Angler Legend
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Hedsjön

humic brown forest lake · 61°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 8 m16 species on recordsources & method
clarity 0.9 mmax depth 8 mpH 5.8mesotrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactoryforest track · 22 min for the last stretch

Character of the water

Hedsjön lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 6 m and splits the lake into two worlds.

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.

Moderately deep (8 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

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

perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
ål fish
typically ~55 cm · can reach 110 cm
Ål works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
bream coarse fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm
Down on the bottom bream sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
elritsa fish
typically ~7 cm · can reach 12 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps elritsa moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
pike predatory fish
typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm
In the murky light, pike 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.
trout salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
In the murky light, trout shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
regnbåge fish
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
Regnbåge hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
Arctic char salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
In the murky light, Arctic char shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
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.
stäm fish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 30 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps stäm moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
stensimpa fish
typically ~8 cm · can reach 15 cm
Down on the bottom stensimpa sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

Fishing Hedsjön

The species list of Hedsjön runs to 16. 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.

Every session at Hedsjön 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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches
  1. 1Gustav Viklundpike54 cm
  2. 2Maria Häggål46 cm
  3. 3Emil Nieminengrayling26 cm
  4. 4Wolfgang Krügerperch18 cm
  5. 5Axel Lehmannroach16 cm
  6. 6Henrik Forsbergvendace14 cm
Species records here
pike54 cmGustav Viklund
ål46 cmMaria Hägg
grayling26 cmEmil Nieminen
perch18 cmWolfgang Krüger
roach16 cmAxel Lehmann
vendace14 cmHenrik Forsberg
The same water, for real