Botungen
humic brown forest lake · 59°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 10 m7 species on recordsizes from survey fishingreal water chemistrysources & method →
clarity 1.6 mmax depth 10 mpH 5.8eutrophic · humicstatus poorgravel road
Character of the water
Botungen 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.
Moderately deep (10 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Botungen 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 Botungen
perch predatory fish
typically ~11 cm · can reach 48 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
björkna fish
typically ~23 cm · can reach 28 cm
Björkna works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
bream coarse fish
typically ~28 cm · can reach 37 cm
Bream works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
pike predatory fish
typically ~33 cm · can reach 39 cm
Pike hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
ruffe perch family
typically ~11 cm · can reach 11 cm
Ruffe works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
roach coarse fish
typically ~13 cm · can reach 23 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.
Fishing Botungen
The species list of Botungen runs to 7. The predators — perch, pike and trout — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.
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 Botungen 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.
- Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.
The catch board
- 1Jukka Åbergtrout30 cm
- 2Lars Johansenbjörkna19 cm
- 3Erik Olofssonroach10 cm
- 4Lars Lindqvistroach10 cm
- 5Hanna Viklundruffe9 cm
- 6Rickard Brandtruffe9 cm
Species records here
trout30 cmJukka Åberg
björkna19 cmLars Johansen
roach10 cmErik Olofsson
ruffe9 cmRickard Brandt
The same water, for real
