Fishing in Lithuania

Well, let`s face it…fishing in Lithuania is rather crappy. In more ways than one. First of all, the fish itself is rather small, at least from the perspective of a Norwegian islander used to “going to collect the fish”, rather than actually hunting for it. The sizes are also somewhat different from what I am used to. The fact that a famous long-distance swimmer allegedly had to abort his attempt to swim up the Nemunas after contracting some vicious rectal infection is also somewhat discouraging.

 

Your typical Lithuanian river Catch. Not really one for the books.

Nevertheless, judging from the selection of fishing gear in the sports shops, and the number of fishermen I have observed on the riverbanks, fishing seems rather popular among locals. Whether they actually eat the fish is a different matter. Judging by the obvious water quality of most rivers, I guess they don`t. But there are plenty of lakes where the water quality seems to be impeccable, for instance in the national parks. If you want to be sure that you are eating healthy fish, I suggest trying your luck there.

 

Nemunas. The biggest river in Lithuania, but hardly the cleanest.

On the other hand, they say that what doesn`t kill you only makes you stronger. And the shittiest place of any river is always its final outlet. In the case of most Lithuanian rivers, that would be the Curonian Lagoon. The home of the famous Lithuanian smoked eel, a treat treasured by both locals and tourists, and a true fan of a life in the mud. Any mud. So if you can eat smoked eel there, I don’t really see the problem with eating fish caught upriver. As Norwegians say: “You can eat the devil himself, as long as you cook him long enough”.

 

 

Lithuanian smoked eel. Tastes great, regardless of what it contains.

 

People looking for big fish in Lithuania are however likely to be disappointed. If you want to kill something big in this country, you will have better luck hunting. Then again, for true fishermen it`s not the fish that matters, but the fishing itself. Those fishing for sport, that is.