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Stora Israelsjön

acidified brown forest lake · 61°N
Real lakereal shoreline17 species on recordsources & method
clarity 1.0 mmax depth 4 mpH 5.4oligotrophic · humicstatus poorno road · 50 min for the last stretch

Character of the water

Stora Israelsjön 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 remote, ringed by forest and bog far from any road. Few find their way here — the water is untouched and the stock undisturbed.

Shallow throughout (max 4 m), with reeds and vegetation over large areas — water that warms fast in spring.

Permits & rules

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

perch predatory fish
typically ~22 cm · can reach 45 cm
Perch grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
ål fish
typically ~55 cm · can reach 110 cm
Ål works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
bream coarse fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 65 cm
Down on the bottom bream sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
elritsa fish
typically ~7 cm · can reach 12 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps elritsa moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
löja fish
typically ~12 cm · can reach 20 cm
Löja grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
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.
Arctic char salmonids
typically ~35 cm · can reach 70 cm
In the murky light, Arctic char shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.
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.
stensimpa fish
typically ~8 cm · can reach 15 cm
Down on the bottom stensimpa sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
sutare fish
typically ~35 cm · can reach 60 cm
Down on the bottom sutare sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

Fishing Stora Israelsjön

Stora Israelsjön holds 17 species, with perch, pike and zander at the top of the chain and ål, bream and elritsa schooling beneath them. The modest depth keeps most of the fishing within reach of the bank.

Every session at Stora Israelsjön 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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches
  1. 1Linnea NieminenArctic char29 cm
  2. 2Ole Brandtperch19 cm
  3. 3Heike Korhonenperch18 cm
  4. 4Elin Nieminenvendace15 cm
  5. 5Wolfgang Krügerstensimpa7 cm
  6. 6Bjørn Johansenelritsa6 cm
Species records here
Arctic char29 cmLinnea Nieminen
perch19 cmOle Brandt
vendace15 cmElin Nieminen
stensimpa7 cmWolfgang Krüger
elritsa6 cmBjørn Johansen
The same water, for real