The various fish species of Lake Balaton

Carnivores:

Pike perch:

It is also called zander around Lake Balaton. In the past only specimens over a weight of one kilogram used to be called zander (some say over three kilograms). It is one of the most popular fish at Lake Balaton and, besides catfish, its flesh has the highest value. It has few bones. Trying to catch zander in Lake Balaton in autumn is almost a tradition. A lot of fishermen have a boat or a sailboat at the boat stations around Lake Balaton just to be able to sail out in the evenings during the pike season from September up to December. The zander prefers to live in the open water searching for its prey and does so in autumn in shoals. It is a night predator. It prefers to stay in pike perch shelters and hiding places from where it can attack from ambush. So, those who know such place can expect a good catch. Some people fish for it from a sailboat with simple bottom fishing. You can catch it with sunk float and, in theory, by spinning as well, however, these methods are not so comfortable from a sailboat. Pike perch grow to a size weighing more than 10 kilograms. Its ‘relative’, i.e. the Volga perch, which does not grow as large as the pike perch, is different in that its stripe colours in the back are more vivid and it does not have the two bigger front teeth called dog-teeth in the upper and lower rows. It has a different behaviour, not so adapted to open waters and sometimes in summer it appears in shoals near the shore and since it is very ravenous, it is easy to catch.

Northern pike:
Everybody knows this predator with its fascinating look. Lake Balaton, especially its southern part, is not its favourite living space because it seeks hiding places since it attacks from ambush and for that, an even terrain is not so favourable. In the more varied places of the northern shore, especially in the reeds, there must be a lot of them. During the pike season, i.e. from October to December, you can catch a few of them anywhere, for they are starving at that time and have no shelter due to the lack of flora. In former times it used to be easy to catch the northern pike also in winter through holes in the ice. In contrast to the pike perch, it is a diurnal predator since it relies on its eye-sight when hunting. The finest way to catch a northern pike is, as in case of any predator, spinning. It is an exceptional experience to catch a northern pike in Lake Balaton in autumn when it is preying time for the asp. The smallest size of northern pike that may be kept: 40 cm.

Asp (churp):
It is a toothless predator; the second most common predatory fish in Lake Balaton after pike perch. When you hear tremendous bursts on the surface of the water and see the muscular body of a fish making a swirl with lightning speed as well as all the small fish scattering around, then you know that it is an asp preying (the northern pike attacks from below, with a sharp snapping sound, while the pike perch usually feed on the bottom). In spite of its dreadful speed, it is a quite clumsy carnivore, for it often misses its prey and its body gets above the surface, which is unusual among predators. You can fish for it on the bottom and also with a sunk float, however, the most enjoyable and successful way of catching asp is spinning. The most common lures around Lake Balaton include the so-called ‘asp leads’ and various, mainly silver coloured wobblers. According to my own experience, the asp can be taken by almost any lure, under proper circumstances and when there are a lot of them along the shore. This usually happens in autumn, mainly in October, when asp press small fish gathering in huge shoals to the piers and surround them. At certain times of the day asp seem to be getting real wild. This is when you can catch quite a lot of them since they will bite on anything, without a second thought. Unfortunately, some anglers catch a lot of them at such times and put them into the freezer. As a result, the number of asp is fluctuating in the lake, for when they are overfished, they almost disappear for years until the size of their stock normalizes. Its flesh is not much valued because it is bony, however, with a little skill it can be prepared just as delicious as other fish. Mostly specimens of 1.5 to 2.5 kg are caught, however, occasionally you can see some over 5 kg.  The smallest size that may be kept: 40 cm.

Razor fish:
Perhaps it is the most weird fish species of Lake Balaton which, although can be found at other places as well, is most well-known as a fish of Lake Balaton. In the old times fishermen called it a “watching fish” for in autumn sharp-eyed observers used to report the arrival of razor fish shoals. At such times razor fish used to gather in such a great number that they filled the whole body of water, from the bottom up to the surface, creating a dark zone that could be seen from a long distance. Ships used to be directed from the shore with the help of special signs, for example, sentinels used to wave with a white shawl from one of the cliffs of Tihany. A catch of 10 tons was not unusual. I myself could see this February when anglers caught a razor fish every second on a single section of the shore measuring a hundred metres. It does not grow large, a specimen of 30 decagram is considered as a big one. It is a slim and very quick fish. With a light tackle, for a few moments after you have struck, you can feel as if the fish could snatch the rod out of your hands, then you feel that it is not a big fish. From a bobfloat or on the bottom it bites on an earthworm or a maggot, however, in lean times it snaps at plant bait, small fish or sometimes lures.

