Labbgärdstjärnen

Character of the water

Labbgärdstjärnen lies in the cold north — a northern acidified brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 10 m and splits the lake into two worlds. 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.

A small but surprisingly deep pocket (18 m) with steep drops straight down from shore — the bottom falls away fast.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Labbgärdstjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 kr.

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

Fishing Labbgärdstjärnen

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

The fishing here follows the water's own rhythm: dawn and dusk have their windows, fronts close and open them, and the season moves the fish. No two sessions at Labbgärdstjärnen are alike.

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.
• In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.