Fishing in Europewith the right rules
Rules, closed seasons and minimum sizes for over 25,000 waters in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. Bite index, radar, trip diary: everything on your phone, even offline, in 8 languages.
- Free to start
- Works offline too
- 8 languages
Luck is optional.
Not an American app, adapted. A European one.
Many fishing apps are built for the United States: inches and pounds, American species, federal rules, no idea what a Fischereischein or a rybářský lístek is. In Europe every country, and often every region, has its own law. Barbel starts there.
The law of every country and region
Closed seasons, minimum sizes, banned methods, licences and permits: read from the legal texts of the German and Austrian Länder and from the rules of the associations in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with the date of the version.
European fish
Zander, wels catfish, barbel, huchen, grayling, whitefish: the fish of Europe's rivers and lakes, each with its scientific name and its names in 8 languages.
Everything in European units
Centimetres, kilograms, degrees Celsius, European dates and times. Minimum and maximum sizes as the local law writes them.
Licences and permits
Which licence you need, where to get it and what to know when you fish outside your own country: from the German Fischereischein to the Czech rybářský lístek.
Works where there is no signal
Valleys, lakes and mountain rivers: rules, map and diary are on your phone, even offline.
Made for people who live in Europe
Your data stays on your phone, in line with the GDPR. The interface is in Italian, Czech, German, English, French, Spanish, Ukrainian and Russian.
Each number counts waters (river stretches, lakes, ponds) as the managers and open sources list them: a long river can appear as several stretches. We're constantly working to bring in more territories.
What's biting today?
For every fish an index and the reason why. Here are some of the atlas species, which counts over 100.
Sample values. Photo credits at the bottom of the page.
From “when” to “where”, down to “how”.
What you need before, during and after fishing. One place, and it works where your phone gets no signal.
Pick the fish. Barbel finds the hour.
Dawn, morning, afternoon, evening and night: for each fish, with the real conditions of your spot. Every species reacts in its own way, so the same day can be great for one fish and poor for another.
Clear rules, water by water.
Minimum sizes, closed seasons, hours, catch limits and water level, for the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. In your language, with the original text always next to it. If you log an undersized catch or one you must keep, Barbel tells you.
Fish abroad without surprises.
What you need, where to get the licence and permit, what it costs, what to do. For ten countries, with the laws listed and the right contacts.
Log the day. Relive it later.
Set up the session, press Start, and Barbel records the route, catches, weather and the time of every fish. The replay retraces your day and stops at each catch. Adding a fish takes one tap.
Know when the rain arrives.
The last hour of radar and, where available, the forecast for the next minutes, where you stand: in Czechia, Germany, Austria and Slovakia. A clear message: raining now, arrives in X minutes, stops in Y. With river levels and local weather.
Plan it. Barbel keeps watch.
Pick the water and the dates, build the checklist, and Barbel reminds you the evening before. If weather, wind or water level change, you know straight away.
Choose where and when: I'll alert you if storms, strong wind or flooding are coming.
The fish, the gear, the knot.
An atlas of over 100 species with photos, habitat and names in 8 languages; guides to rods, reels and lures; step-by-step knots. After the first download, all of it offline.
Everything inside.
Filter by area. Items tagged Pro are in the subscription, those tagged “soon” are on their way.
Where Barbel is heading.
The app is ready: here is where we are and what is missing.
Map, waters and rules
DoneWaters of Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Germany with rules, a map per country, places, regulations by country.
Forecasts and index
DoneIndex for 40 species, weather, radar, river levels.
Sessions, catches and photos
DoneRoute, replay, catches with ruler and warnings.
Trips
DonePlanning, checklist, reminders and alerts.
Learn
DoneAtlas, tackle, baits, methods and knots.
Stats and achievements
DoneLevels, points, achievements and a personal atlas.
Account, sync and website
DoneOptional account, cloud backup and a website area to find your diary, photos, spots and statistics.
On Android and iPhone
We are hereTests on real phones, store listings, privacy and release.
Barbel Pro and purchases
In the worksSubscription and paid maps through the stores, with the advanced features.
More waters
In the worksMore European countries with waters, map and rules, like Czechia, Slovakia, Austria and Germany.
Community
In the worksSpots, catches and tips shared with other anglers.
Depth maps
IdeaBottom maps and bathymetry built together.
Free to start. Pro to go deeper.
The fish atlas stays free. Pro unlocks everything you need to decide where, when and how to fish.
Free
To get started
- Atlas of over 100 European species: photos, habitat, habits
- Bite index for today and tomorrow
- Rules of the waters and the map of your country
- Sessions, catches and diary
- Regulations by country
- Knots, baits, methods and tackle: the basic pages
- Works offline
Pro
Pricing soon
- The maps of all countries (or one map at a time, with a one-time purchase)
- Live rain radar
- “How to fish it” plus baits and techniques for every species
- 16-day bite index, hour by hour
- Every page on knots, baits, methods and tackle
- Advanced stats: hours, pressure, temperature, wind, techniques and baits
- Trips with unlimited alerts
- Diary, photos and spots without limits
- Backup and multiple phones (coming)
The most asked questions.
What is Barbel?
A freshwater fishing app made for Europe: the legal rules of the waters, a bite index, rain radar, trips with route and a catch diary.
Does it work offline?
Yes, after the first download: at first setup Barbel downloads your language and the maps of your country; then the atlas, rules, diary and spots work without a connection. Weather and radar need a connection; GPS routes record without one.
How is the bite index calculated?
It combines the real conditions of your spot with each species' behaviour and gives you a number for every moment of the day, with the reason. It is not a guarantee: it is a compass.
Which countries does it cover?
Waters with rules and map: the Czech Republic (ČRS and MRS), Slovakia (SRZ), Austria (9 Länder) and Germany (16 Länder), over 25,000 waters. The regulations guide — licences, permits, costs and laws — covers ten European countries. More countries are coming.
Where is my data kept?
On your phone. Trips, catches, spots and photos stay there and go to no server, unless you create an account and make a backup: in that case the copy is stored in Europe and can be reached only from your account.
Is it free?
Basic features are. Some advanced features are in the Pro subscription, which you cancel any time from the store.
When is it out?
Soon on Android and iPhone. The roadmap above shows where we are.
Barbel is coming to Android and iPhone.
In the meantime, see how it works.
Luck is optional.