Carp fishing in Austria:
While in western Austria, due to the mountainous topography, there are hardly to no lakes for carp anglers, in the east and south of Austria there are some very good opportunities to pursue his hobby. Especially Carinthia and Styria are very rich in potential waters. Lower Austria is in the midfield here. Burgenland and Upper Austria offer only a few options. At the very end comes Salzburg. The two federal states of Tyrol, Vorarlberg and Vienna were not covered by us at all. In Vienna there are hardly any possibilities to get a day ticket or weekly pass – here almost all waters can be fished exclusively with an annual pass.
In general, the angler is welcome in Austria. In areas where there is strong summer tourism, however, anglers often only have to pay for spring and autumn. As in almost every country in Europe, carp fishermen should treat their surroundings with respect. Discreet, friendly behaviour and strict adherence to the waters of order should be a matter of course. In the summer months you have to adapt your fishing to the hustle and bustle of the water. Water sports enthusiasts, as always, are the greater part of tourism and are therefore favoured in public waters, as in the whole of Europe.
In Austria, as in almost all European countries, “catch and release” of capital fish is now a matter of course among carp fishermen. Occasionally there is still professional fishing, which, however, has no influence on the growth of most carp.
Regulations for fishing in Austria:
There are some paylakes in Austria that are very different to fish. The regulations are also very special in some cases. It is advisable to obtain appropriate information from the respective water operator. If the lake is listed as “Premium” or “Gold” waters, you can find out all the information here directly. Some paylakes are located in a drinking water protection area, here it can happen that feeding is prohibited. The density of paylakes is not comparable with other countries, but there are.
In the case of public lakes, it is generally important to mention that there is a ban on tents almost everywhere (note: tent plus floor). Of course, campsites directly on the lake are an option to set up a tent anyway. An umbrella with overlay is generally allowed, if you are allowed to fish on this lake also at night. In Austria there are no night fishing zones as in other countries. The waterfront areas are often privately owned or belong to a guesthouse or hotel. Here you can often come as a fisherman in the low season to a pleasant holiday week. Book a room and ask if you can fish from the property of the Lake Pension often solves some problems.
Tip for obtaining a fishing license in public waters:
For all public lakes you have to solve a tax card. There is a separate tax card for each state (9 federal states). Guests from other countries have the opportunity to get their license by means of a guest tax card. These inexpensive guest tax cards can often be bought with the license for the corresponding waters and are limited in time – no fishing test is necessary here. For local fishermen, however, an official fishing test is mandatory if you want to fish in public waters and want to get a corresponding tax card. At the end of this page you will find all links to the federal states and their regulations.
Tip for Paylakes (private lakes):
For fishing at a Paylake in Austria you do not usually need a tax card if the water and fishing rights are privately owned. However, there are a few exceptions here as well. The costs per week are usually based on international standards. Large fish stocks are usually exceptionally good.
Important links for fishing in Austria:
Upper Austria: https://www.lfvooe.at
Lower Austria: https://www.noe-lfv.at
Carinthia: http://www.kaerntner-landesfischerei.at/start.html
Salzburg: http://www.fischereiverband.at
Styria: http://www.fischereiverband-steiermark.at
Burgenland: no tax card, guest card required.
Vienna: http://wiener-fischereiausschuss.at
Tyrol: https://www.tiroler-fischereiverband.at
Vorarlberg: http://www.fischereiverband-vbg.at
