Lake Geneva - Lure fishing

Lake Geneve - Lure fishing - 2013

The fishing license and control booklet

Daily, weekly and monthly fishing licenses can be ordered directly online, at the prefecture, tourist offices or shops fishing material. To obtain an annual permit one must obtain a competency certificate of SaNa, follow a course and succeed an exam. Annual permits may be obtained at the prefecture.
Any holder of a recreational fishing license must sign his fishing booklet. It is required to enroll in indelible ink any catch with its weight. The booklet must be returned to the responsible fishing department, no later than April 30 of the following year for annual permits and for monthly or daily permits no later than 8 days after the expiry of the validity of this authorization.

Fishing with a single line having a fixed float and a single hook is permitted without a license. A child under 14 years of age child, fishing one line, 'à la gambe' and droplining exerted from the shore or with the same gear from a boat, does not need a permit under the condition he/she is accompanied by a fishing license holder.

Rods and hooks

It is permitted to use up to three lines per license holder. These lines can not be provided over 6 hooks each. However, they can be replaced by a single line with a maximum of 18 hooks. The hook can measure up to 20 mm between the tip and the shaft for single hooks and 15 mm for other type of hooks, with or without a barb.
Fishing à la gambe is prohibited from May 1 to May 25, during teh spawning period of perch.

Minimal sizes of catches

The size of the fish is measured from the tip of the snout to the end of the caudal fin normally deployed. The fish listed below can be captured only if they have achieved the following minimum size:

Trouts (Salmo trutta)	35 cm
Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus)	30 cm
Whitefish (Coregonus sp.)	30 cm
Pike (Esox lucius)	45 cm
Perch (Perca fluviatilis)	15 cm

Any perch captured by line by recreational fishermen should be retained and can not be returned to the water, even if its size is less than 15 cm. To enable the verification by an agent, the fisherman is not allowed to cut the head or tail of the fish that he caught before arriving at his home.

Fishing for the following species is prohibited
• European white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)
• European red-clawed crayfish (Astacus astacus)
• Grayling (Thymallus thymallus)

The protection periods for spawning

The fishing of the species listed below is prohibited during these periods of protection:
• Salmonidae: trouts (Salmo trutta), Arctic chars (Salvelinus alpinus) and Whitefish (Coregonus sp.) :
     - from 1er January 2016 au 16 January 2016
     - from 17 October 2016 au 14 January 2017
     - from 16 October 2017 au 13 January 2018
     - from 15 October 2018 au 12 January 2019
     - from 14 October 2019 au 11 January 2020
     - from 19 October 2020 au 31 December 2020
• Pike (Esox lucius): from 1 April till 20 April
• Perch (Perca fluviatilis) : from 1 May till 25 May.
All fish caught during the period of protection should be immediately and carefully returned to the water.

Maximum number of catch

Fishermen practicing free fishing and licensed recreational fishermen are allowed to catch up to the following maxima:
     •8 trouts per day and 200 per year;
     •8 arctic chars per day and 200 per year;
     •10 whitefish per day and 250 per year;
     •100 perches per day;
     •5 pikes per day.

Allowed fishing hours

Recreational fishermen can fish from half an hour before sunrise till half an hour after sunset.

Fishing in Switzerland is regulated by different laws. Each fishermen should know and follow these rules. Important documents can be found on vd.ch.

1.The Federal Fishing Act

The federal fishing act's goal is to maintain or increase the natural diversity and abundance of native fish, crayfish, to protect and to improve, or if possible, to restore their habitats, protect species and breeds of fish and crayfish threatened; to ensure the long-term operation of the fish and crayfish; to encourage farming research. It sets out the principles on which the cantons must rely to regulate the capture of fish and crayfish.

2. Ordinance on the Federal Fishing Act

This ordinance rules the cantons on the minimum duration of protection periods, minimum sizes, order the import rules and the introduction of fish and foreign crayfish, data collection and promotion of fishing.

3. The cantonal fishing law

The law aims to ensure fishing management and conservation of fish and crayfish in the waters of the canton and to achieve the goals of the Federal Fisheries Act.

4. The Regulations of the cantonal law

This text contains among other formalities for the issue of fishing licenses and offenses that may enter the withdrawal of the fishing license. The operation of the control law enforcement officers fishing is explained in the chapter 'Monitoring of fishing'

5. Concordat of 7 October 1999 on fishing in Lake Geneva

This document is the inter-cantonal regulation set between the cantons Vaud, Valais and Geneva, on fishing on Lake Geneva. It describes the different types of fishing licenses and the conditions to obtain a license. Classes are non-professional license Class 2 (license to troll) and Class 3, (à la gambe).

6. The implementation of the Concordat of 7 October 1999 on fishing regulations in Lake Geneva

This regulation describes the forms and conditions of free fishing allowed on Lake Geneva, the price of fishing licenses and rules on fishing in ports and from the docks and public docks.

7. Extract of provisions for anglers in Lake Geneva from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020.

This document contains the provisions applicable to the Swiss and French parts of Lake Geneva, and is revised every five years.