Species

Common bleak

A small, shiny silver surface fish living in large shoals, important prey for predatory fish and a popular bait fish.

Alburnus alburnus

Photo: Harka, Akos, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0, adjusted to 3:2

Spawning: April to June in shallow water; the spawn is stuck to stones, water plants, flooded grass and wood (general guide, varies by region)
German Red List: not threatened
Typical method: Pole fishing at the surface
Top bait: Maggots

Plan a day fishing for Common bleak

How to recognise it

Slim body with a silver sheen on the sides and belly
Strongly upturned mouth, the mouth opening points steeply upwards
Very loosely attached scales that come off easily

Easily confused with: Confused with young roach and other small whitefish; the bleak is slimmer, has a steeply upturned mouth and very loosely attached scales that are easily lost.

How to catch it

Methods: Pole fishing at the surface, Float fishing with a very fine rig

Baits: Maggots, Small fly, Bread flake

When the shoals feed on plankton and insects near the surface; FishBase mentions the smallest hook and a fly as bait.

Habitat and food

Lakes and slow-flowing waters from the barbel to the bream zone, also in the brackish water of the Baltic Sea. It lives in large shoals in open water near the surface; in winter it gathers in backwaters and calm areas (FishBase).

Plankton and insects from the water surface.

Size and age

Usually 12 to 15 cm, rarely up to 25 cm (Wikipedia). FishBase: max. 30 cm (standard length), heaviest published weight 60 g.

Protection and rules

Conservation status: German Red List (freshwater fish 2023): not threatened. IUCN: not threatened (Least Concern, 2023).

Common bleak: closed season and minimum size by German state

Berlinno minimum size, no closed season
Schleswig-Holsteinprotected all year

From the official state fisheries regulations, retrieved 2026-10-11. All rules by state

Check the rules

Closed seasons and minimum sizes are set by each German state and can be stricter for single waters. All rules by state, with the legal source

In the kitchen

Formerly a popular food fish, for example grilled on a stick at Lake Neusiedl; because of its many small bones it is rarely eaten today, although FishBase calls the flesh tasty. Excellent as a bait fish for zander and asp.

Sources (3)

Last checked 2026-10-13. Found a mistake? Write to [email protected].

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