Norra Barken
humic brown forest lake · 60°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 37 m24 species on recordreal water chemistrysources & method →
clarity 3.8 mmax depth 37 mpH 6.9mesotrophic · humicstatus goodforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Norra Barken 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 remote, ringed by forest and bog far from any road. Few find their way here — the water is untouched and the stock undisturbed.
Large and deep (37 m): a central basin ringed by drop-offs and shallow bays around the edges — varied bottom with many spots to read.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Norra Barken 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.
- 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 Norra Barken
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
ål fish
typically ~55 cm · can reach 110 cm
Down on the bottom ål sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
asp fish
typically ~48 cm · can reach 90 cm
Asp hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
björkna fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 35 cm
Björkna works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
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.
zander predatory fish
typically ~50 cm · can reach 95 cm
Zander hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
id fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps id moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
karp fish
typically ~45 cm · can reach 95 cm
Karp works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
burbot bottom fish
typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm
Down on the bottom burbot sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
salmon fish
typically ~65 cm · can reach 130 cm
In the murky light, salmon shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
löja fish
typically ~12 cm · can reach 20 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps löja moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
regnbåge fish
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
In the murky light, regnbåge shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
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.
sarv fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 38 cm
Sarv grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
whitefish whitefish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm
Whitefish roams the open water after the feed — a moving target.
vendace whitefish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 28 cm
Vendace follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
stäm fish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 30 cm
Stäm grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
Fishing Norra Barken
Norra Barken holds 24 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and ål, asp and björkna schooling beneath them. The depth gives the water two storeys — and the fish move between them with the season.
Whoever fishes Norra Barken 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.
- In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.
The catch board
- 1Oskar Häggsalmon58 cm
- 2Per Holmål58 cm
- 3Maria Åbergkarp46 cm
- 4Karl Rasktrout39 cm
- 5Jonas Krügertrout29 cm
- 6Anna Nyströmtrout28 cm
Species records here
salmon58 cmOskar Hägg
ål58 cmPer Holm
karp46 cmMaria Åberg
trout29 cmJonas Krüger
The same water, for real
