Lilla Ormtjärnen

Character of the water

Lilla Ormtjärnen lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 7 m and splits the lake into two worlds.

The surroundings

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

Moderately deep (11 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Lilla Ormtjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 kr.

• Zander: minimum size 45 cm · protected during the spawn (Apr–May).
• Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
• Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Fishing Lilla Ormtjärnen

The species list of Lilla Ormtjärnen runs to 6. The predators — perch, pike and zander — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.

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 Lilla Ormtjärnen 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.
• Stratified, oxygen-poor lakes push the fish up above the thermocline in summer.
• Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.