Mellansjön

acidified forest lake · 60°N

Real lakereal shoreline13 species on recordsources & method →

clarity 5.4 mmax depth 9 mpH 5.1oligotrophicstatus unsatisfactorypaved road

Character of the water

Mellansjön lies in central Sweden — a acidified forest lake. The water is crystal-clear and the fish skittish in the sharp light. In summer a thermocline settles around 5 m and splits the lake into two worlds. Acidification has thinned life down to the hardiest few.

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

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Mellansjön 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.
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 Mellansjön

perch predatory fish

typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm

Perch moves carefully in the clear water — small mouthfuls, many of them.

asp fish

typically ~48 cm · can reach 90 cm

In the clear water asp picks its moments — wary, but relentless once committed.

björkna fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 35 cm

Björkna lives down in the cool — the deep is its home ground all year.

bream coarse fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm

Bream lives down in the cool — the deep is its home ground all year.

pike predatory fish

typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm

In the clear water pike picks its moments — wary, but relentless once committed.

ruffe perch family

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

Ruffe lives down in the cool — the deep is its home ground all year.

zander predatory fish

typically ~50 cm · can reach 95 cm

In the clear water zander picks its moments — wary, but relentless once committed.

grayling fish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm

Grayling moves carefully in the clear water — small mouthfuls, many of them.

id fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm

Id moves carefully in the clear water — small mouthfuls, many of them.

burbot bottom fish

typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm

Burbot holds the bottom even in clear water — shade and depth are its cover.

roach coarse fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm

Roach moves carefully in the clear water — small mouthfuls, many of them.

trout salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the clear water trout picks its moments — wary, but relentless once committed.

regnbåge fish

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

Regnbåge is a sight-hunter here — the clear water means long follows before the take.

Fishing Mellansjön

Mellansjön holds 13 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and asp, björkna and bream schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.

Every session at Mellansjön 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

Clear water makes fish light-shy — dawn, dusk and night are usually best.
Acidified water yields few, hardy species.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Rickard Raskburbot36 cm
2Erik Sandströmbream31 cm
3Mats Nieminengrayling23 cm
4Emil Petterssonbjörkna15 cm
5Johan Nieminenruffe11 cm
6Lars Forsbergruffe10 cm

Species records here

burbot36 cmRickard Rask

bream31 cmErik Sandström

grayling23 cmMats Nieminen

björkna15 cmEmil Pettersson

ruffe10 cmLars Forsberg

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