Angler Legend
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Hemsjön

acidified brown forest lake · 61°N
Real lakereal shoreline10 species on recordsources & method
clarity 1.4 mmax depth 4 mpH 4.6oligotrophic · humicstatus poorforest track · 22 min for the last stretch

Character of the water

Hemsjön 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 lies half-remote, a fair way from the nearest road, tucked into woodland.

Moderately deep (4 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.
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.
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.

Fishing Hemsjön

perch, pike and grayling sit at the top of the food chain in Hemsjön, carried by bream, id and roach. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.

Every session at Hemsjön 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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches
  1. 1Jukka Schmidtburbot40 cm
  2. 2Elin Fischerburbot37 cm
  3. 3Heike Holmid32 cm
  4. 4Sara Lehmannid31 cm
  5. 5Torbjörn Schmidtbream30 cm
  6. 6Kjell Krügergrayling24 cm
Species records here
burbot37 cmElin Fischer
id31 cmSara Lehmann
bream30 cmTorbjörn Schmidt
grayling24 cmKjell Krüger
The same water, for real