Hemsjön
humic brown forest lake · 62°N
clarity 1.9 mmax depth 9 mpH 5.9oligotrophic · humicstatus moderategravel road
Character of the water
Hemsjön lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length.
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 — Hemsjön FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 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 Hemsjön
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
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.
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.
Fishing Hemsjön
The species list of Hemsjön runs to 10. 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.
Whoever fishes Hemsjön 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
- 1Erik Sandströmpike54 cm
- 2Nils Erikssonpike52 cm
- 3Bjørn Ekpike50 cm
- 4Mats Vainioregnbåge29 cm
- 5Heike Sundinwhitefish25 cm
- 6Mats Hansenelritsa6 cm
Species records here
pike54 cmErik Sandström
regnbåge29 cmMats Vainio
whitefish25 cmHeike Sundin
elritsa6 cmMats Hansen
The same water, for real
