Smalsjön
humic brown forest lake · 60°N
clarity 2.1 mmax depth 8 mpH 5.7oligotrophic · humicstatus moderateforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Smalsjön 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 (8 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Smalsjön 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.
Species in Smalsjön
perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
grayling fish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 50 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps grayling moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
roach coarse fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 32 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
Fishing Smalsjön
The species list of Smalsjön runs to 9. The predators — perch, pike and grayling — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.
Whoever fishes Smalsjön 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
- 1Mikko Forsbergpike49 cm
- 2Sabine Schmidtid38 cm
- 3Henrik Forsbergbream33 cm
- 4Björn Boströmbream32 cm
- 5Jürgen Åströmgrayling25 cm
- 6Stefan Strandroach16 cm
Species records here
pike49 cmMikko Forsberg
id38 cmSabine Schmidt
bream33 cmHenrik Forsberg
grayling25 cmJürgen Åström
roach16 cmStefan Strand
The same water, for real
