Ärtsjön
humic brown tarn · 61°N
clarity 1.6 mmax depth 5 mpH 6.2eutrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactorygravel road
Character of the water
Ärtsjön lies in central Sweden — a humic brown tarn. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length.
The surroundings
The lake lies half-remote, a fair way from the nearest road, tucked into woodland.
Moderately deep (5 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Ärtsjön FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 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 Ärtsjön
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
bream coarse fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm
Bream works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
elritsa fish
typically ~7 cm · can reach 12 cm
Elritsa grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
pike predatory fish
typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm
Pike hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
grayling fish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps grayling moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
id fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps id moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
burbot bottom fish
typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm
Down on the bottom burbot sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
roach coarse fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
trout salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
Trout 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
Arctic char hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
whitefish whitefish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm
Whitefish roams the open water after the feed — a moving target.
vendace whitefish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 28 cm
Vendace follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
stäm fish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 30 cm
Stäm grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
stensimpa fish
typically ~8 cm · can reach 15 cm
Stensimpa works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
Fishing Ärtsjön
The species list of Ärtsjön runs to 14. The predators — perch, pike and grayling — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.
Whoever fishes Ärtsjön regularly builds something of their own: a log of what took, where and when. That's how the water gives up its patterns — cast by cast, never all at once.
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.
- Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.
The catch board
- 1Astrid Wagnerid33 cm
- 2Sören Björkbream31 cm
- 3Rickard Olofssonwhitefish29 cm
- 4Kjell DahlArctic char29 cm
- 5Mikko Sandströmperch18 cm
- 6Jürgen Falkroach16 cm
Species records here
id33 cmAstrid Wagner
bream31 cmSören Björk
Arctic char29 cmKjell Dahl
whitefish29 cmRickard Olofsson
perch18 cmMikko Sandström
roach16 cmJürgen Falk
The same water, for real
