Stora Färgen
southern humic brown forest lake · 57°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 10 m18 species on recordsizes from survey fishingreal water chemistrysources & method →
clarity 2.1 mmax depth 10 mpH 6.5oligotrophic · humicstatus goodforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Stora Färgen lies in the south — a southern 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 (10 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Stora Färgen FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 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 Stora Färgen
perch predatory fish
typically ~15 cm · can reach 40 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
ål fish
typically ~55 cm · can reach 110 cm
Down on the bottom ål sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
björkna fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 35 cm
Björkna works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
bream coarse fish
typically ~34 cm · can reach 48 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 ~59 cm · can reach 119 cm
Pike hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
ruffe perch family
typically ~9 cm · can reach 16 cm
Ruffe works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
zander predatory fish
typically ~54 cm · can reach 66 cm
Zander 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.
löja fish
typically ~13 cm · can reach 19 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps löja moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
roach coarse fish
typically ~20 cm · can reach 31 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
nors fish
typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm
Nors follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
trout salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
Trout 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
Arctic char hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
ruda fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 42 cm
Ruda works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
whitefish whitefish
typically ~32 cm · can reach 33 cm
Whitefish roams the open water after the feed — a moving target.
vendace whitefish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 18 cm
Vendace follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
sutare fish
typically ~9 cm · can reach 12 cm
Sutare works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
Fishing Stora Färgen
Stora Färgen holds 18 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and ål, björkna and bream schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.
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 Stora Färgen 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
- 1Maria Sandströmzander43 cm
- 2Bjørn Johansenzander43 cm
- 3Jukka Schmidtburbot37 cm
- 4Torbjörn Schmidtbream26 cm
- 5Sören Dahlroach16 cm
- 6Tomas Weberruda15 cm
Species records here
zander43 cmBjørn Johansen
burbot37 cmJukka Schmidt
bream26 cmTorbjörn Schmidt
roach16 cmSören Dahl
ruda15 cmTomas Weber
The same water, for real
