Angler Legend
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Sortvattnet

humic brown forest lake · 62°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 33 m13 species on recordsources & method
clarity 1.8 mmax depth 33 mpH 6.2mesotrophic · humicstatus goodforest track · 22 min for the last stretch

Character of the water

Sortvattnet 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.

A small but surprisingly deep pocket (33 m) with steep drops straight down from shore — the bottom falls away fast.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Sortvattnet FVOF. Day permit ~120 kr · annual permit ~600 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 Sortvattnet

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.
zander predatory fish
typically ~50 cm · can reach 95 cm
In the murky light, zander 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.
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.
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.
ruda fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 42 cm
Down on the bottom ruda sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
whitefish whitefish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm
Whitefish follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
vendace whitefish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 28 cm
Vendace roams the open water after the feed — a moving target.

Fishing Sortvattnet

Sortvattnet holds 13 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and id, roach and regnbåge schooling beneath them. The depth gives the water two storeys — and the fish move between them with the season.

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 Sortvattnet 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.
  • In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches
  1. 1Emil Wagnerzander42 cm
  2. 2Fredrik BoströmArctic char38 cm
  3. 3Lars Weberid31 cm
  4. 4Wolfgang Ekwhitefish26 cm
  5. 5Karin Ekroach16 cm
  6. 6Emil Webervendace14 cm
Species records here
zander42 cmEmil Wagner
Arctic char38 cmFredrik Boström
id31 cmLars Weber
whitefish26 cmWolfgang Ek
roach16 cmKarin Ek
vendace14 cmEmil Weber
The same water, for real