Kotajärvi
northern humic brown tarn · 67°N
clarity 2.3 mmax depth 5 mpH 6.6eutrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactoryforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Kotajärvi lies in the cold north — a northern humic brown tarn. 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 (5 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Kotajärvi FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 kr.
- Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
- Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.
Species in Kotajärvi
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
pike predatory fish
typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm
Pike hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
roach coarse fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
bream coarse fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm
Bream works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
Fishing Kotajärvi
The species list of Kotajärvi runs to 4. The predators — perch and pike — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.
Whoever fishes Kotajärvi 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.
- Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.
The catch board
- 1Heike Holmpike51 cm
- 2Ida Månssonpike50 cm
- 3Stefan Karlssonpike50 cm
- 4Karin Nilssonperch20 cm
- 5Magnus Brandtperch18 cm
- 6Ole Brandtroach15 cm
Species records here
pike51 cmHeike Holm
perch18 cmMagnus Brandt
roach15 cmOle Brandt
The same water, for real
