Rälgen
humic brown forest lake · 61°N
clarity 2.0 mmax depth 7 mpH 6.2mesotrophic · humicstatus goodgravel road
Character of the water
Rälgen 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 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 — Rälgen FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 kr.
- Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
- Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.
Species in Rälgen
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
burbot bottom fish
typically ~45 cm · can reach 90 cm
Down on the bottom burbot sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
roach coarse fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
sutare fish
typically ~35 cm · can reach 60 cm
Sutare works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
Fishing Rälgen
Rälgen holds 5 species, with perch, pike and burbot at the top of the chain and roach and sutare schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.
Whoever fishes Rälgen 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.
The catch board
- 1Fredrik Krügerpike50 cm
- 2Linnea Häggroach19 cm
- 3Kjell Sjöbergperch18 cm
- 4Lars Sandströmroach15 cm
- 5Eva Bakkeroach14 cm
- 6Heike Korhonenroach14 cm
Species records here
pike50 cmFredrik Krüger
perch18 cmKjell Sjöberg
roach15 cmLars Sandström
The same water, for real
