Handstjärnen
Character of the water
Handstjärnen lies in central Sweden — a nutrient-rich lowland lake.
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 — Handstjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~80 kr · annual permit ~400 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 Handstjärnen
Fishing Handstjärnen
The species list of Handstjärnen runs to 11. The predators — perch, pike and grayling — 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 Handstjärnen are alike.
General rules of thumb for this kind of water
- Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.
The catch board
- 1Jukka ÅbergArctic char39 cm
- 2Per Krügerburbot37 cm
- 3Uwe Weberbream33 cm
- 4Sabine Schmidtwhitefish29 cm
- 5Rickard Åberggrayling23 cm
- 6Emil Weberruda16 cm