Pike is the fish a visitor can catch in Sweden without buying anything. The catch is in the rules: a size window that sends trophies back, spring closures in the best bays, and a trolling trap for anyone in a boat.
When you need this
You’re planning a pike trip to the Stockholm archipelago or the Baltic coast, or you’re already standing in a shallow spring bay wondering whether it’s closed. Maybe you’ve just landed a 90 cm pike and need to know whether you may keep it, or you’ve rented a boat and want to troll. This page covers pike specifically. For the general picture of where you may fish in Sweden, start there.
Where to fish pike for free
The Fishing Act opens the whole Swedish coast and the five big lakes (Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren and Storsjön) to hand-tackle fishing for everyone, foreign visitors included. Handredskap (hand tackle) means a rod, jig or similar gear with a line and at most ten hooks. Inland lakes and rivers are different: the water belongs to its owner, so you need a fiskekort (fishing permit) and follow the owner’s rules.
| Water | Access | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Baltic archipelago, Uppland to Kalmar | Free, hand tackle | The classic pike water; 40–75 cm window, three a day; many spring-closed bays |
| Gotland, Öland, Kalmarsund | Free, hand tackle | Pike closed 1 March–31 May; Gotland asks anglers to release every pike |
| Västerbotten and Norrbotten coast | Free, hand tackle; trolling allowed | No national pike size or bag limit |
| Five big lakes | Free, hand tackle | No national pike rule; local closed areas apply |
| Inland lakes and rivers | Fiskekort | The owner’s rules come with the permit |
The Stockholm county fishing guide describes pike as living throughout the archipelago except the outermost parts. Wave-exposed skerries and the big open fjärdar (wide bays) have fewer spawning sites. Look for sheltered inner and middle-archipelago bays. For the detail on the free right, see free fishing on the coast and the five big lakes.
The Baltic pike rules: 40–75 cm and three a day
On the Baltic coast, HaV’s fisheries regulation (the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management’s FIFS 2004:36) sets a size window. Keep only pike of at least 40 cm and at most 75 cm, and at most three fish a day of pike and zander combined. Measure from the tip of the snout to the farthest tip of the tail fin, and release anything outside the window at once.
Where the window stops. The regulation applies both rules south of the border between Västernorrland and Västerbotten counties. HaV’s own pike web page still says “the whole Baltic except the Bothnian Bay”, which puts the line slightly farther north. We follow the regulation. North of that border, on the Västerbotten and Norrbotten coast, there is no national pike size or bag limit.
The big lakes and inland. HaV’s freshwater regulation has no pike-specific size, season or bag rule, and the Stockholm county table gives no pike size for Mälaren. Local closed areas still apply. Inland, the fiskekort sets the rules. For zander, perch, salmon and everything else you might hook, see Swedish fishing rules by species.
Spring closures and spawning bays
Spring is when most visitors get caught out. Pike spawn from March to June in shallow bays, and that is exactly where Sweden’s closures sit.
| Where | Closed | What’s closed |
|---|---|---|
| Gotland’s coastal waters | 1 March–31 May | Pike and perch fishing |
| Torhamns udde (eastern Blekinge) past Öland to north of the Emån mouth | 1 March–31 May | Pike and perch fishing |
| Protection areas (fredningsområden) from northern Uppsala to Kalmar county | Most often 1 April–15 June | All fishing |
| Stockholm archipelago | 62 bays in spring, nine of them all year | All fishing |
The Gotland and Kalmarsund closures ban fishing for pike, so catch and release doesn’t get you around them. In 2026 Gotland’s county board went further and asked anglers to avoid pike fishing altogether and release any pike they catch, to help the stock recover. That’s advice, not law.
Why so many closures? Coastal pike stocks declined for years. In 2021 HaV added 64 new and 28 adjusted protection areas between northern Uppsala and Kalmar county, most of them closed in spring. Test fishing had found about three times as many pike in protected areas as in water fished all year, with the clearest effect on large pike.
Protection areas are not always signposted on the water. Before you fish any shallow bay in spring, open the official map at svenskafiskeregler.se and check your exact spot.
Boats and trolling
This is the trap for visitors with a rented boat. From Östhammar to Blekinge, on Gotland and in the five big lakes, the free right only covers methods that don’t require a boat. Casting from a stationary boat is fine. Trolling, dörjning or dragrodd (tackle dragged behind a moving boat) is not. Trolling there without a permit is fishing without a right: fines or up to a year in prison, and your catch and gear can be forfeited.
Beyond about 300 m from land, public water begins and the boat condition no longer applies. However, the Stockholm county board lists trolling on public water as a right of Swedish citizens and residents. If you’re a non-resident and want to troll, buy a local trolling permit. On the northern coast, from Norrbotten to Uppsala county outside Östhammar, the free right has no boat condition, so trolling for pike falls within it.
Boat rules to know:
- Licence: Transportstyrelsen names a formal skipper qualification only for boats larger than 12 × 4 m. Every skipper must still show good seamanship, and failing at it can bring fines or prison.
- Alcohol: 0.2 per mille for anyone steering a boat that can do 15 knots or is at least 10 m long.
- Life jackets: Transportstyrelsen advises one for everyone aboard. Krisinformation says nearly half of those who drowned after falling from a boat would have survived wearing one.
- Bird sanctuaries: many archipelago islets are closed to landing, often from 1 April to 31 July. Look for yellow or red-yellow signs.
More in boating in Sweden and renting a boat.
Releasing a pike so it survives
Many pike go back, whether they’re outside the window, the bag is full or you’re following Gotland’s advice. HaV notes that a released fish can still be harmed by the hook, oxygen shortage and damage to its scales. Handling decides whether it lives.
