Fish, salmonid family
Huchen (Danube salmon)
- Maximum length
- 150cm
- Maximum weight
- 52kg
- Best water temperature
- 5–14 °C
- Water today (4.1 °C)
- Tolerates it, but slowed down
About the species Huchen (Danube salmon)
How to recognise it
Cylindrical, torpedo-shaped body, broad flattened head and a large mouth. Coppery-brown back with small dark spots.
Where it lives
Larger clean and fast rivers of the Danube basin.
What it feeds on
Mainly fish, for example nase and grayling.
Spawning
In March and April on gravel bars.
It is a rare and monitored species. Before fishing, check the fishing regulations and the conditions of the district.
Closed season, minimum size and daily limit
What the Fisheries Act says about huchen (Danube salmon). For guidance only; check it in the fishing regulations of the district.
Closed season
§ 10 of the Decree- 1 Jan – 31 Oct (in border waters 1 Jan – 31 Aug)
this species may not be fishedoutside this period
It does not depend on the closed season for all fish by water type. You can find this and the other rules on the fishing district page in the Law and fishing rules section.
Minimum size
§ 12 of the Decree80 cm
below the size limit: return it to the waterfrom the size limit: you may keep it
You must not keep a fish shorter than 80 cm. The total length is measured from the front of the head to the end of the longest ray of the tail fin (§ 12, para. 4). The district user may raise the size; the one in the permit and the fishing regulations applies.
Summary of Act no. 216/2018 Coll. and Decree no. 381/2018 Coll. (as of 6 Nov 2026). It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters. The permit and the fishing regulations of the district are binding. The fishing law, rule by rule.
Water temperature and requirements
At what temperature the species is active and how well today's water suits it.
Tolerates it, but slowed downTypical water in Slovakia is 4.1 °C today. The species tolerates this temperature (1 to 18 °C), but the water is colder than the ideal 5 to 14 °C. Fish tend to be slower and pickier.
- tolerates 1 to 18 °C
- best 5 to 14 °C
- spawning at 6 to 10 °C
- typical water today 4.1 °C
- Length
- up to 150 cm
- Weight
- up to 52 kg
- Oxygen
- Requires a lot of oxygen
- Position in the food chain
- 4,4predator
The values are indicative and come from the FishBase database. In a particular water, fish behave according to the weather, air pressure, oxygen and food.
Where it was recorded
Fishing districts around which a record of this species exists (GBIF).
We do not yet have records of this species at any fishing district. The data are supplemented from the GBIF database.
Similar species
Photo credits
- Huchen (Danube salmon): Photo: Liquid Art, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brown trout: Photo: USFWS Mountain Prairie, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Grayling: Photo: Gilles San Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Minimum sizes, protection periods and permitted fishing methods are set by the fishing regulations and the conditions of the specific fishing district. Check them before you fish.