Ärskebäcktjärnen

humic brown forest lake · 61°N

Real lakereal shoreline13 species on recordsizes from survey fishingsources & method →

clarity 1.3 mmax depth 10 mpH 6.2eutrophic · humicstatus poorpaved road

Character of the water

Ärskebäcktjärnen lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 7 m and splits the lake into two worlds.

The surroundings

The lake sits close to town with a road right up to it — easy to reach, but hard-fished and exposed to nutrient runoff from the buildings and fields all around.

Moderately deep (10 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Ärskebäcktjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 kr.

Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
Trout & Arctic char: protected during the autumn spawn · catch-and-release on certain stretches.
Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Species in Ärskebäcktjärnen

perch predatory fish

typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm

Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

ål fish

typically ~55 cm · can reach 110 cm

Ål works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

bream coarse fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm

Down on the bottom bream sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

elritsa fish

typically ~8 cm · can reach 13 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps elritsa moving constantly between the feeding grounds.

pike predatory fish

typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm

In the murky light, pike shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

grayling fish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm

Grayling grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

burbot bottom fish

typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm

Burbot works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

roach coarse fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm

Roach grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

trout salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the murky light, trout shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

regnbåge fish

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

Regnbåge hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.

Arctic char salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the murky light, Arctic char shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

whitefish whitefish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm

Whitefish follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.

vendace whitefish

typically ~16 cm · can reach 28 cm

Vendace roams the open water after the feed — a moving target.

Fishing Ärskebäcktjärnen

Ärskebäcktjärnen holds 13 species, with perch, pike and grayling at the top of the chain and ål, bream and elritsa schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.

The fishing here follows the water's own rhythm: dawn and dusk have their windows, fronts close and open them, and the season moves the fish. No two sessions at Ärskebäcktjärnen are alike.

General rules of thumb for this kind of water

Brown, humic water dampens the light — fishing can be good even in the middle of the day.
Stratified, oxygen-poor lakes push the fish up above the thermocline in summer.
Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Sören Häggpike57 cm
2Björn Bergregnbåge28 cm
3Mats Häggwhitefish24 cm
4Gustav Schmidtgrayling24 cm
5Heike Dahlgrayling24 cm
6Ole Krügerperch18 cm

Species records here

pike57 cmSören Hägg

regnbåge28 cmBjörn Berg

grayling24 cmHeike Dahl

whitefish24 cmMats Hägg

perch18 cmOle Krüger

The same water, for real

This water's real catch reports — and the logbook for your own.Fångstrapport.sein Swedish

The real bite table for this water — for your next real session.Huggtabell.sein Swedish