Fehmarn

How people fish it

Practised here: Sea fishing, Fly fishing.

Methods the sources name for this ground. Each one is explained in full on its own page.

• Spinning

  Casting an artificial lure and retrieving it so that it moves like something alive — the most direct form of lure fishing.

• Saltwater fly fishing

  Fly fishing adapted to the sea: heavier lines, corrosion-proof tackle, fish that run rather than fight, and wind as the permanent constraint.

• Ledgering

  Fishing a bait on the bottom held by a weight, with no float — the simplest way to fish at distance, in depth, or in wind.

The ground and the water

The ground

A low German Baltic island with a shore of boulder reef, stone, weed and sand, shallow ground extending well out from most of its coast and deeper water in the Belt to its west.

Exposure

Faces every direction from somewhere on the island, which is why it is fished whatever the wind is doing — the practical reason it has the reputation it does.

Depth

Shallow wadeable stone and weed ground around most of the island, dropping into the deeper water of the Belt on the western side.

Tide and flow

Effectively tideless, with water level and clarity moved by wind rather than by tide.

Through the year

Rules and access

FishingHQ does not know the current access position here, and Germany's structure surprises visitors more than most. In most of the country a fishing licence is issued only after a formal examination in fish biology, law and welfare — the qualification comes before the paper — and the arrangements for the Baltic and North Sea coasts differ between the coastal states. Species measures, closed seasons and protected areas apply and change. Check the current position with the fisheries authority of the state before going. This water is tidal and transitional, so the freshwater regime may also apply above the tidal limit: FishingHQ does not know the current access position here. German inland angling needs two separate things: the state fishing licence, which in most states follows an examination, and a permit for the specific water, which is sold by whoever holds the fishing right — usually a club, a commune or a private owner. Neither substitutes for the other, both differ between the sixteen states, and both change. Check with the state fisheries authority and with the water's rights-holder before going.

Who holds the answer:

• The fisheries authority of the federal state whose coast this is, for the licence, the coastal arrangements and the measures on them.
• The port or municipal authority, for access to structures.
• The fisheries authority of the federal state, for the licence and the examination behind it.
• The angling club, commune or private owner that holds the fishing right on the water and sells the permit for it.
• The fisheries authority of the federal state, which sets the licence, the examination behind it and any visitor arrangement.
• The angling club, commune or private owner holding the fishing right on the water, which issues the water permit and sets its conditions.
• The national park or protected-area administration on the Wadden coast, whose zoning constrains access independently of fishing rules.
• The waterways and shipping administration, for access to engineered river banks, groynes, locks and their surroundings.
• The veterinary and animal-welfare authority of the state, which is the body behind the welfare provisions of the framework.

Sources for this place

• EMODnet — the European Marine Observation and Data Network — The European Commission, assembled from the national hydrographic offices, geological surveys and marine institutes of the member states (Scientific institute)Relied on for: Charted bathymetry, seabed substrate and seabed habitat for European sea areas, assembled from the national hydrographic and geological surveys, at the resolution the product publishes.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
• The European Environment Agency's assessments of Europe's waters, seas and coasts — European Environment Agency, Copenhagen (Conservation authority)Relied on for: Assessment of Europe's coasts and regional seas, including the condition of coastal water bodies, the pressures recorded on them and the coverage of designated sites.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
• Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Long-running published description of European sea angling practice by region, ground type and destination, including the continental marks British anglers travel to.FishingHQ's interpretation of what it saysCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
• General angling website restatements of established technique — Various (Credible secondary source)Relied on for: Widely restated public descriptions of which continental European places are conventionally fished and how, recorded as practitioner consensus rather than as scholarship, and not relied on for access, permission or any current rule.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
• RNLI water safety guidance: cold water shock and Float to Live — Royal National Lifeboat Institution (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: Cold water shock and the immersion response, tidal cut-off, and water-safety guidance for shore anglers and small-craft users. Cited for the mechanism, which does not vary by coast.States this directlyPassage read and verified

How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy. Last reviewed 2026-08-18.