Fishing at sea

Rules

If you are fishing in the Sound and aged between 18 and 65 you must have a fishing licence. You can buy it by clicking on this link. You should never take more than you can eat and resale of fish is illegal in Denmark. In the Sound, you may take home a maximum of 7 cod per person per day.

If you catch a fish below the minimum size, you should put it back in the water as gently as possible. You do this by getting it into the boat quickly, not squeezing it tightly when you remove the hook and always having a pair of hook removers handy. This reduces handling time.

Minimum sizes in the Sound/Øresund

• Cod: 35 cm No protection
• Herring: No minimum size. No protection
• Mackerel: No minimum size. No protection
• Plaice: 25 cm. No protection
• Flounder:23 cm. No protection
• Brill: 30 cm. No protection
• Turbot: 30 cm. No protection

Renting fishing gear

On most boats, you can rent all fishing tackle on board. This goes for rods, reels, pilkers and lures. However, always ask before departure whether fishing gear is available. In addition, you can also buy beer, water, sausages and sweets on board.

Cod

Cod can be caught all year round, but peak fishing is from January to March. The cod gather here in large shoals in order to spawn. Summer fishing is a lot of fun because you can catch the fish with lightweight gear and they also put up an intense fight during this period.

Fishing gear for cod fishing

• Boat rod of 180-240 cm that can hold a pilker weighing up to 500 g
• Casting reel with braided line (0.25-0.30 mm) or nylon line (0.45-0.60 mm)
• Jig between 200-500 g 
• Rubber squid leaders

Pilking for cod is relatively easy, as it’s basically about getting to the bottom and pulling up and down with a controlled movement. If the current isn’t very strong you can manage with a 200-300 g pilker and leaders. With a stronger current you may have to go up to 500 g to keep the pilker at the bottom. In some cases it’s a good idea to fish without a leader, as it can get pulled along by the current. During summer, fishing with rubber squids and jigs can be absolutely amazing. They move in a more lively fashion and the cod can’t resist.

The three expert tips

• Have a good selection of different sized pilkers
• Be ready to sink the lure when the skipper rings the bell. The first one to do so has a very good chance of catching fish.
• Fish with rubber squid leaders

Herring:

Herring start arriving in the Sound around March and are fully in residence by June. They come to Denmark to spawn and they come in large numbers. The autumn herring arrive in September and are there until the beginning of December, depending on the weather. They are usually larger than the spring herring. Once the skipper finds the herring, there are almost no restrictions on how many to catch. However, never take more than what you need.

• Boat rod or ordinary spinning rod of 180-270 cm that can hold pilkers weighing up to 50-150 g
• Casting reel or spinning reel with braided line (0.17-0.25 mm) or nylon line (0.30-0.40 mm)
• Jig or weights between 50-150 g
• Herring rig

Once the skipper has located the herring you need to find out how high they are in the water. You find the herring by lowering the herring rig to the bottom and pulling it all the way up with small jerks at the top of the pole. Often they are only 3-15 metres below the surface where the water is perhaps 20 metres deep, so if you only fish along the bottom, you will not catch as many fish.

Three expert tips

• Use a herring rig with real fish skin
• Be ready when the skipper rings the bell
• Fish at different depths until you locate herring

Mackerel

The mackerel is a summer visitor and a really fun one at that. They arrive around June and usually remain until August. The mackerel is extremely strong and is often called a ‘mini tuna’ due to its ability to fight hard to escape. It’s a lot of fun and once you have located mackerel, you may be fortunate enough to catch plenty in no time.

• Boat rod or regular spinning rod of 180-270 cm that can hold a pilker up to 50-200 g
• Casting reel or spinning reel with braided line (0.17-0.25 mm) or nylon line (0.30-0.40 mm)
• Jig or weights between 50-200 g
• Mackerel leaders

Once the skipper has located the mackerel you need to find out how high they are in the water. You find the mackerel by lowering the lure to the bottom and pulling it all the way up with small jerks at the top of the pole. Often they are only 3-15 metres below the surface where the water is perhaps 20 metres deep, so if you only fish along the bottom, you will not catch as many fish.

The three expert tips

• Cut the leader in two. It makes it easier to control
• Fish at different depths
• Take home only what you will use

Flatfish

Many boats also offer flatfish trips, where the technique is to move slowly across the spots and fish for flatfish on the bottom using lugworm or ragworm. There are flatfish all year round, but the best times are spring and autumn.

Fishing gear for flatfish

• Boat rod or ordinary spinning rod of 180-270 cm that can hold weights up to 30-100 g
• Casting reel or spinning reel with braided line (0.17-0.25 mm) or nylon line (0.30-0.40 mm)
• Weights between 30-100 g 
• Flatfish rig

Fishing for flatfish is relatively easy. It’s most commonly done by drifting slowly over the spots. If you drift quickly you’ll need to add more weight to the tackle and vice versa if you drift slowly. There are many different types of flatfish rigs, but for vertical jigging, float bait rigs are preferable. They hold the hook and thus the bait high in the water. This makes it easier for the flatfish to see and you avoid bottom biters. The best bait here is either ragworm or lugworm.

The three expert tips

• Use float bait rigs         
• Always use fresh worms, they make the best bait
• Use strong colours in unclear waters and neutral colours in clear waters