Fishing Lake Maggiore: the fish, the seasons, and the plan to catch them

What and where it is

Lake Maggiore (Lago Maggiore, also Verbano) is a large, deep pre-Alpine ribbon lake on the Piedmont and Lombardy border, its top end reaching into Switzerland. It is about 212 km² of water, up to roughly 370 m deep, clear and cold, with steep shores and the famous Borromean Islands off Stresa.

It runs north to south for about 65 km, the second largest lake in Italy by area and the deepest of the great Italian lakes (figures from the regional and lake authorities). The depth and the clarity set the fishing. A lot of the lake drops away fast from the shore, so bank fishing works the margins and the drop-offs, and the deep water is boat country for char and lake trout. The lake sits at about 193 m altitude and warms slowly through the year, which shapes the season.

It is an easy lake to reach. Stresa is on the Milan-to-Domodossola rail line, about an hour from Milan, and the motorways run down the Piedmont shore through Arona. Most visiting anglers base themselves at Stresa, Verbania or Arona on the Piedmont (west) side, where most of the bank access and the boat hire sit; Laveno and Luino are the Lombardy-side bases.

This is a busy tourist lake, with ferries, the Borromean Islands and lakefront towns drawing crowds in high summer. That shapes the fishing: the early and late hours, and the quieter shoulder months, are when it is calm and the fish feed. The water is shared by two Italian regions and Switzerland, so the rules differ by shore, and the Italian-Swiss waters are managed under a joint commission. That matters for the licence and, as you will see, for what you may fish for and eat.

The fish, and where, when and how to catch each

Perch is the reliable bank-and-boat fish here. Pike and pike-perch hold in the bays and off the drop-offs. Char and lake trout are the deep-water boat prizes, trolled in cold, clear water. The cards below give you where, when and how for every species in scope, so you can match your dates and your kit to the fish, and know which are off-limits right now.

Others, for context. The lake also holds wels catfish (siluro, low but growing), chub, tench, carp, roach and bleak, plus the odd marble or rainbow trout in the feeder rivers. They are not what most visiting anglers travel here for, so the cards above are the trip. Note tench and carp have their own short summer closures (see licence).

I have set each species out as a card. Read the one for the fish you want, then check the seasonal section for how its depth moves through the year, and follow the rig link to build the method. One important note up front: the agone (shad), the lake's traditional spring fish, is currently closed to angling, so its card explains why rather than how.

How the fishing changes by season

Spring is the quiet patch, with predators closed for spawning into late April and May. Pike open on 1 May, pike-perch on 1 June, perch in early June. Summer pushes the fish deep, so you fish dawn and dusk and troll for the salmonids. Autumn is the best all-round window. The salmonids close in turn over winter.

Here is the year in plain terms, tied to the depths from the cards above.

• Early and mid spring (the closures). Pike are closed (roughly mid-March to the end of April), pike-perch closed (1 April to 31 May), perch closed for spawning. Char and lake trout are in season but are a specialist trolling game. This is the thin patch; plan around the opening dates in the next section rather than turning up to find the predators shut.
• Late spring (May and June). Pike opens 1 May and feeds well, with May strong for bigger fish in the bays and reed edges. Perch opens in early June and starts to shoal. Pike-perch opens 1 June off the drop-offs. The salmonid trolling continues over the deep.
• Summer (July and August). Perch shoal off the drop-offs but feed best at dawn and dusk; the middle of a bright, busy day is slow. Char and lake trout drop deep, so trolling with a downrigger earns its place. Catfish, where you want one, feed hardest now.
• Autumn (September and October). Often the best all-round window. Perch fish well from October into December, pike feed up in the bays, and the salmonid fishing is strong before the closures begin. Lake trout closes 16 September; whitefish and char stay open until mid-November.
• Late autumn and winter (November to January). Pike and pike-perch fish on through to the end of January. The salmonids close in turn: lake trout from 16 September, char and whitefish from 15 November to 24 January. Perch runs to the end of January. Deep, cold, quiet water for those who want it.

