Fishing rules

The Ružomberok municipal organisation of the Slovak Anglers Union (MsO SRZ Ružomberok) issues these fishing rules to ensure the proper exercise of fishing rights in its fishing districts, on the basis of Act No. 216/2018 Coll. on Fisheries, the implementing Decree of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic No. 381/2018 Coll. and the internal regulations of the union.

The fishing rules apply to holders of local and guest fishing licences issued by MsO SRZ Ružomberok, licences issued by the SRZ Council (union and special licences) and licences issued by the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic (special licence under § 9 of the Decree), within the scope of validity of these licences. A fishing licence that does not cover the districts of MsO SRZ Ružomberok is not valid there and cannot be used to fish in them.

The fishing rules are issued for the period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026.

In all districts of MsO SRZ Ružomberok, anglers must comply with the Fisheries Act No. 216/2018 Coll. (which also amended Act No. 455/1991 Coll. on Trade Licensing), Decree No. 381/2018 of the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic and the internal regulations of the union.

When fishing, the angler must carry a valid fishing card (rybársky lístok) and the relevant valid fishing licence. SRZ members must also carry their SRZ membership card. In addition, the angler must carry a measure to determine the length of caught fish, a hook remover, an adequate landing net or, when fishing for predatory fish, landing pliers. The weight of fish may be determined with scales or using the conversion table that is part of the catch record (§ 14(20) of the Decree).

Every holder of a fishing licence must hand in their catch record by 15 January of the following year, after the licence has expired, to the user of the fishing district that issued it; the record must be handed in even if the holder did not fish during the period covered by the licence. Please note that failure to meet this deadline will be a reason for not issuing a fishing licence in the following year (§ 14(21) of the Decree).

Fishing is prohibited in places marked as spawning grounds or wintering grounds. In district Váh No. 18c, fishing is prohibited in the Jamborov prah wintering ground from 1 November to 31 December.

Caught fish that the angler is not entitled to keep must be released back into the water carefully and as quickly as possible. Failure to do so will be treated as a breach of the relevant provisions of the Act (§9, §13, §14) and of the Decree (§10, §12, §13, §14). Where the angler is obliged to release caught fish back into the water as quickly as possible, it is forbidden to carry them away from the bank of the watercourse for further handling!

The angler must not pollute the fishing spot and its surroundings and, when cleaning fish, must not throw the remains into the water or leave them at the fishing spot (§14(18) of the Decree).

In accordance with § 12(5) of the Decree, the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic has approved increased minimum sizes for selected fish species in the districts of MsO SRZ Ružomberok as follows:

Note: the minimum sizes for other species remain in force under § 12 of the Decree.

The increased minimum sizes apply in the fishing districts of MsO SRZ Ružomberok from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026. Every angler must comply with this provision. Failure to do so will be treated as a breach of the Penal Rules or the Disciplinary Rules.

Fishing in the catch & release districts Váh No. 18c, Váh No. 19b and VN Čutkovo is governed by § 9 of the Act. In these districts it is forbidden to keep caught fish, and anglers must use barbless hooks (§ 9(3) of the Act). Fishing in trout waters is governed by § 16 of the Fisheries Act. Fishing in grayling waters is governed by § 17 of the Fisheries Act.

In accordance with § 14(3) of the Decree, the Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic has approved a temporary reduction of the grayling bag limit to one fish kept per day in fishing districts No. 3-3220-4-1 Revúca, No. 3-4680-6-1 Váh No. 18a and No. 3-4700-4-1 Váh No. 19a for 2026.

Out of respect for the private property of Mondi SCP, a.s. Ružomberok, anglers may move along the bank of the Váh where it borders the company’s premises only within a zone of max. 3 m from the bank line. We ask anglers not to enter the production site of Mondi SCP, a.s. and to follow any instructions of its security service.

At VN Liptovský Sliačik (3-5080-1-1), which is an “other water body”, year-round fishing is permitted (§13(5) of the Act) with protection of fish species.

If an extraordinary deterioration of water quality is suspected, everyone must inform the Police of the Slovak Republic on the emergency line 158, the fishing guard and the fishery manager of MsO as soon as possible. This also applies in the case of extremely low water levels or other threatening situations, or during fish spawning.

The fishing rules are valid for the period from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026. At the same time, the fishing rules of MsO SRZ Ružomberok valid from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2025 are repealed.