Vällen
humic brown tarn · 60°N
Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 5 m16 species on recordsizes from survey fishingreal water chemistrysources & method →
clarity 1.6 mmax depth 5 mpH 7.9mesotrophic · humicstatus goodforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Vällen lies in central Sweden — a humic brown tarn. 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 (5 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Vällen FVOF. Day permit ~140 kr · annual permit ~700 kr.
- Zander: minimum size 45 cm · protected during the spawn (Apr–May).
- Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
- Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.
Species in Vällen
perch predatory fish
typically ~11 cm · can reach 33 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 ~14 cm · can reach 20 cm
Björkna works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
bream coarse fish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 36 cm
Bream works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
färna fish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 60 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps färna moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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.
ruffe perch family
typically ~8 cm · can reach 10 cm
Ruffe works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
zander predatory fish
typically ~58 cm · can reach 58 cm
Zander hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.
id fish
typically ~38 cm · can reach 75 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps id moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
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 ~15 cm · can reach 16 cm
The nutrient-rich water keeps löja moving constantly between the feeding grounds.
roach coarse fish
typically ~16 cm · can reach 27 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.
ruda fish
typically ~18 cm · can reach 42 cm
Ruda works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
sarv fish
typically ~8 cm · can reach 21 cm
Sarv grazes the rich water in schools — where there's one, there are more.
sutare fish
typically ~47 cm · can reach 53 cm
Sutare works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.
Fishing Vällen
perch, pike and zander sit at the top of the food chain in Vällen, carried by ål, björkna and bream. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.
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 Vällen 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
- 1Axel Petterssonpike51 cm
- 2Heike Nilssonzander43 cm
- 3Lars Nilssonburbot38 cm
- 4Oskar Norénsutare35 cm
- 5Fredrik Boströmbjörkna11 cm
- 6Mikko Sandströmruffe6 cm
Species records here
pike51 cmAxel Pettersson
zander43 cmHeike Nilsson
burbot38 cmLars Nilsson
sutare35 cmOskar Norén
björkna11 cmFredrik Boström
ruffe6 cmMikko Sandström
The same water, for real
