Yes, you need a permit to fish in Montenegro. On the rivers it comes from the local angling club; on the lakes inside a national park it comes from the park. I guide fly fishing across northern Montenegro, and I arrange every permit for the people who fish with me, so you never deal with it yourself. This article explains who issues what, what the fly fishing zones ask of you, what the national parks charge, and what is already inside my price. How a trip fits together is on Plan your trip.

Do you need a fishing permit in Montenegro?

Yes, on every water I guide. With me, the permit is a day permit for the water we fish, one for each angler.

The practical answer for a visitor is shorter: if you fish with me, the permit is in the price. I buy it before your day. You bring your rod.

Who issues the permits: the clubs and the national parks

Two kinds of body issue permits on the waters I fish.

The local angling clubs. On the rivers and on Plav Lake the local angling clubs issue the permits. The Tara at Kolašin and Mojkovac, the Lim at Plav, Andrijevica and Berane, the Ljuča at Plav, the Ćehotina near Pljevlja and Plav Lake are club waters. Which club depends on the water and the town, and that is the part I sort out before your day.

The national parks. Biogradsko Lake lies inside Biogradska Gora National Park and Black Lake inside Durmitor National Park. The park, not a club, issues the fishing permit there, and you also pay park entry. One stretch of the Tara runs inside Biogradska Gora National Park, and that stretch needs the park permit as well.

What the fly fishing zones ask of you

The rivers I guide are fished in their fly fishing zones. The permit for a fly fishing zone comes with its own rules, and they are the same rules I fish by everywhere:

Catch and release. Every fish goes back. You cannot keep a fish in a fly fishing zone, and I release every fish I guide for on any water.
Barbless hooks and a landing net. A barbless hook comes out in a second. The net keeps the fish in the water while it does.

If you fish euro nymphs with weighted flies, as I do, that is fished as usual on these rivers.

The two national parks: permit and entry

The parks publish their fees, so these I can give you with a date. On the price lists of National Parks of Montenegro, read in October 2026:

Biogradska Gora National Park (Biogradsko Lake and the park stretch of the Tara): daily sport fishing permit 20 EUR per person, park entry 4 EUR per person per day.
Durmitor National Park (Black Lake): daily sport fishing permit 20 EUR per person, park entry 5 EUR per person per day.

Fees change, so treat these as the figures on the day I read them. The park permit for a day on either lake or on the park stretch of the Tara is inside my price, as every permit is.

Both park lakes are fished from the bank. There are no boats on the national park lakes. I do not fly a drone in a national park.

Rivers and lakes only: sea licences are a different thing

This article is about fresh water: the rivers and lakes of northern Montenegro that I guide. Sea licences are a different thing, and I do not guide sea fishing.

What I arrange for you

Here is what happens when you fish with me:

You send a request with your dates and the water you want, or you let me choose. I reply myself, within one day.
Once we agree the days, I buy the permit for each water and each angler.
On the day I carry the permits. Lunch is included. If you stay in a town by the waters, I drive you on the fishing day. Pickup from further away is by arrangement.

A guided day starts at 190 EUR with permits and lunch inside: see Trips. The whole country, water by water, is in fly fishing in Montenegro: the complete guide.

Questions

How much is a fishing permit in Montenegro?

The national parks publish theirs: 20 EUR a day for the fishing permit, plus 4 EUR entry in Biogradska Gora and 5 EUR in Durmitor, as read in October 2026. I found no club price list published. If you fish with me the question goes away: every permit is in the price.

Do I need a permit for catch and release?

Yes. Catch and release is the rule of the fly fishing zones, not a way around the permit. You need the permit to fish there at all.

Can I keep a fish?

No. In the fly fishing zones every fish is released, and I release every fish on every water I guide, lakes included.

Do I need a separate permit for each river?

It depends on the water and the town. A day on two waters can need two permits. I buy whatever the day needs.

Do I need to bring anything for the permit?

Nothing. I handle the permit before your day. Bring your rod, your waders and your flies, and tell me if you need to rent any of them.

Tell me your dates and the water you have in mind, and I will arrange the rest. Request your dates.

Fishing permits in Montenegro: what a visiting angler needs