What you can eat (and what you must not)

Lake Maggiore carries a historic contamination problem (DDT, and more recently PFAS), so the fish are not all safe to eat freely. Agone fishing is banned outright, and an advisory limits eating agone. Whitefish (coregone) is the traditional table fish, and perch, pike and pike-perch are eaten locally within the size and bag limits, but check the current consumption advice for the oily and deep species before you keep them.

This matters, so it is worth being exact and calm about it. The lake was polluted by DDT from an industrial discharge into a feeder stream in the 1990s, and more recent testing has flagged PFAS in some species. The fattier and longer-lived a fish is, the more it tends to carry, which is why the agone (an oily shad) is the worst affected and is closed to fishing entirely as a precaution.

The advisory for agone is specific: children, teenagers and women of child-bearing age are advised not to eat agone from the lake at all, and other adults are advised to limit it. Treat that as the guide for the other oily and deep-water fish too, and check the current ASL / regional advice before you plan to keep a char or a lake trout. Within the size and bag limits, whitefish, perch, pike and pike-perch are the fish people keep for the kitchen. Whatever you keep, record it on the catch log (see licence), handle fish in wet hands, unhook them in the water where you can, and clean your kit between waters so you do not carry anything from one lake to the next.

Licence and rules

Yes, you need an Italian regional fishing licence. On the Piedmont side that is the Type D licence (€14, valid 3 months), plus FIPSAS membership (about €30) for the lake concession, and a separate boat permit (€50 a year, €20 a week, €10 a day) if you fish from a boat. You also carry a catch log. There are minimum sizes, daily bag limits and spring closures.

How the Italian licence works. Italy splits fishing by region, so on Lake Maggiore you buy the region's licence for the shore you fish, plus, on most of the water, the local FIPSAS section's concession card, plus a boat permit if you go afloat. The figures below are for the Piedmont (west) shore, the usual base for a visiting angler. A licence from another Italian region (or from Trento or Bolzano) is also valid in Piedmont. If you fish the Lombardy (east) shore or the Swiss top end, check that side's rules, as they differ.

2026 Piedmont-side licence and permit costs (via isolino.it/en/fishing and concadoro.it, as of 5 June 2026):

The catch log (libretto / tesserino segnacatture). Since 2022 you must carry a catch log and record kept fish as you go; the FIPSAS card comes with the lake's logbook. Carry your licence, your FIPSAS card and the payment receipts whenever you fish.

How to get it

• Buy the Type D regional licence online via the Piedmont region's PagoPA system (linked from isolino.it/en/fishing).
• Get the FIPSAS membership card from the Sezione Provinciale Pescatori del VCO (fipsasvco.it); it includes the catch log.
• If you will fish from a boat, pay the boat permit (year, week or day) as well.
• Carry the licence, the FIPSAS card, the boat permit (if afloat) and the receipts while you fish, and record kept fish on the log.

Minimum sizes

Source: the FIPSAS VCO Lago Maggiore regulation, as of 5 June 2026.

Daily bag limits

Source: the FIPSAS VCO regulation, as of 5 June 2026.

2026 closed seasons

The spring closures protect predator spawning; the salmonids close in turn over winter. Source: the FIPSAS VCO regulation, as of 5 June 2026.

So spring is thin: the predators are shut until pike opens on 1 May, then pike-perch and perch in June. Summer to autumn is the prime predator window. The salmonid trolling runs around its own closures, and the agone stays closed.

Other rules that matter

• Agone and eel fishing are suspended. Do not target them. Agone is closed as a precaution over the lake's DDT and PFAS contamination (Ordinanza n. 05/08, still in force). Eel is closed both for the same contamination reason and because the European eel is critically endangered, so recreational eel fishing is barred across Italy. Neither is due to reopen; check the current FIPSAS VCO regulation before you assume otherwise.
• The consumption advisory, above: check current advice before keeping oily or deep-water fish.
• Carry and complete the catch log, and carry your licence, FIPSAS card and receipts.
• Clean your kit between waters so you do not move invasive species or disease between lakes.
• Boat fishing needs the boat permit, on top of the licence and FIPSAS card.

