Stora Harpsjön

nutrient-rich lowland lake · 61°N

Real lakereal shoreline10 species on recordsources & method →

clarity 1.4 mmax depth 6 mpH 7.4eutrophicstatus poorpaved road

Character of the water

Stora Harpsjön lies in central Sweden — a nutrient-rich lowland lake.

The surroundings

The lake sits close to town with a road right up to it — easy to reach, but hard-fished and exposed to nutrient runoff from the buildings and fields all around.

Moderately deep (6 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.

Permits & rules

Fishing permit required — Stora Harpsjön FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 kr.

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 Harpsjön

perch predatory fish

typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm

Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.

bream coarse fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm

Down on the bottom bream sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

pike predatory fish

typically ~62 cm · can reach 120 cm

In the murky light, pike 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.

Fishing Stora Harpsjön

perch, pike and grayling sit at the top of the food chain in Stora Harpsjön, carried by bream, id and roach. The nutrient-rich water means plenty of baitfish — and predators that grow fat on them.

Every session at Stora Harpsjön 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

Nutrient-rich lakes hold plenty of baitfish but often murky water.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Heike Nilssonpike51 cm
2Elin Ekpike50 cm
3Jürgen Schmidtburbot36 cm
4Andreas Häggregnbåge29 cm
5Uwe Vainioperch18 cm
6Rickard Lundroach15 cm

Species records here

pike50 cmElin Ek

burbot36 cmJürgen Schmidt

regnbåge29 cmAndreas Hägg

perch18 cmUwe Vainio

roach15 cmRickard Lund

The same water, for real

This water's real catch reports — and the logbook for your own.Fångstrapport.sein Swedish

The real bite table for this water — for your next real session.Huggtabell.sein Swedish