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Fishingen the Swedish alps

Freshwater 
6K views 31 replies 8 participants last post by  Vicko 
#1 ·
Fishing in the Swedish alps

Went to the mountains with my brother and his girlfriend. Target species is arctic charr, had a though first day with 1 degree temp and 12m/s winds but that wont stop us. Today the weather cleared up, still cold but the sky was blue and you could see the mountain peaks!
 

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#9 ·
We got a wide variaty of freshwater species some native some "imported", northern pike growing up to 45 pounds, European perch (perca fluvitalis) reaching 5-6 pounds, Big Arctic charr, big browns and seabound browns, salmon, grayling, bourbout, zander the list goes on but those are the most targeted species. A lot of rainbowtrout in stocked streams and lakes.
Most fishing i do is pike and perch aswell as browns,seatrout and grayling a few trips for charr.

For sure one of my favorite fish !
 
#10 ·
I had to look up Zander. I found out it was the same thing as a Pike-Perch. It's fun seeing the fresh water fish of Europe. So many of them have similar cousins in North America. I have a poster of European Fish in one of my bathrooms. Did you know that the mountains of Norway, Sweden, and Scotland are all part of the Appalachians? Those pieces of land were on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean when the piece of land that became northern Africa hit the piece of land that was becoming North America. This raised mountains all the way from whats present day eastern Oklahoma all the way up to Canada and the pieces of land that drifted to Europe. This was 250 million years ago. I think that this contributed to so many similar or same species on different sides of the present Atlantic Ocean. Book Font Art Illustration Fin
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#11 ·
It's pretty fantastic, i think a lot of the fish that originally came from Europe were brought over by settelers. Trout for example the brits brought along to a variaty of places around the globe. At the same time there is a bigger variaty of species at least when it coems to game fish in your waters.
 
#12 ·
The two European fish that have had significant impacts in North America are Carp and Brown Trout. Carp are a bit of a minor nuisance. Brown Trout are a monumental success. They're such a perfect trout for the southern Appalachians. They're so adaptable and hard to fish out. I believe that the ice ages made Browns so very adaptable. The ice would invade and push them way downstream to warmer water and then the ice would recede and they'd work their way back to cooler headwaters.

The southern Appalachians is the most bio-diverse part of North America. The ice ages pushed so many species south and many remain to this day. That goes for plants, animals, and fish.
 
#13 ·
It certainly is amazing, my girlfriend moved to Raleigh 3 weeks ago to do her PHd in biology/Ecology. We are both very fascinated as well as intrigued by nature. Will be visiting Raleigh late February early march, will be going both up in the mountains and down to the sea want to experience as much of NC as possible in my first visit!


Trout in general seems to be very adaptable, just here in Sweden there are a huge variety of Brown trout. We have the "regular" stationary brown trout in various shapes and sizes (phenotypes) as well as the sea bound browns. They all belong to the same species of Brown trout (salmo trutta) but their habitats vary greatly from saltwater to brackish and then to lakes and rivers all the way up to the mountains. Being able to handle the varying temperature as you said probably is because of the moving inland ices, I don't actually know. But it's truly fascinating.
 
#14 ·
Try some Smallmouth Bass fishing. They're very fun to catch. They jump a lot and have great strength and endurance. Try some of the reservoirs that have Rainbows, Santeetlah, Apalachia, and Calderwood would be on that list. You'll catch some Browns in those lakes too. There's more Browns than Rainbows in Apalachia. Santeetlah has a good Walleye population. I caught one just shy of 3 Kg there last summer. Don't be afraid to cross the border into Tennessee, where I live, there's some terrific trout lakes. Watauga is great for Lakers, Rainbows, and a few Browns. Plus, there's Smallmouths and Walleyes. Two years ago I got a Laker there that was close to 4 kg. The lake and state record is over 10 Kg. I hope to catch one that's 5, or more, kilos this coming season. Chilhowee Lake, also in Tennessee, is a terrific Rainbow Lake. There's lots of 1-3 Kg Rainbows and some bigger ones if you can land them. There's Smallmouths, Walleyes, and Yellow Perch too. I netted a Smallmouth there for a friend that went around 4 Kg about 20 years ago. It took him 30 minutes to get it to the boat on 4 pound test mono. The drag worked overtime! ...and well! The series of lakes on the Little Tennessee River all offer good fishing.

Imagine how the fiords of Norway and Iceland looked during the height of an ice age. The sea level is so far down that they're river canyons. England is connected to Europe. What Baltic Sea....! ....more like the Baltic Basin.... The deltas for European rivers are out in what's open sea now. Iceland and Greenland were way bigger.
 
