Fish of Austria

Altitude governs everything. Mountain torrents and rivers fed by snowmelt stay cold and oxygenated all year: this is salmonid country, and one of the few places in Europe where you fish in water of near-total clarity. That clarity demands a level of stealth few other waters require.

The Danube crosses the country from west to east and changes character entirely on the way. Wide, deep and powerful in its lower reaches, it holds large species you will not meet in Alpine tributaries a few dozen kilometres away.

The Alpine lakes, deep and cold, form a third distinct environment. Their surface stays cool even at the height of summer, which keeps fish active there while lowland waters turn difficult at the same time of year.