Lilla Väsjön

humic brown forest lake · 61°N

Real lakereal shoreline12 species on recordsources & method →

clarity 0.9 mmax depth 7 mpH 5.6oligotrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactorygravel road

Character of the water

Lilla Väsjön 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 (7 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Lilla Väsjön FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 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 Lilla Väsjön

perch predatory fish

typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps perch 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.

elritsa fish

typically ~7 cm · can reach 12 cm

Elritsa grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

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.

ruffe perch family

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

Ruffe works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

grayling fish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps grayling moving constantly between the feeding grounds.

burbot bottom fish

typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm

Down on the bottom burbot sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

roach coarse fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.

nors fish

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

Nors follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.

trout salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

Trout 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

Arctic char hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.

ruda fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 42 cm

Ruda works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

Fishing Lilla Väsjön

The species list of Lilla Väsjön runs to 12. 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 Lilla Väsjön 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

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Ida Boströmbream44 cm
2Heike Sundinbream30 cm
3Sören Häggtrout29 cm
4Emil Petterssonnors11 cm
5Petra Månssonruffe10 cm
6Jürgen Falkelritsa5 cm

Species records here

bream30 cmHeike Sundin

trout29 cmSören Hägg

nors11 cmEmil Pettersson

ruffe10 cmPetra Månsson

elritsa5 cmJürgen Falk

The same water, for real

This water's real catch reports — and the logbook for your own.Fångstrapport.sein Swedish

The real bite table for this water — for your next real session.Huggtabell.sein Swedish