Mörttjärnen

Character of the water

Mörttjärnen lies in central Sweden — a nutrient-rich lowland lake. In summer a thermocline settles around 5 m and splits the lake into two worlds.

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.

Moderately deep (10 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Mörttjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~160 kr · annual permit ~800 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 Mörttjärnen

The species list of Mörttjärnen 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.

Whoever fishes Mörttjärnen 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

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