Where to fish from the bank

From the bank, the reliable spots are the lakefront harbour walls and the drop-offs at Stresa, Verbania and Arona on the Piedmont shore, plus the river mouths (the Toce near Verbania, the Ticino at the south end). Perch and pike are the bank fish here; the deep char and lake trout want a boat.

The lake drops away fast, so from the bank you are fishing the margins, the harbour corners and the drop-offs. These are the main Piedmont-side access points (confirm current public access locally):

• Stresa lakefront. Harbour walls and quays opposite the Borromean Islands, over deep water close in. A simple base for a bank perch session, and where you pick up a boat or a guide.
• Verbania (Pallanza and Intra). Harbours and lakefront on the north-west shore, with the Toce river mouth nearby; good perch and pike water and a base for the deep fishing.
• Arona. The southern town, with a long lakefront and harbour, the easiest base coming up from Milan, and good bank perch fishing along the quays.
• The Toce and Ticino river mouths. Where the rivers come in, pike and predators hold and feed; the bank marks to work for pike when you have no boat. (Note fishing is barred at the Fondotoce nature reserve, so check the boundary locally.)
• Laveno and Luino (Lombardy shore). The east-side bases, with their own harbours and lakefront access; remember the Lombardy-side rules differ.

What depth means for method from the bank

• Shallow margins, weed edges and harbour corners (a few metres): perch and pike. A drop shot hovering a lure off the bottom, or a sliding float rig with bait.
• The drop-off, where the bottom falls away (about 5 to 15 m): the productive seam. Perch patrol it. A slip-float paternoster holds bait just off the bottom; a drop shot reaches it too.
• River mouths: pike hold and feed. A heavier drop shot, or the pike rig with livebait or deadbait on a trace.

The char and lake trout sit too deep and too far out for the bank; for those you need the boat (see below).

Bank vs boat, and the time of day

From the bank, target perch (and pike from the bays and river mouths) at first and last light, on a drop shot, a float rig or the pike rig. From a boat you add pike-perch off the drop-offs and the trolled char and lake trout over the deep, best in low light. The middle of a bright, busy day is usually slow either way.

Plain version: if you only have the bank, fish perch at dawn and dusk and work the bays and river mouths for pike. With a boat you keep all of that and add pike-perch off the drop-offs, plus the trolled char and lake trout and the deep whitefish. Morning tends to edge evening for perch; pike-perch often switches on as the light goes.

This table is the core decision the trip turns on. It lives on the cheat sheet too. Read it as: pick your fish, pick where you are and when, and it gives you the rig.

The boat: guided, hire, or your own

A boat opens up pike-perch, the deep whitefish and the trolled char and lake trout, so it is worth one even for a short trip. The simplest route for a first visit is a guided day, with the boat, tackle and local knowledge supplied. You can also hire a boat at the lakefront towns. Any boat fishing needs the boat permit on your licence (see licence and rules).

A boat is what opens up the deep water on this lake. Watch the wind and the weather: Maggiore is large and deep, and the afternoon breezes can build, so check the forecast, keep clear of the ferry lanes and the swimming areas, and observe the lake's navigation rules.

Guided (recommended for a first visit)

Professional guides take you out and supply the boat and tackle. Most of the bookable English-speaking guides here specialise in predator fishing (pike, pike-perch, asp, catfish) on lures; for the trolled char and lake trout, ask the guide directly whether they run a trolling day or can point you to a traina specialist. Book directly:

• Stefano Castiglioni – predator guide for Lake Maggiore (pike, pike-perch, asp), via italianfishingguides.com. Private boat, tackle available, English spoken; book through the site (rates on request).
• Giancarlo Cattaneo – predator guide for Lake Maggiore and the Ticino (pike his speciality, plus asp, catfish and pike-perch), via italianfishingguides.com. Private boat and belly boat, tackle rental, English spoken; book through the site (rates on request).
• Fishingmania – lure and predator outings on Lake Maggiore (pike, perch, pike-perch, catfish), fishingmania.it, info@fishingmania.it, also on WhatsApp; rates on request.