Catfish:
The catfish belongs to the most well-known fish species, so I will go into details neither regarding its appearance nor its habits. You can find them in Lake Balaton, however, it takes a lot of time to catch one, since it hides in dikes or cavities (like the Tihany ‘well’) which are known mainly by local anglers. The smallest size that may be kept: 50 cm, or during spawning period: 5 kg.

Eel:
This special species, which is able to reach the sea through European rivers and cross the Atlantic Ocean to get to their ancient spawning place, i.e. the Sargasso Sea, was domesticated a few decades ago. Some hate it, while others like it and fish for it. For a lot of people it is annoying when during piking, after a strike, it is not a pike perch that you pull to the boat but a snake-like, slimy, winding fish. It is a predatory fish and can be caught only by bottom fishing, using small fish as bait, however, some swear on earthworm which is, actually, the eel’s favourite food. According to a lot of people, it has a delicious flesh. In Hungary it is usually used for eel stew, while in other countries it is consumed smoked.

European perch
It does not grow large and belongs to the same family as the pike perch. Its appearance resembles the pike perch, however, it is much ‘stubbier’ and does not have a silverish but a greenish colour. It has similar stripes on the back and a similar head as well as similar teeth. It can be found mainly in the bays around boat stations, in sizes not exceeding 30 decagrammes. In autumn you can catch a lot of them with any bait, although it prefers fish fillets. It is extremely greedy: it will make a dash at and get down baits of a size of the third of its body size.  

 

Peaceful fish species

Carp:

It is perhaps the most well-known freshwater fish, so I will not go into details. If it can be found in an adequate number in Lake Balaton, due to fish-breeding, then it is easy and cheap to fish for it from the shore, as a consequence, the majority of anglers need this species and complain the most if it is not available. In easily accessible fishing places, piers and beaches you can find only smaller ones, weighing 1 to 3 kilos. They can be caught with traditional angling methods (bobfloat, bottom fishing). Those who fish with pellet feed, however, may catch also old, capital specimens near reeds. It can be found specifically near the shore because it prefers mussels stuck on breakwaters and other food. Carp is the most important ingredient to the famous Hungarian fish soup. The smallest size that may be kept: 30 cm

Bream species:
You can find splendid breams in Lake Balaton. They can be caught in a great amount, especially in the second half of spring and at the beginning of summer, near breakwaters, with the help of a light tackle equipped with a bobfloat, using worms, maggots or corn. The roach and the common bream are the most widespread of the many bream species.

Grass carp:
This ‘living torpedo’ is mentioned not because there are a lot of them in Lake Balaton but because it is very popular in Hungary and can be found also in smaller fishing ponds near Lake Balaton, so it is available also for foreign anglers at Lake Balaton. It is a beautiful, extremely muscular fish that fights very hard, thus it is really enjoyable to fish for it. You can find it also in Lake Balaton but since breeding grass carp in a huge lake like this is not really profitable, it is not supplied to the lake.

Bighead carp:
It is a fish that grows really large and feeds on plankton. Since it prefers tiny creatures, in practice, you cannot catch it with bait. It accidentally gets caught on fish-hook, on the front part of its body. It is typical of the bighead carp that it does not bear vibrations caused by the engine of motor boats and jumps out of the water like it has gone crazy. That is the reason why you can find large bighead carp carcasses on the shore, killed by sailboat propellers. A specific sport, a strange mix of hunting and fishing, has evolved on some rives of North America: bighead carp, turning a somersault, are hunted in large numbers from a moving motorboat, with the help of a compound bow. This sport is not allowed in Hungary since there are only very few bighead carp in Lake Balaton – at least as compared to the surface of the lake. Similarly to many other fish species, the bighead carp has been brought to Hungary from the Far East.

The best fishing season at Lake Balaton is autumn. The majority of predators (pike perch, northern pike, asp) can be most easily caught at that time and this is a good period also for fishing for carp. The catfish is an exception to this. Welcome to Lake Balaton!