Many, many years ago, fishing was done simply for survival. Nowadays, however, this is one of the most popular outdoor hobbies. Not only that fishing can help reduce the stress but it is also a rewarding hobby: you can eat what you catch.

There are many lakes and ponds near Bucharest where fishing enthusiasts can go. We’ve chosen seven such destinations close to the capital, with many of them also offering accommodation options for those who plan to dedicate more than a day to this hobby.

Laguna Verde

This touristic complex located in Balotesti commune, about 15 away km from Bucharest, offers a variety of leisure activities, including fishing. Tourists also find accommodation here so the place can be a good choice for a relaxing weekend away from the busy life of the capital, or a more comfortable fishing trip.

Both professional and amateur fishermen are welcome at Laguna Verde, where they can fish carp, wels catfish, zander, pike, or bighead carp. The tariff is RON 100/12 hours (day or night) and is valid for a fisherman+1. Any other adult who wants to join the fisherman and his/her friend has to pay a recreational fee of RON 15/person/12h.

To get there from Bucharest, tourists can take the DN1 national road or the A3 motorway. Further details about the Laguna Verde complex are available here.

Pescarium Corbeanca

Pescarium is a fishing complex located on the shores of Lake Corbeanca, at about 15 km from Bucharest, which offers accommodation and fishing services but also a specially arranged place where tourists can prepare the fresh fish they catch. The lake is populated with carp, wels catfish, bighead carp and Prussian carp, which can reach up to a weight of 80 kg, according to the complex’s website.

Fishermen who choose to spend 24 hours there and rent one of the cottages on the lakeshore have to pay RON 350 (Friday-Sunday, take away 10 kg of fish) or RON 310 (Monday-Thursday, take away 10 kg of fish). For 12-hour fishing sessions, the prices are RON 100 and RON 80, and the fisherman can keep 5 kg of fish.

Access is made from the Bucharest-Ploiesti (DN1) national road. More details here.

Valea Iazurilor

Located about 25 km away from Bucharest, in Belciugatele commune, this is yet another touristic complex to try if you like fishing. There are two ponds dedicated to fishing, populated with various species of fish such as carp, grass carp, freshwater sturgeon, zander or pike.

There are several basins where tourists can fish, each with its own rules and tariffs. For example, the basin 1 is only for catch & release and those interested have to make reservations 24 hours before the trip. The tariffs are RON 60/12 hours and RON 100/24 hours. Those who also want to take the fish they catch can try the basin 3 and basin 0, where the fees are between RON 30 and RON 120.

To get there from Bucharest, those interested can take the A2 motorway or the DN1 national road. Further information about fishing at Valea Iazurilor (or any other info) can be found here.

Movilita-Colceag

Colceag is the name of three ponds (Colceag 1, 2, 3) located on the DN2 national road (the Bucharest-Urziceni route). The Colceag ponds were created in 1960 by damming. Covering a total area of 23 hectares, the ponds Colceag 2 and 3 are green oases of relaxation for fishing enthusiasts, who can also fish at night.

The tariffs are different for Colceag 2 and Colceag 3. Thus, fishing at Colceag 2 costs RON 100/day (during the day only) and RON 200/24 hours (day and night), while for Colceag 3 the fees are RON 70/day (during the day only) and RON 140/24 hours. Only one person can accompany the fisherman, any other extra person needing to pay a leisure fee of RON 50.

Colceag 2 is located on DN2, at some 40 km from Bucharest, at the entry in Movilita. The access to Colceag 3 is made 2 km before entering Movilita. More details are available here. 

Varlaam Lake

Varlaam Lake is situated 25 km south of Bucharest, just off the main DN5A road. It was divided into two lakes called Sector A (7 hectares) and Sector B (25 hectares). The picturesque Sector A is the big carp lake while the bigger Sector B also has a good stock of big carp and provided an increasing number of carp over 20 kg, according to information on the Varlaam Lake’s website.

The price for fishing on Varlaam Lake is EUR 30/24 hours. This is a catch & release only place, which means that all fish must be returned to the lake after capture, according to the rules. More information about the fishing rules, facilities or access can be found here.

Visul Pescarului

The name of this place, Visul Pescarului, translates as The Fisherman’s Dream. A catchy name for a fishing enthusiast. This place is located at about 65 km from Bucharest, on the E85 road. There is a gravel road at the border between Ialomita and Buzau counties that takes visitors to the fishing ponds.

There are six lakes covering between two and ten hectares but not all of them are open for fishing. A 12-hour fishing pass costs RON 60 (08:00-20:00) and the fisherman can leave with maximum 5 kg of fish. But those interested can also choose to spend 24 hours there, and, in this case, they have to pay RON 100.

More details here.

La Conac

This place is a little farther from Bucharest, at about 80 km, which means that driving there would take about one hour and a half. This complex offers two ponds, one where the fishermen can take away the fish they catch (subject to some rules- Balta 1) and a catch & release pond – Balta 2, where the tourists can catch pike. 

Balta 1 offers fishermen more options (they can catch Prussian carp, carp or wels catfish) and the fee here is RON 50/12 hours. The tariff at Balta 2 is RON 80/12 hours. Similar to the other fishing destinations, each fisherman can be accompanied by another person for free while other people have to pay a fee, which in this case amounts to RON 20. Those who want to spend the night here also have accommodation options to choose from.

To get there from Bucharest, drivers have to reach the city of Giurgiu and then take the DJ504 road to La Conac.

Further details about this fishing complex are available here.

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Other fishing destinations to consider: Balta Camineasca (more info here), Balta Ciocarlia 4 (details here), and Balta Corata 1 (website here).

newsroom@romania-insider.com

(Opening photo: Pexels.com)