Fish, carp family

Dace

Leuciscus leuciscusnative speciesgame species
Origin
Native species
Minimum size
20cm
Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus)
Photo: Alexander Suvorov, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons

About the species Dace

How to recognise it

A slender silver body with a small mouth and a slightly concave anal fin. It is smaller than the chub, whose anal fin is rounded.

Where it lives

Faster clean rivers and streams with a gravel bottom, often in shoals near the surface.

What it feeds on

Insects falling onto the surface and aquatic insect larvae.

Spawning

From March to May on gravel shallows.

Classification under the decree

Decree of the Ministry of the Environment of the SR no. 381/2018 Coll. on fisheries.

Classification

A native species of fish or lamprey (Section 13, paragraph 1 of the decree).

Closed season, minimum size and daily limit

What the Fisheries Act says about dace. For guidance only; check it in the fishing regulations of the district.

Closed season

§ 10 of the Decree
  • 15 Mar – 31 May

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 Decree

20 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 20 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.

Daily limit

§ 14 of the Decree
  • 5kgOther speciesfor example crucian carp, breams, dace and chub (combined); invasive species are not counted

The limit applies per day, also when fishing in several districts. The district user may set a lower limit in the permit, in which case the stricter one 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 It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters.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.

Where it was recorded

Fishing districts around which a record of this species exists (GBIF).

We do not yet track where this species occurs in individual fishing districts. So far we have records from the GBIF database only for species with numerical water-temperature data.

Catches of Dace

Approved catches by anglers on this portal.

Nobody has logged a catch of this species yet. Be the first; once approved it will appear here and on the leaderboard.

Similar species

Photo credits

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.