Heillstuguvatnet

Character of the water

Heillstuguvatnet lies in central Sweden — a acidified brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. Acidification has thinned life down to the hardiest few.

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 — Heillstuguvatnet FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 kr.

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

Fishing Heillstuguvatnet

perch and pike sit at the top of the food chain in Heillstuguvatnet. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.

Every session at Heillstuguvatnet 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.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.
• Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.