Vaxsjön
humic brown tarn · 63°N
clarity 1.5 mmax depth 4 mpH 7.1oligotrophic · humicstatus goodforest track · 22 min for the last stretch
Character of the water
Vaxsjön 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 (4 m) — shallow bays, the odd reef and a deeper channel through the middle.
Permits & rules
Fishing permit required — Vaxsjön FVOF. Day permit ~100 kr · annual permit ~500 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 Vaxsjön
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.
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.
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.
whitefish whitefish
typically ~30 cm · can reach 55 cm
Whitefish follows the schools through open water — here today, gone tomorrow.
stensimpa fish
typically ~8 cm · can reach 15 cm
Down on the bottom stensimpa sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.
Fishing Vaxsjön
The species list of Vaxsjön runs to 13. The predators — perch, pike and grayling — hunt where the baitfish gather, and on a water this size you soon learn where it holds its fish.
Whoever fishes Vaxsjön regularly builds something of their own: a log of what took, where and when. That's how the water gives up its patterns — cast by cast, never all at once.
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
- 1Stefan Åströmregnbåge34 cm
- 2Rickard OlofssonArctic char30 cm
- 3Elin Hedlundtrout29 cm
- 4Anders Karlssongrayling26 cm
- 5Astrid Viklundelritsa6 cm
- 6Heike Holmelritsa5 cm
Species records here
regnbåge34 cmStefan Åström
Arctic char30 cmRickard Olofsson
trout29 cmElin Hedlund
grayling26 cmAnders Karlsson
elritsa5 cmHeike Holm
The same water, for real
