Ligurian Sea · Italy

Cinque Terre fishing forecast

83 Fair of 100

Cinque Terre is a saltwater fishing spot in Ligurian Sea, Italy. Anglers here target European Anchovy, European Pilchard, Gilthead Seabream. The most productive months are typically April, May, September, October.

Quick answer
Best monthsApril, May, September, October
Top speciesEuropean Anchovy, European Pilchard, Gilthead Seabream
Score now83/100
Local rulesLiguria

Today’s verdict

Ranks #80 of 437 spots FishRadar scored worldwide today

Trending up — 11 points above this spot’s 7-day average

Score confidence ±4 points, from 8 live signals

The statistical model disagrees with the physics model here today — treat this score with extra caution.

Helping the score most
Water temperature+16.1Current+10.0Waves+9.0
Working against it
Marine heatwave-4.0
Pressure trend
Pressure data unavailable
Best window today
17:00 · Light wind (0 km/h) and calm seas
Next solunar peak
dawn 04:57

Current conditions

Sea surface temp27.6 °C
Wind5 km/h from NNE, gusting 9 km/h
Wave height0.1 m at 3 s
Current0.09 m/s toward ESE
Pressure1018 hPa
Depth34 m
Cloud cover5%
Chlorophyll0.14 mg/m³
Salinity38.2 PSU
Mixed-layer depth10 m
UV index0
Wind sea0.0 m at 0 s
Ground swell0.0 m at 3 s from SW
Current shear (surface vs 50 m)0.09 → 0.00 m/s

The water here is 8.7 °C warmer than the September average of 18.9 °C. Warmer-than-normal water pushes cool-water species deeper and brings warm-water species in earlier than the calendar suggests. The water is mixed to about 26.7 m, with the thermocline below that.

Updated 1 h ago.

What the score means at Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre currently scores 83 out of 100 (Fair). Water temperature is 27.6 °C. 8 forecast signals are active in this score.

Water temperature +16.1
how close the water is to this species mix’s comfort band
Current +10.0
moving water concentrates bait
Waves +9.0
swell energy stirring the water column
Chlorophyll +8.6
plankton density — the base of the food chain
Wind +8.0
surface chop, oxygen and bait drift
Pre-storm bite +5.0
the classic feed before heavy weather

What’s biting now

The model expects today: european-pilchard, european-seabass, atlantic-bonito, atlantic-mackerel, gilthead-seabream, black-seabream, conger-eel, common-sole

Bite windows

Moon
Waning Crescent · 14% lit
Solunar day rating
50 / 100

Best months for Cinque Terre:

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Score history at this spot

30 days tracked at this exact location

Best recent day: 2026-08-12, 83/100

18 day(s) at 70+ in the tracked period

About this spot

Water type
Sea

Open coastal saltwater — conditions and safety depend heavily on the live wind, wave, and tide forecast, so check them before you head out.

Approximate bottom depth: 34 m

Access & shore

Fishable from shore · rocky shore

On-site: parking

What you can catch

Best months by species at Cinque Terre

European AnchovyEngraulis encrasicolus
European PilchardSardina pilchardus
Gilthead SeabreamSparus aurata

Typical months; local seasons and closures apply.

Local regulations

Liguria
SpeciesBag limitMin sizeOpen season
Gilthead SeabreamRegulation (EU) 2019/1241, Annex IX, Part Amin 20 cm
EU minimum conservation reference size for the Mediterranean is 20 cm (Regulation (EU) 2019/1241, Annex IX, Part A).

