Guckutjärnen

Character of the water

Guckutjärnen 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 4 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 (9 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Guckutjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 kr.

• Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
• Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Fishing Guckutjärnen

The species list of Guckutjärnen runs to 2. The predators — perch and pike — 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 Guckutjärnen 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.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.