Caorle offers numerous opportunities for amateur fishing. It is possible to fish not only in the sea, but also in the internal waters of the municipality, along the lagoon canals or the rivers. However, there are rules that must be respected by anyone wishing to practice amateur fishing.
In order to be able to fish, you need, as a minimum, a category B fishing licence (sports-dilitant), for which you must have paid the annual tax due to the Veneto Region, amounting to 34.00 euros. No sum is due, on the other hand, for minors under 18 years of age or for persons over 70 who wish to obtain a licence.
Foreign nationals also have the possibility of obtaining a category D fishing licence, which will allow them to be authorised to fish in the Veneto for three months on an amateur basis: in this case the amount to be paid as tax is 13 euros.
It should not be forgotten, however, that the municipality of Caorle enjoys exclusive fishing rights on the inland waters of its own municipality (an ancient legacy of fishing tradition, a privilege which the Serenissima Republic of Venice itself granted to the community of Caorle).
This means that, in addition to a fishing licence, anglers also need a specific fishing permit, which can be obtained from the Caorle Local Police, located in Via Strada Nuova, at the entrance to the town (near the Eco Park and the National Museum of Archaeology of the Sea). In this case, too, there are different rates for residents in the province of Venice, in Veneto, or residents in other Italian regions or abroad (with concessions for children under 14 and people over 70), which are also modulated in relation to the duration of the fishing permit (three days, weekly, monthly, six-monthly or annual).
Anyone caught fishing without a permit issued by the municipality of Caorle runs the risk of being fined between € 51.65 and € 309.87, in addition to having to pay the six-monthly fee.
From the point of view of fishing regulations, it is also worth mentioning the permitted gear: you can fish using no more than three fishing rods, with or without a reel, with no more than three hooks per rod. It is also permitted to use a togne and a landing net (not exceeding 50 cm in diameter) to retrieve the fish. Those who have a rod and reel may only fish from the shore, while rods may also be used on board a boat (only one hook per rod is allowed for floating, and a maximum of three hooks for bottom fishing). No more than six fishing rods may be carried on each boat, regardless of the number of people fishing.
For those who wish to fish in the lagoon on board a boat, it should not be forgotten that the regulations of the Municipality of Caorle require that the boat must be stationary or moored, where possible, by means of temporary poles; in the stretch of lagoon between Valle Franchetti and Valle Zignago, to avoid hindrance to navigation, mooring must be within 10 metres from the shore. It is also possible to catch bivalve molluscs up to a maximum of two kilograms.
It should not be forgotten, however, that it is also possible to fish at sea on an amateur basis: in this case, all you need to do is fill in the registration form on the website of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Policies and bring along the relevant certification.