Hire a boat

For your own session, small boats are hired from the lakefront marinas at Stresa, Verbania and Arona; confirm whether a boating licence (patente nautica) is needed for the engine size, and remember you need the fishing boat permit on top. Ask at your base or the local tourist office for the current hire points.

Launch your own

There are public launch ramps at the main lakefront towns; confirm the current launch points and any fee locally, and remember the boat permit applies.

Where to stay (and buy a licence locally)

To base yourself near the fishing, Stresa, Verbania and Arona on the Piedmont shore put you next to the bank marks and the boat hire, with hotels, apartments and lakefront campsites. Buy the licence online before you travel; the local FIPSAS section and tackle shops can help with the FIPSAS card and the catch log on the ground.

Stay near the water (Piedmont shore)

• Stresa. The classic base, opposite the Borromean Islands, on the rail line from Milan, with hotels, apartments and nearby campsites; central for the mid-lake fishing and the boats.
• Verbania (Pallanza / Intra). The north-west town, with harbours, the Toce mouth nearby and a range of stays; a good base for the deep fishing and the pike water.
• Arona. The southern town, the easiest arrival from Milan, with a long lakefront, hotels and the Camping Lago Maggiore a few kilometres out, which hires boats.
• Lakefront campsites around Stresa, Baveno and Fondotoce put you on the water; note fishing is barred within the Fondotoce reserve and from some campsite shorelines, so check before you cast.

Buy a licence. Buy the Type D regional licence online (via PagoPA, linked from isolino.it/en/fishing) and the FIPSAS card from the Sezione Provinciale Pescatori del VCO before you travel; local tackle shops and the FIPSAS section can help with the card, the boat permit and the catch log on arrival.

The methods, and the rigs to build them

The everyday fishing is covered by the existing rigs, which share most of their tackle. Drop shot is the all-rounder for perch and pike-perch, bank and boat. The float rigs present bait from the bank. The vertical jig is the boat method for pike-perch and deep perch. The pike rig adds a trace for pike. The gambe handles the deep whitefish, and trolling adds the char and lake trout. Each links to its own build page.

Map of fish, where and when, to a rig. The build instructions and the knots live on the rig pages, so I link rather than repeat them.

• Perch, from the bank, first and last light → drop shot. A lure hovering just off the bottom, worked actively. The most versatile rig here, and the one to learn first. Lighter weight from the bank, heavier from a boat.
• Perch on bait, from the bank → sliding float rig. Presents maggot or worm at a set depth over deep water. A bobber stopper sets the depth, so you fish deep but still cast and land.
• Perch holding deep over a drop-off → slip-float paternoster. A slip float sets the depth; a dropper loop holds the bait just off the bottom while a small weight anchors it.
• Pike-perch (and deep perch) from a boat → vertical jig. A jighead and a soft plastic dropped straight down and worked with a lift-and-drop. Gets you down fast and keeps contact in deep water and wind.
• Pike, bank or boat → pike rig. A wire or heavy fluorocarbon trace, then either a big soft shad on a jighead (lure version) or a deadbait under a float (bait version). The trace is the one non-negotiable for pike.
• Whitefish, from a boat → gambe / sabiki. A string of fine droppers with small nymphs, lowered to the shoal over the deep. The local way for coregone.
• Char and lake trout, from a boat → trolling. Spoons and lures pulled deep with leadcore or a downrigger to set the depth. A specialist boat method; book a guide.

The three knots that tie the everyday rigs are the Palomar (the workhorse), the dropper loop (the paternoster and the gambe) and the non-slip loop (jigheads and lures). Each rig page links to the knots it needs.

