Vittärnsjön

humic brown forest lake · 60°N

Real lakereal shorelinemeasured max depth 21 m10 species on recordsizes from survey fishingsources & method →

clarity 2.2 mmax depth 21 mpH 6.0mesotrophic · humicstatus moderatepaved road

Character of the water

Vittärnsjön lies in central Sweden — a humic brown forest lake. The tea-stained, humic water hides the bottom within an arm's length. In summer a thermocline settles around 6 m and splits the lake into two worlds.

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 (21 m) with steep drops straight down from shore — the bottom falls away fast.

Permits & rules

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

perch predatory fish

typically ~10 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.

pike predatory fish

typically ~43 cm · can reach 49 cm

In the murky light, pike shadows the baitfish and hits in short rushes.

ruffe perch family

typically ~12 cm · can reach 22 cm

Down on the bottom ruffe sifts the soft ground — patience beats speed here.

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 23 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.

Fishing Vittärnsjön

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

Every session at Vittärnsjön 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.
In deep, oxygenated lakes the predators seek cool depth in summer, shallower in spring and autumn.

The catch board

6 anglers · 12 catches

1Björn Boströmburbot36 cm
2Petra Brandtpike34 cm
3Eva Sandströmregnbåge28 cm
4Bjørn Boströmroach14 cm
5Heike Lindqvistruffe12 cm
6Mikael Korhonenperch11 cm

Species records here

burbot36 cmBjörn Boström

pike34 cmPetra Brandt

regnbåge28 cmEva Sandström

roach14 cmBjørn Boström

ruffe12 cmHeike Lindqvist

perch11 cmMikael Korhonen

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