Gärdsjön

Character of the water

Gärdsjön lies in the cold north — a northern humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length.

The surroundings

The lake lies remote, ringed by forest and bog far from any road. Few find their way here — the water is untouched and the stock undisturbed.

Large and deep (56 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 — Gärdsjön 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.

Fishing Gärdsjön

The species list of Gärdsjön runs to 8. The predators — perch, pike and grayling — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size every bay becomes its own fishery.

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 Gärdsjön 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.