Viltjärnarna

Character of the water

Viltjärnarna lies in central Sweden — a acidified forest lake. The water is crystal-clear and the fish skittish in the sharp light. In summer a thermocline settles around 6 m and splits the lake into two worlds. Acidification has thinned life down to the hardiest few.

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.

A small but surprisingly deep pocket (16 m) with steep drops straight down from shore — the bottom falls away fast.

Permits & rules

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

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

Fishing Viltjärnarna

perch and pike sit at the top of the food chain in Viltjärnarna. The clearer water makes the fish wary — and rewards a careful presentation.

Every session at Viltjärnarna 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

• Clear water makes fish light-shy — dawn, dusk and night are usually best.
• In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.
• Acidified water yields few, hardy species.