Fish, carp family
Wild carp (sazan)
- Origin
- Native species
- Fishing
- banned all year
About the species Wild carp (sazan)
How to recognise it
The wild ancestor of the farmed carp: a slimmer, cylindrical body completely covered in scales (no leather or mirror forms), olive-green to golden-brown, with two pairs of barbels.
Where it lives
Large lowland rivers and their backwaters. It is very rare in our waters.
What it feeds on
Invertebrates from the bottom and plant food.
Spawning
In May and June in overgrown shallows.
Only the wild sazan is protected. The pond carp (the farmed form) is not protected and may be caught under the rules, so learn to tell them apart.
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).
Water type (§ 1 of the decree)
A typical species of carp waters.
Closed season, minimum size and daily limit
What the Fisheries Act says about wild carp (sazan). For guidance only; check it in the fishing regulations of the district.
Species protected all year
Section 10, paragraph 1, point i of the decreefishing prohibited
this species may not be fishedoutside this period
You must not keep a fish of this species. If you happen to catch one, return it to the water as gently as possible.
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 It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters.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 Wild carp (sazan)
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
- Wild carp (sazan): Photo: George Chernilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Common carp: Photo: George Chernilevsky, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Crucian carp: Photo: Viridiflavus, CC BY-SA 3.0, 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.