.
Where: Shallow shores with mixed stone, weed and eelgrass, points and reefs.
Shore spinning Fly fishing Spoon Minnow (hard bait) Fly Small live fish Mackerel strip
Source: Fishing in Denmark · Fiskeristyrelsen / DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fiskeristyrelsen / DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
European flounder Platichthys flesus
Becomes more common from the Kattegat towards the Baltic. Feeds inshore in spring and summer and moves deeper to overwinter and spawn. The very similar Baltic flounder (Platichthys solemdali) also lives in the central and northern Baltic. Denmark's Baltic waters have zone-specific closed seasons.
Where: Sandy beaches, piers and weedy shallows.
Bottom fishing Surfcasting Ledgering Ragworm Lugworm Peeler crab
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark
Atlantic cod Gadus morhua
Closed: under the EU decision for 2026, recreational cod fishing is banned all year in the whole Baltic Sea. Cod caught while fishing for other species must be released immediately and carefully. In Denmark, cod caught in the Baltic and Øresund may not be taken home since 2024. Both eastern and western Baltic cod stocks are in poor condition.
Jigging Bottom fishing Surfcasting Metal jig Soft plastic Jig head Peeler crab Lugworm Squid
Source: Land Schleswig-Holstein · We Are Aquaculture · Fishing in Denmark
European plaice Pleuronectes platessa
Common in the Baltic roughly as far as Bornholm and scarcer further east. Spawns in the Baltic from November to March. Moves into shallower water in spring and deeper in autumn.
Where: Sandy and mixed-bottom shores in the western Baltic.
Surfcasting Bottom fishing Ledgering Ragworm Lugworm Peeler crab
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Fishing in Denmark
Atlantic salmon Salmo salar
Salmon from Baltic rivers do not go to the Atlantic but stay in the Baltic. For 2026 the EU kept recreational salmon fishing in the main basin limited to reared (adipose fin-clipped) salmon only and kept restrictions on the summer coastal fishery. In Danish Baltic, Belt and Øresund waters wild salmon must be released at once; one fin-clipped salmon per person per day may be kept. Monthly values are deliberately conservative; the trolling season varies by area.
Where: Offshore trolling from a boat; off Bornholm and the Swedish and Finnish coasts.
Trolling Trolling lure Spoon Minnow (hard bait)
Source: We Are Aquaculture · Fiskeristyrelsen / DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
Common whitefish Coregonus lavaretus
Lives in brackish Baltic water; the migratory form ascends rivers to spawn in September–December. In Finland it is protected in rivers and streams flowing into the sea from 1 September to 30 November; Denmark has a closed season from 1 November to 31 January. Monthly values are kept conservative because sources are thin.
Where: Shores near river mouths and shallow brackish bays.
Bottom fishing Float fishing Ice fishing Jig head Earthworm Maggot
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Kalatalouden Keskusliitto (ahven.net) · Fiskeristyrelsen / DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
Grayling Thymallus thymallus
Protected species: fully protected in the sea in Finland; release if caught.
Fly fishing Float fishing Feeder Fly Spinner Freshwater spoon Maggot Earthworm Sweetcorn
Source: Kalatalouden Keskusliitto (ahven.net) · Helsingin kaupunki
Burbot Lota lota
The freshwater member of the cod order; tolerates the mild brackish water of the inner Baltic. Spawns from January to March at 0–6 °C, also under ice, and may be active by day in winter. Today it is mostly taken incidentally while fishing for other predators.
Where: Hard-bottomed shores and river mouths in the northern Baltic and the Gulf of Bothnia.
Ice fishing Bottom fishing Ledgering Metal jig Fish strip Small live fish
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
Ide Leuciscus idus
Widespread in fresh and brackish water around the Baltic. Fish caught on the coast have usually come out of nearby streams and return there to spawn when the water reaches 8–10 °C, normally in March–April. Often seen in large shoals along the coast.
Where: Shallow shores near stream mouths; in Denmark the coast from Dragør south through Køge Bugt.
Float fishing Fly fishing Shore spinning Fly Spinner Freshwater spoon Maggot Bread Earthworm
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk
Common bream Abramis brama
Besides lakes it also occurs in fjords and nearshore brackish water, including around Bornholm and in Køge Bugt. Spawns in shallow water in May–June. Among the most common catches on the Helsinki shore.
Where: Calm, vegetated brackish bays and canal mouths.
Feeder Ledgering Float fishing Earthworm Maggot Sweetcorn
Source: DTU Aqua – Fiskepleje.dk · Helsingin kaupunki
This is the general seasonal pattern for the region, not live data. It can shift by a few weeks with water temperature, migration and the year.