All species combined

  • maximum 2 kg or 10 fish total per day — TWO CAPS RUN AT ONCE and they do not add up the way per-species rows suggest: at most 10 salmonids a day of which no more than 5 brown trout, PLUS at most 2 kg in total of everything else that may be kept, of which no more than 5 barbi comuni and 20 vairone. Provincial variations bind over the regional figure: in the Genoa Aveto and Trebbia basins the SEASON is capped at 50 brown trout and no non-salmonid may be taken at all; in La Spezia Category A water and Percorsi Naturalistici the daily salmonid allowance is 5 fish with only one over 30 cm, the season is capped at 30 fish of 20–25 cm plus 10 over 30 cm, and Category B, C and brackish water allow 5 fish of not less than 25 cm; La Spezia raises the other-species cap to 3 kg including sea species, with sub-caps of 0.5 kg of vairone, 10 barbel and 10 mullet. Gear is capped too: one rod with a single hook in salmonid water, two rods no more than 5 m apart in lakes, reservoirs and cyprinid water, spinning with a single lure, fly fishing with at most three imitations, a landing net only to lift an already-hooked fish. Spearfishing, hand fishing, fishing by touch ("a strappo"), fishing with a light, blood-based baits and groundbait of any kind in Category A or salmonid water are all prohibited, as is fishing when the water is mostly iced over.
  • maximum 2 kg total per day — THIS CAP APPLIES ONLY INSIDE THE AMP "CINQUE TERRE", and it is stricter than the 5 kg Italian national limit. Inside that perimeter, from the shore or from a boat, an authorised recreational angler may take at most 2 kg per person or 3 kg per boat per day. Zone A is closed to all recreational and sport fishing. Zone B is reserved to residents of the AMP comuni, with authorisation. In Zone C non-residents may fish only FROM THE SHORE, with at most two rods or lines and two hooks — a non-resident may not recreationally fish from a boat anywhere in this AMP. Spearfishing on breath-hold is banned throughout; so are deep trolling with a downrigger or monel line, vertical jigging, non-Mediterranean baits (Korean, Spanish and Japanese worms) and all fishing competitions. A catch booklet must be kept and returned by 30 November or next year's permit is refused, and selling recreational catch costs the permit for three years. THE AMP PORTOFINO, 25 km west, runs a different set: no spearfishing anywhere in it, no fishing at all in zone A, zones B and C reserved to residents of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure as at the date the AMP was created (non-residents may be authorised in zone C, shore rods and boat handline only), at most 120 concurrent authorisations for longline, trolling and float fishing, and a 3 kg per person per day ceiling. Outside both perimeters the Italian national 5 kg applies.
  • maximum 5 kg total per day — FIVE KILOGRAMS A DAY, ACROSS EVERYTHING — fish, molluscs and crustaceans combined, not per species. One single fish heavier than the cap is excluded, so a 6 kg amberjack is lawful on its own but nothing else may be added to it. SEPARATELY AND ON TOP: no more than ONE GROUPER PER DAY, of any Epinephelus or Polyprion species, whatever its size — the national minimum for cernia is 45 cm (art. 87) and the EU Mediterranean MCRS is 45 cm, but the one-fish rule bites first. Competition anglers taking part in an authorised manifestazione sportiva are exempt from the 5 kg cap and the one-grouper rule under article 144. These are NATIONAL rules and they apply in every Italian sea, including inside the regions that publish their own rulebooks: in Liguria, Sicilia and Sardegna they stack with the regional and marine-protected-area caps, and the stricter one governs — the AMP Cinque Terre allows 2 kg per person, the AMP Portofino and the AMP Isole Egadi 3 kg per person, all well below this 5 kg. Permitted recreational gear is fixed by article 138 (coppo, giacchio, rods of at most 3 hooks, correntine of at most 6 hooks, traina, parangali, nasse) and article 140 caps it at 5 rods per angler, 200 longline hooks per boat and 2 pots per boat.

Licensing:

  • freshwater-recreational — residents Four classes of dilettantistic title, all paid through pagoPA and all evidenced by the payment receipt itself rather than a card: Tipo B (rod WITH reel) €45.45/year, €22.72 for over-65s; Tipo C (rod WITHOUT reel) €26.34/year, €13.17 for over-65s; Tipo E temporary permit €5.00 for one day, €8.00 for three days, €13.00 for a week, valid only inside tourist reserves and, for organised events, in free waters. On top of the title every angler must carry a "tesserino segna catture" (catch card) issued by the regional territorial office, and must mark the date, province and basin on it BEFORE starting and tick each retained fish BEFORE resuming fishing. Fishing catch-and-release means writing "no kill" in the catch boxes at the start of the day., non-residents Tipo D, for foreigners: three months, €17.04. Non-residents of Liguria pay a further €10.00 via pagoPA for the tesserino segna catture. The tesserino is valid in all Ligurian free waters except stretches run as tourist reserves and during competitions.
  • saltwater-recreational — residents Liguria issues NO sea-fishing licence, and that is a statement about the boundary of regional competence rather than a gap. The regional rules stop at the line joining the outermost points of river mouths and other outlets to the sea; seaward of it Italian national law applies (free MASAF registration, no paid licence). Landward of it — the lower Entella, Magra, Boate, Petronio and every other brackish reach — a Ligurian freshwater title and a tesserino segna catture ARE required, even for sea fish., non-residents Same boundary. A visitor fishing the brackish mouth of a Ligurian river needs the regional Tipo D title plus a tesserino; the same visitor 200 m offshore needs neither.
  • saltwater-recreational — residents No paid licence for recreational sea fishing, but a free annual registration with MASAF (the "comunicazione di esercizio della pesca sportiva/ricreativa in mare", or census) is mandatory. From May 2026 anglers aged 16+ must complete the census and use the RecFishing app., non-residents Same free MASAF registration applies to non-residents fishing recreationally in Italian waters.
  • freshwater-recreational — residents Inland/freshwater fishing licences are issued by each Region (Regione), not nationally; fees and rules vary by region., non-residents Non-residents need the relevant regional freshwater licence for lakes and rivers.

Check Cinque Terre before you go

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Nearby spots

Explore 10 more fishing spots within 555 km of Cinque Terre.

Frequently asked questions

What fish can you catch at Cinque Terre?

Anglers at Cinque Terre target European Anchovy, European Pilchard and Gilthead Seabream.

When is the best time to fish Cinque Terre?

The most productive months at Cinque Terre are typically April, May, September, October.

What is the fishing forecast for Cinque Terre right now?

Cinque Terre currently scores 83 out of 100, based on live ocean and weather conditions — see the full breakdown on this page.

Can you fish Cinque Terre from shore?

Yes — Cinque Terre is fishable from shore (rocky shore).

Is the thermocline set up at Cinque Terre right now?

Not strongly right now — the water column is fairly mixed, so fish are less depth-locked.

Is there a combined bag limit at Cinque Terre?

Yes — on top of per-species rules, the local regulation caps your total take: maximum 2 kg or 10 fish total per day. Check the official source before keeping fish.

Fishing guides for this spot

Forecasts, not guarantees — check local rules before you fish.