Skäfttjärnen

Character of the water

Skäfttjärnen lies in central Sweden — a acidified brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. Acidification has thinned life down to the hardiest few.

The surroundings

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

Moderately deep (4 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Skäfttjärnen FVOF. Day permit ~60 kr · annual permit ~300 kr.

• Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
• Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Fishing Skäfttjärnen

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

Every session at Skäfttjärnen 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

• Brown, humic water dampens the light — fishing can be good even in the middle of the day.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.