Build your kit (the kit builder and the shopping list)

Pick your fish and whether you are on the bank or in a boat, and the kit builder trims the shopping list and the rigs to exactly what you need. One light spinning outfit and a small box of terminal tackle build the everyday rigs; the whitefish adds a soft second rod, and trolling for char and trout is a guided add-on. The full list is below, grouped, with no brands and no prices.

That is the everyday list. One rod, one 2500 reel, one spool of braid, one spool of leader, and a small box for the swivels, hooks, weights, jigheads, floats and soft plastics. Add the light second rod and a sabiki only if you are after whitefish. Trolling for char and lake trout is a guided add-on, so the guide supplies that gear. Buy generic sizes and types; you do not need a named brand to catch a perch.

A trip checklist

Before you go: check your dates against the closed seasons, buy the Type D licence and the FIPSAS card (and the boat permit if you will fish from a boat), read the contamination rules, decide bank or boat and book the guide or hire, pack the one shared kit, and note the sizes and limits. Then print the cheat sheet and take it with you.

Do this in order:

1. Check your dates against the seasons. Confirm the fish you want is open on your days (the "what's on" strip above). Spring is thin; pike opens 1 May, pike-perch and perch in June, and the salmonids run around their winter closures. Agone stays closed.
2. Buy the licence and the FIPSAS card. The Type D regional licence online via PagoPA (linked from isolino.it/en/fishing), and the FIPSAS card with the catch log from the VCO section. Add the boat permit if you will fish from a boat. Carry all of it while you fish.
3. Decide bank or boat, and book it. Bank only: target perch at dawn and dusk, and the bays and river mouths for pike. Want pike-perch, whitefish, char or lake trout: book a guide or hire a boat (links above), and check the boating-licence rule and the weather.
4. Pack the one kit. Rod, 2500 reel, braid, fluoro leader, the small terminal box, soft plastics, net and bucket. The shopping list above (trimmed by the kit builder) is your packing list. Add the light rod and a sabiki only for whitefish.
5. Note the limits and the contamination rules. Pike 40 cm (2 a day), pike-perch 40 cm (5 a day), perch 18 cm (50 a day), salmonids 15 combined (max 5 trout). Do not fish for agone or eel. Check the consumption advisory before keeping oily or deep fish. Record kept fish on the log.
6. Print the cheat sheet and fold it into the box. Get the printable cheat sheet

Common mistakes

The big ones: turning up in the spring closure with predators shut, expecting char or lake trout from the bank, fishing the bright middle of a busy summer day, missing the FIPSAS card or the boat permit, fishing for the banned agone, and bringing the wrong line. None is hard to avoid once you know.

• Fishing the spring closure by accident. Spring is thin: pike opens 1 May, pike-perch and perch on 1 June and early June. Check the dates before you book, not after.
• Expecting char or lake trout from the bank. Both are deep, trolled boat fish here. From the bank you have a perch-and-pike trip; for the salmonids you need a boat and, realistically, a guide.
• Fishing the middle of a bright, busy day. This is a clear, deep, tourist-busy lake. A sunny midday is slow. Fish the first and last hours and rest in between.
• Missing the FIPSAS card, the boat permit or the catch log. The regional Type D licence alone is not enough on the concession: you need the FIPSAS card too, the boat permit if you fish afloat, and you must carry and complete the catch log.
• Fishing for the banned agone. The agone (and eel) are closed to fishing because of contamination, and eating agone is restricted by an advisory. Plan around the other species.
• Bringing the wrong line. Braid main line with a fluorocarbon leader is what makes the deep, clear-water pike-perch fishing work. For pike, a wire or heavy fluoro trace is essential, because pike teeth cut a light leader.
• Ignoring the contamination advice. Whitefish, perch, pike and pike-perch are the table fish within limits; check the current advisory before keeping a char, a lake trout or any oily fish.

Frequently asked questions

The questions travelling anglers ask most about Lake Maggiore: what is here, the two-part licence, prices, the seasons and closures, bank versus boat, the best bank spots, what you can eat, the boat, the limits, and the kit.