Malmagen

Character of the water

Malmagen 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 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.

Moderately deep (13 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

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

• 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.

Fishing Malmagen

Malmagen holds 5 species, with grayling, burbot and trout at the top of the chain and elritsa schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.

Whoever fishes Malmagen 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.
• Stratified, oxygen-poor lakes push the fish up above the thermocline in summer.