Angler Legend
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Hälsingaspen

humic brown tarn · 61°N
Real lakereal shoreline13 species on recordreal water chemistrysources & method
clarity 2.7 mmax depth 3 mpH 6.5mesotrophic · humicstatus goodpaved road

Character of the water

Hälsingaspen lies in central Sweden — a humic brown tarn. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length.

The surroundings

The lake sits close to town with a road right up to it — easy to reach, but hard-fished and exposed to nutrient runoff from the buildings and fields all around.

Shallow throughout (max 3 m), with reeds and vegetation over large areas — water that warms fast in spring.

Permits & rules

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

  • Zander: minimum size 45 cm · protected during the spawn (Apr–May).
  • 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 Hälsingaspen

perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
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.
zander predatory fish
typically ~50 cm · can reach 95 cm
In the murky light, zander shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
grayling fish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm
Grayling grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
id fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm
Id grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
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.
Arctic char salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
In the murky light, Arctic char shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
ruda fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 42 cm
Down on the bottom ruda sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
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 Hälsingaspen

Hälsingaspen holds 13 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and bream, ruffe and id schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.

Whoever fishes Hälsingaspen regularly builds something of their own: a log of what took, where and when. That's how the water gives up its patterns — cast by cast, never all at once.

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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches
  1. 1Hanna Brandtpike51 cm
  2. 2Axel Lehmannpike51 cm
  3. 3Sabine Vogelpike50 cm
  4. 4Hanna Petterssonbream33 cm
  5. 5Sabine KrügerArctic char28 cm
  6. 6Fredrik Krügergrayling26 cm
Species records here
pike50 cmSabine Vogel
bream33 cmHanna Pettersson
Arctic char28 cmSabine Krüger
grayling26 cmFredrik Krüger
The same water, for real