Östen

humic brown forest lake · 60°N

Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 23 m11 species on recordreal water chemistrysources & method →

clarity 1.6 mmax depth 23 mpH 6.2oligotrophic · humicstatus goodgravel road

Character of the water

Östen lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. 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.

Large and deep (23 m): a central basin ringed by drop-offs and shallow bays around the edges — varied bottom with many spots to read.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Östen FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 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 Östen

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.

pike predatory fish

typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm

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

ruffe perch family

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

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

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.

nors fish

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

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

trout salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the murky light, trout 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 Östen

perch, pike and burbot sit at the top of the food chain in Östen, carried by ål, bream and ruffe. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.

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 Östen 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.
In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Anders Månssonål47 cm
2Klaus Karlssonburbot39 cm
3Sara Norénbream31 cm
4Oskar Wikströmbream30 cm
5Axel Nilssonvendace14 cm
6Stefan Wikströmvendace14 cm

Species records here

ål47 cmAnders Månsson

burbot39 cmKlaus Karlsson

bream31 cmSara Norén

vendace14 cmStefan Wikström

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