Mörthålan

Character of the water

Mörthålan lies in central Sweden — a nutrient-rich lowland lake. In summer a thermocline settles around 6 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.

A small but surprisingly deep pocket (12 m) with steep drops straight down from shore — the bottom falls away fast.

Permits & rules

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

The species list of Mörthålan runs to 5. 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.

Every session at Mörthålan 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

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