- Be ready before you land it. Have long-nosed pliers, side cutters and a knotless rubber-mesh net to hand.
- Unhook in the water if you can. Otherwise lay the pike on a wet, soft surface with wet hands.
- Land it with the net or a gill grip, not a lip grip.
- Cut deep hooks rather than tearing them out.
- Support the belly and never lift a pike vertically, not even for a photo. Weigh it in a wet sling, never hanging from the scale.
- Hold it upright in the water until it swims off on its own.
Barbless hooks make unhooking easier. With natural bait, strike early to avoid deep hooking. Avoid catch-and-release fishing when the water is warm, because pike recover badly then. If you keep a pike, kill it straight away with a firm blow to the head. Jordbruksverket, the Swedish Board of Agriculture, says baitfish you’ve kept alive must be killed before you hook them.
Seasons: when pike fishing is best
Pike can be fished all year, and the Stockholm guide rates spring and autumn best.
| Season | What happens |
|---|---|
| Winter | Ice fishing with baitfish is a traditional pike method; see ice fishing in Sweden |
| March–June | Pike spawn; Gotland, Öland and Kalmarsund closed 1 March–31 May; many bays closed 1 April–15 June |
| Summer | Open water, but avoid catch and release in the warmest weeks |
| Autumn | Good pike fishing in the archipelago |
Spinning a lure a metre or so above the bottom and fishing dead baitfish both work, the county guide says.
Mistakes to avoid
- Keeping the biggest pike of the trip. Over 75 cm goes back on the Baltic coast. It’s as illegal as keeping a 35 cm fish.
- Fishing a shallow bay in May without checking the map. Many bays close from 1 April to 15 June.
- Trolling a rented boat on the free right. Cast from a stationary boat or buy a trolling permit.
- Weighing a pike hanging by the gill cover or jaw. Use a wet sling and support the belly.
- Trusting an older web page for the northern boundary. The regulation draws it at the Västernorrland–Västerbotten border.
Practical information
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pike fishing on the coast and five big lakes | Free with hand tackle (checked 2026-09-25) |
| Baltic size window | 40–75 cm, south of the Västernorrland–Västerbotten border |
| Baltic bag limit | Three pike and zander combined per angler per day |
| Gotland, Öland, Kalmarsund closure | 1 March–31 May |
| Most common protection-area closure | 1 April–15 June; check svenskafiskeregler.se |
| Inland fiskekort or trolling permit | Price set by each rights-holder; check the seller |
| Breaking size, bag or closure rules | Fines or imprisonment; gear can be seized |
FAQ
Do I need a license to fish for pike in Sweden?
Not on the coast or in Vänern, Vättern, Mälaren, Hjälmaren and Storsjön: anyone may fish there with a rod or similar hand tackle, foreign visitors included, free of charge. Inland lakes and rivers need a fiskekort from the water owner. Trolling behind a moving boat is not part of the free right on most of the east coast, Gotland and the big lakes.
What size pike can I keep in Sweden?
On the Baltic coast south of the Västernorrland–Västerbotten border, only pike between 40 and 75 cm may be kept, and at most three pike and zander combined per angler per day. Measure from snout tip to tail tip. Further north, and in the big lakes, there is no national pike size limit; inland, the permit sets the rules.
When is the pike closed season in Sweden?
Around Gotland, Öland and Kalmarsund, pike may not be fished from 1 March to 31 May. Elsewhere on the Baltic coast there is no general closed season, but many spawning bays are protection areas closed to all fishing, most often from 1 April to 15 June. Check your exact spot on svenskafiskeregler.se before you fish in spring.
Can I troll for pike in the Stockholm archipelago?
Not under the free right close to shore. From Östhammar to Blekinge, on Gotland and in the big lakes, the free right excludes methods that need a moving boat. Casting from a stationary boat is fine. Beyond about 300 m public water begins, but the county board lists trolling there as a right of residents, so buy a local trolling permit.
Where is the best pike fishing in Sweden?
The Baltic archipelago from Uppland to Kalmar is the classic pike water, especially the inner and middle archipelago with shallow, sheltered bays; the outermost skerries hold fewer pike. The big lakes, such as Mälaren, and countless inland lakes also hold pike. Gotland’s county board asks visitors to avoid pike fishing there while its stock recovers.
How do I release a pike safely?
Unhook it in the water if you can, using long-nosed pliers, and cut deep hooks rather than tearing them out. Use a knotless rubber-mesh net, wet your hands, support the belly and never lift the fish vertically or weigh it hanging. Hold it upright in the water until it swims off, and avoid catch and release in warm water.
Do I need a boat license to fish from a rented boat?
Transportstyrelsen names a formal qualification only for boats larger than 12 by 4 metres, far bigger than a fishing boat. Every skipper must still show good seamanship, and the alcohol limit is 0.2 per mille on boats that can do 15 knots or are 10 metres long. Wear a life jacket; Transportstyrelsen advises it for everyone aboard.
Related guides
- Where you may fish in Sweden: free water, permit water and the basics
- Free fishing on the coast and five big lakes: the free right and its trolling limits in depth
- Buying a fiskekort: permits for inland pike lakes
- Swedish fishing rules by species: zander, perch, salmon, cod and protected species
- Ice fishing in Sweden: winter pike through the ice
Facts verified 2026-09-25. Sources: Havs- och vattenmyndigheten (FIFS 2004:36 and 2004:37), Länsstyrelsen Stockholm, Länsstyrelsen Gotland, svenskafiskeregler.se, Sveriges riksdag, Transportstyrelsen. Full register in this topic’s source file. Protection areas change, so re-check the map each spring. Found something outdated? Tell us and we’ll fix it.