Knowing where you may fish is half the job. The other half is what you may keep, and in Sweden that depends on the species, the sea area and the date. Here are the 2026 rules as they stand.
When you need this
A fish is on the line and you have to decide: keep it or put it back. Or you’re planning a sea-trout trip to the west coast, a pike week in the Stockholm archipelago or a salmon day on Vänern, and want to know what’s closed. Or you’ve hooked something you don’t recognise, like a lumpfish, a catshark or an eel, and suspect it’s off limits. (For where you may fish at all, start with our guide to where you may fish in Sweden.)
How Swedish species rules work
Species rules apply to everyone, visitors included, on free coastal water and on a lake you’ve bought a permit for. On the coast and in the five big lakes, the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Havs- och vattenmyndigheten, HaV) sets them nationally, and the EU sets Baltic cod and salmon rules every year. They come in four forms:
| Rule type | Swedish | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum / maximum size | minimimått / maximimått | Fish outside the size range go back immediately |
| Closed season | fredningstid | No fishing for that species during set dates |
| Closed area | fredningsområde | Spawning zones, often near river mouths |
| Bag limit | fångstbegränsning | Maximum fish kept per angler per day |
Length is measured from the tip of the snout to the farthest tip of the tail fin. In inland lakes and rivers, most rules are set by the fishing-rights holders and come with your fiskekort, but the national protected-species list applies everywhere.
Protected species: always release
About twenty species are fredade: fully protected. You may not fish for them or land them, and one caught by accident must go back at once. The ones anglers actually meet:
- Eel (ål): protected, and banned at sea since 2007
- Lumpfish (sjurygg, also stenbit or kvabbso): found from the west coast up to the Norrbotten archipelago
- Small-spotted catshark (småfläckig rödhaj): common on the west coast
- Thornback ray (knaggrocka) and common skate (slätrocka)
- Wels catfish (mal)
- Bluefin tuna, porbeagle and basking shark: rare west-coast visitors
- Allis and twaite shad, sea lamprey, ziege (skärkniv), sturgeons
The full list also includes sunbleak, two local whitefish and vendace forms, the freshwater pearl mussel and the harbour porpoise. On the west coast, spiny dogfish (pigghaj) is the near miss: you may keep one a day, and none longer than 100 cm.
Baltic cod, salmon and eel in 2026
This is where older guides go wrong. The Baltic rules are set every January, and the 2026 ones are strict.
Cod. Recreational cod fishing is banned all year in the Baltic, subdivisions 22–32, which includes the Öresund. Every cod goes back at once, whether you caught it on a rod from the shore or in a net. The one exception: cod caught by accident while fishing for other species in subdivisions 27–32 (roughly east of Öland and northwards, including Gotland) may be kept. There is no Baltic cod bag limit in 2026. Any guide that prints one is out of date.
Salmon. In the Baltic you may keep one adipose-fin-clipped salmon per person per day, minimum 60 cm, and then stop fishing for salmon that day. Wild salmon, with the adipose fin intact, go back. Every fish you keep while salmon fishing must be landed whole, so no filleting at sea. There’s one exception in the far north: from 1 May to 31 August, within four nautical miles of the coast north of 59°30′N, trolling anglers may keep any number of fin-clipped salmon.
Eel. Sea fishing for eel has been banned since 2007, and the EU adds its own sea ban for 2026/2027. Freshwater eel fishing is allowed only in certain listed areas.
Sizes and bag limits by species
The table covers the fish visitors target most. “Per day” means per angler.
| Species | West coast | Baltic coast | Big lakes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon | 45 cm; 2 salmon + sea trout a day | 60 cm; 1 fin-clipped a day | 60 cm; Vänern: fin-clipped only, 3 salmon + trout a day |
| Sea trout / trout | 45 cm; within the 2 a day above | 50 cm; 1 wild (unclipped) a day from Kalmar county north to Västernorrland | Vänern 60 cm; Vättern, Mälaren 50 cm; Storsjön 45 cm |
| Cod | 30 cm | Banned (release) | — |
| Pike | Check the map | Keep 40–75 cm only (south of the Västernorrland–Västerbotten county border); 3 pike + zander a day | Check the map |
| Zander | — | 45 cm min, 60 cm max; within the 3 a day above | 45 cm (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren) |
| Perch | — | No minimum size | Check the map |
Two details matter. On the west coast, rod and other hand-tackle anglers face minimum sizes only for salmon, sea trout and cod. The longer size list for plaice, haddock, herring and other fish applies to nets and traps, so a rod-caught plaice or mackerel has no minimum size there. In Vättern, the daily limit is three salmon, char and trout combined, of which at most two may be char.
The pike rule is a window, not a floor. A 76 cm Baltic pike must go back just like a 35 cm one.
