Vansjön

humic brown forest lake · 60°N

Real lakereal shoreline8 species on recordsizes from survey fishingsources & method →

clarity 1.0 mmax depth 6 mpH 5.5oligotrophic · humicstatus unsatisfactorypaved road

Character of the water

Vansjön 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 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 — Vansjön FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 kr.

Pike: keep at most one over 75 cm per day.
Handheld tackle only. Respect the protected zones at the inlets and outlets.

Species in Vansjön

perch predatory fish

typically ~17 cm · can reach 43 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps perch moving constantly between the feeding grounds.

björkna fish

typically ~14 cm · can reach 16 cm

Björkna works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

bream coarse fish

typically ~35 cm · can reach 41 cm

Bream works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

pike predatory fish

typically ~45 cm · can reach 47 cm

Pike hunts by feel more than sight in the stained water — short, hard strikes close to the bait.

ruffe perch family

typically ~7 cm · can reach 10 cm

Ruffe works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

roach coarse fish

typically ~15 cm · can reach 28 cm

The nutrient-rich water keeps roach moving constantly between the feeding grounds.

ruda fish

typically ~38 cm · can reach 38 cm

Ruda works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

sutare fish

typically ~5 cm · can reach 5 cm

Sutare works the bottom in the dark — smell and feel come before everything else.

Fishing Vansjön

perch and pike sit at the top of the food chain in Vansjön, carried by björkna, bream and ruffe. The brown, humic water keeps visibility short — the fishing is more about vibration than sight.

Every session at Vansjön 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.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Heike Holmroach14 cm
2Karl Boströmroach13 cm
3Linnea Nieminenroach12 cm
4Jürgen Dahlbjörkna11 cm
5Karl Norénbjörkna10 cm
6Mats Bergruffe6 cm

Species records here

roach14 cmHeike Holm

björkna11 cmJürgen Dahl

ruffe6 cmMats Berg

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