Dretkälltjärnen

Character of the water

Dretkälltjärnen lies in central Sweden — a acidified brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 5 m and splits the lake into two worlds. Acidification has thinned life down to the hardiest few.

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 — Dretkälltjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 kr.

• Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Fishing Dretkälltjärnen

The species list of Dretkälltjärnen runs to 1. The predators — perch — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.

Every session at Dretkälltjärnen is fished in whatever conditions hold right then — the same pressure, wind and light as over the real water. What bites today isn't what bit the day before, and those who return learn the water for real.

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.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.