Closed seasons that catch visitors out
| When | What’s closed | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan–31 Mar | Cod, pollack and haddock, hand tackle included | West coast, inside the trawl limit |
| 20 Dec–31 Mar | Halibut | West coast |
| 1 Oct–31 Mar | Salmon and sea trout | West-coast coastal waters |
| 1 Mar–31 May | Pike and perch | Around Gotland; Kalmarsund and around Öland (from Torhamns udde in eastern Blekinge northwards) |
| 25 Apr–25 May | Zander | Certain Vänern protection areas |
| 1 Sep–31 Jan | All fishing in 25 sea-trout areas at 34 streams | Gotland |
| From 15 Sep 2026 | Salmon and sea trout | Skåne–Blekinge coast, Kullens fyr to Torhamns udde |
| 15 Oct–30 Nov | Whitefish | Bothnian Sea coast |
| 1 Nov–15 Dec | Whitefish | Gotland |
Gotland adds its own limits: one wild sea trout a day at 50 cm or more (the 50 cm minimum applies to farmed fish too), and flounder closed from 15 February to 15 May. The county board also recommends keeping at most five perch per outing and releasing perch over 30 cm and all pike.
How to check the rules for your spot
Closed areas are local, and there are far too many to list here. The official source is svenskafiskeregler.se, a map run by the county boards with HaV. Open it at the water, tap your spot, filter by species and gear, and it shows the local sizes, bag limits and closures. For inland water, read the rules that come with your permit. See buying a fiskekort.
Two quick tools help on the water. Carry a measuring tape. And learn the adipose fin: the small fleshy fin on the back between the dorsal fin and the tail. If it’s been clipped off, the salmon or trout is farmed.
Mistakes to avoid
- Using an old guide’s Baltic cod bag limit. There’s none in 2026.
- Keeping a Baltic salmon without checking the fin. Only a clipped fin means keep.
- Keeping a big pike. Over 75 cm goes back on the Baltic coast.
- Treating a lumpfish as a bonus. It’s protected.
- Applying the west-coast net size table to your rod. Only salmon, trout and cod sizes apply.
- Selling your sea catch. Recreational anglers may not sell fish caught at sea. Lake and river catch is not covered by that ban.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Who the rules bind | Everyone, visitors included, on free and permit water |
| Official map | svenskafiskeregler.se |
| Measuring | Snout tip to farthest tail tip |
| Baltic cod (2026) | Banned; incidental catch kept only in subdivisions 27–32 |
| Baltic salmon (2026) | 1 fin-clipped per person per day, 60 cm |
| Eel | Protected; banned at sea |
| Baltic pike | 40–75 cm; 3 pike + zander a day |
| West-coast lobster | Citizens and residents only; 2026 season 21 Sep–30 Nov |
| Catch reporting | Voluntary via the EU RecFishing app, for now |
| Penalty | Fines or imprisonment; gear can be seized and forfeited |
| Enforced by | Coast Guard, police, fisheries inspectors |
FAQ
Can I keep a cod in Sweden in 2026?
Not from the Baltic, including the Öresund: recreational cod fishing is banned there all year, and any cod must go straight back. The one exception is cod caught by accident while fishing for other species in subdivisions 27–32, roughly east of Öland and northwards. On the west coast cod may be kept from 30 cm, but not from January to March inside the trawl limit.
What fish are protected in Sweden?
About twenty species are fully protected: you may not fish for them, and one caught by accident must go back at once. For anglers the ones that matter are eel, lumpfish, small-spotted catshark, thornback ray, common skate, wels catfish, bluefin tuna, porbeagle, shads and sturgeons. HaV keeps the official list, and it applies in all Swedish waters.
What is the minimum size for pike in Sweden?
On the Baltic coast south of the Västernorrland–Västerbotten county border, pike may be kept only between 40 and 75 cm, and an angler may keep at most three pike and zander combined per day. Around Gotland, and in Kalmarsund and around Öland (from Torhamns udde in eastern Blekinge northwards), pike are fully closed from 1 March to 31 May. Inland lakes set their own rules with the fishing permit.
How many salmon can I keep in Sweden?
In the Baltic in 2026: one fin-clipped, farmed salmon per person per day, minimum 60 cm, after which salmon fishing stops for the day; wild salmon go back. On the west coast, hand-tackle anglers may keep two salmon and sea trout combined per day from 45 cm. Vänern allows three clipped salmon and trout a day.
How do I tell a farmed salmon from a wild one?
Look for the adipose fin, the small fleshy fin on the back between the dorsal fin and the tail. Farmed salmon and sea trout have it clipped off before release. In the Baltic and in Vänern only fish without an adipose fin may be kept, so a salmon with the fin intact must be released.
Do the same fishing rules apply to tourists?
Yes. Minimum sizes, closed seasons, closed areas, bag limits and protected species bind everyone, Swedes and visitors alike, whether you fish free coastal water or a lake on a permit. The only visitor-specific limits concern gear and lobster: non-residents may use hand tackle only and may not fish lobster.
Related guides
- Where you may fish in Sweden: free water, permit water and the licensing basics
- Free fishing on the coast and five big lakes: what the free right covers in depth
- Buying a fiskekort: inland permits and the local rules that come with them
- Pike fishing in Sweden: where and how to fish the classic visitor catch
- Salmon fishing at Mörrum: Sweden’s best-known salmon river
Facts verified 2026-09-24. Sources: Havs- och vattenmyndigheten, Länsstyrelsen Västra Götaland, Länsstyrelsen Gotland, svenskafiskeregler.se, EU Council fishing-opportunity decisions. Full register in this topic’s source file. Baltic cod and salmon rules are set every year, so re-check after 1 January. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.