Fish, loach family
Baltic golden loach
- Origin
- Native species
- Fishing
- banned all year
About the species Baltic golden loach
How to recognise it
An elongated, laterally flattened fish (up to about 10 cm) with six barbels around the mouth and a movable spine under the eye. During the day it buries itself in the sand.
Where it lives
Sandy and fine gravel bottoms of flowing and still waters.
What it feeds on
Small invertebrates, algae and organic matter sifted from the sand.
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 Baltic golden loach. 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 It may be out of date or contain an error, and exceptions apply on some waters.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 Baltic golden loach
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
- Spined loach: Photo: J.C. Harf (User Wiki-Harfus on de.wikipedia), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Balkan golden loach: Photo: no rights reserved, CC0, 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.

