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Float fishing in Belgium
(thelemmy.club)
I had a fun time today, tracking those babies.
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this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2026
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Fishing
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What do you call that kind of fish, looks like a burbot to me.
It's called "silure" in french or "meerval" in dutch. Silurus Glanis would be the latin name. Super fun game fish. They go up to 3m something. I'm trying personally to reach 2m but so far I'm stuck at 1m80. They are... resilient. So with hotter water these last years it's the most commom predatory fish we have.
Out of curiosity:
Do you take them home every now and then, too?
To be honest, I'm mostly a pan-fisher myself, but there are plenty of people in the strict “catch-and-release” camp... and then, of course, all the shades of gray in between.
It’s been a while since I have taken home fishes. When it looks like they won’t make it I taken them home out of respect.
Trouts I sometimes take one or two when I fish more pristine rivers.
Those fatso though I fish them in the « Meuse » and it’s a heavy-metal and various polluants prone river. It’s even prohibited to take home eels…
That makes sense; thanks for the answer.
I think that’s a good attitude.
I also take trout home every now and then, but only a few at a time—because nature isn’t a supermarket with an endless supply.
We have the same problems on the Rhine. Heavy metals accumulate primarily in fatty tissue, which is why eels—as migratory fish with a high fat content—are particularly affected. By the same logic, large catfish (and especially fatty parts like the yellow subcutaneous fat and the tail region) are likely particularly affected as well. That said, I’d rather let large specimens swim away… In my opinion, you shouldn’t kill a fish that’s older than you if you have other options for food (even if that’s required by law in many bodies of water here).
Well, in any case, congratulations on your great catch and have a great rest of the week!
I try to be balanced :)
The trouts where I fish are all from fisheries so there’s a point here across fisherman that they should be kept more often than not. Not much wild trouts here anymore :(
So you’re from Germany? It’s still on my « neighbouring country fishing list ».
But it all seems quite complicated; is it true that in some regions it is mandatory to take home all fishes?
Yes, I'm from Germany.
Short answer: As far as I know there's (aside from put&take trout lakes) no obligation to bag every fish in any water body in Germany.
Long answer (and and a digression on why things are the way they are here right now):
In Germany, the debate over fishing centers largely on the Animal Welfare Act, which, according to its wording, prohibits: “Inflicting pain or suffering on an animal without a reasonable cause.”
The key issue here is the “reasonable cause.” Catching fish for food (i.e., to eat) is generally considered a reasonable cause. However, according to court rulings, catching a fish just for the sake of catching it and taking a few nice photos is not a “reasonable cause” and is therefore prohibited under the Animal Welfare Act (which, ironically, tends to result in more fish having to be killed here)
What matters here is the intent to catch a fish solely for the purpose of releasing it. In all other cases (fish too large—cannot be used, actually intended to catch a different species, etc., etc.), releasing a catch is not a legal issue. An exception is non-native/invasive species (which sometimes include catfish): In these cases, returning them to the water (and thus releasing them) is actually prohibited under national law (and also under EU law for blacklisted species).
If you want to fish in Germany, I’d generally say, “No plaintiff, no judge.” You should just avoid deliberately catching fish for photos—and then releasing them—in places with lots of onlookers.
In general, I can also recommend Germany as a fishing destination; however, in this country (partly due to the legal situation and high population density), there tends to be a higher catch rate, which makes fishing in public waters with a guest permit a bit more difficult.
Fly fishing and trout fishing in the low-mountain rivers and streams or in the Alps is something I would definitely recommend.
Wels catfish