Onkijärvi

northern humic brown forest lake · 67°N

Real lakereal shoreline12 species on recordsources & method →

clarity 1.2 mmax depth 7 mpH 5.7oligotrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactorygravel road

Character of the water

Onkijärvi lies in the cold north — a northern humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length.

The surroundings

The lake lies half-remote, a fair way from the nearest road, tucked into woodland.

Moderately deep (7 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

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

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 Onkijärvi

perch predatory fish

typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm

Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

pike predatory fish

typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm

In the murky light, pike shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

grayling fish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm

Grayling grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

havsoring-baltic fish

typically ~25 cm · can reach 50 cm

Havsoring-baltic grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

id fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm

Id grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

burbot bottom fish

typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm

Burbot works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

salmon fish

typically ~65 cm · can reach 130 cm

Salmon hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.

roach coarse fish

typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm

Roach grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

trout salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the murky light, trout shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

regnbåge fish

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

Regnbåge hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.

Arctic char salmonids

typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm

In the murky light, Arctic char shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

whitefish whitefish

typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm

Whitefish follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.

Fishing Onkijärvi

perch, pike and grayling sit at the top of the food chain in Onkijärvi, carried by havsoring-baltic, id and roach. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.

The fishing here follows the water's own rhythm: dawn and dusk have their windows, fronts close and open them, and the season moves the fish. No two sessions at Onkijärvi are alike.

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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Erik Sandströmsalmon56 cm
2Sara Norénid32 cm
3Ida Boströmid31 cm
4Per Holmtrout30 cm
5Petra Brandttrout30 cm
6Henrik Ekroach14 cm

Species records here

salmon56 cmErik Sandström

id31 cmIda Boström

trout30 cmPetra Brandt

roach14 cmHenrik Ek

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