Bank etiquette
The unwritten rules that make fishing enjoyable for everyone.
Towards other anglers
- Don't set up right next to someone already fishing: leave at least as much room as they cast, and ask if you need to be closer.
- Don't cast over your neighbour's lines; at lakes with pegs, fish only in front of your own peg.
- Quiet: no loud music, no shouting, no slamming car doors near the water.
- At night, don't shine lights at the water or at your neighbours.
- If your neighbour has a big fish, offer to help with the landing net or the photo.
Towards the place
- Leave with everything you brought: line, packaging, cigarette butts, bottles -- and pick up a piece of litter that isn't yours.
- Don't throw old line on the bank: birds and animals get tangled in it.
- Fires only where allowed and fully put out when you leave; don't cut trees or reeds.
- Park without blocking access roads and field entrances.
Towards the fish
- Keep only what you'll eat and only within the legal limit; release the rest properly (“Proper release” in Pocket guides).
- Respect the closed season and minimum sizes even when nobody is watching.
- Poaching and pollution should be reported (“Report poaching / pollution”), not tolerated.