#15 ·
Im really looking forward to doing some bassfishing. Watched a lot on youtube as it's so common in the US it's featured on a lot of
channels. Il be bring takle for a little of everything, allthough it's not really a fishing trip (a)
Lakers are also something i have really wanted to do, we have few bodies of water in Sweden were you can catch them. Last year the Swedish record was broken and the new one is around 9.8 kilos if a remember correctly. But their caught in lakes or reservoirs where they breed fish commercially, so it's not very natureal acording to me at least.
Sounds like you have some wonderfull fishing aswell. There is nothing better then the sound of a drag working as hard as it can.
I would have loved to visit tennesee but will be spending about 6 days aroudn asheville and then head for the coast.
Any suggestions in those areas ? How is fishing in early march, can you fish the rivers and lakes or do i need my ice fishing gear ;) ?
 
#16 ·
I've never fished Lake Lure. It might be the closest major lake near Asheville. I had a friend, now deceased, that liked it. It has Bass, Walleyes, and some Trout I think. The French Broad River flows right through Asheville. It has Smallmouth and Musky. Fontana Lake, Santeetlah Lake, and Calderwood Lake aren't all that far. Fontana isn't as good of a Smallmouth lake as it once was. Invasive Alabama Spotted Bass are gradually taking it over. Santeetlah Lake is a lake that was good to me last year. I trolled up Rainbows, a few Browns, an occasional Largemouth Bass, and my biggest Walleye ever....close to 3 Kg. Calderwood has Rainbows and some big Browns. Santeetlah and Calderwood are close to each other. They don't rent boats at Calderwood. Most of Calderwood Lake is in Tennessee. You can fish the lake with either state's Permit and Trout Stamp.

In Asheville, you're closer to Tennessee than you maybe think. You could take interstate 26 north west up to Watauga Lake that's just across the border in Tennessee. It's one of the best Trout lakes in the region. If you go there, hire a guide. You need downriggers, lead-core lines, and Dipsy Divers to get your lures down to where the Lakers are. It also has Rainbows, some Browns, Walleyes, and lots of Smallmouths. I've caught several Smallies there around 2 Kg. I lost one right beside the boat last spring that was gonna be over 3 Kg, maybe close to 3.5 Kg...?

Southwest of Asheville are Hiwassee Lake and Apalachia Lake. Hiwassee has Bass and Stripers. Apalachia has Smallmouths, Browns, and some Rainbows. It doesn't have boat rentals. Hiwassee does have marinas where you should be able to rent boats.

Smallmouth fishing is generally better than Trout fishing in the early spring. The Smallmouth will be starting to congregate near the places they'll spawn. Lake and Brown Trout will be be spread all over the lakes. Rainbows can be harder to find in some lakes because they might be spawning in tributary streams. l
 
#18 ·
Thank you for all the information, we will be spending 6 days in asheville so im sure i will ahve the time to cross over to tennessee.
Will be traveling with my family so i won't have as much time as i would have liked to fish, will try to spend it wisely.
Probably going to do most of my fishing from shore cause then my girlfriend and her father can do some birdwatchign while a i fish, since i'm the only one with an interest.

Those are some stunning fish right there, real fat trouts with nice markings.
I'm pretty used to chasing browns, but trolling is a lot more effective that's for sure.
 
#19 ·
If you're not gonna get a boat, I'd concentrate on catching a Smallmouth in the French Broad River. The river flows right through the city. Beyond that, you might be able to visit some trout streams. If you do get a boat, I'd recommend Watauga Lake. There's several guide services out of Fish Springs Marina. Many of the guides use pontoon boats for trolling. Family members could ride along and they might see birds. There's Eagles, Herons, and Ospreys around waterways. You might even see a Bear....? Here's some Rainbows and Lakers from Watauga.....
 

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#21 ·
I hope that the French Broad River isn't too muddy to fish by the time you get here. The rain has been heavy and it doesn't take much to muddy it up. An old-timer once told me that that they called the French Broad the Big Muddy because it was nearly always tinted, and the Holston River that it merges with to form the Tennessee River was usually clear.
 
#24 ·
If you don't mind a walk, Hot Springs and upstream has some great areas for smallies/ Walleyes and occasional muskie. Plus, you can reserve a soak in the hot tubs after you fish. Pray for no rain before your visit. A storm in Brevard can ruin it for you as far down as Marshall/Hot Springs fora week. PM for a few more areas to fish the FB.
 
#25 ·
Yeah hoping the weather will hold up! Thank ypu for the tips im sure to look at that area, seems to be not to far from where il be staying.I sure don't mind a walk, pretty much why we are there ;) Brought lures for anything from crappies to muskies.

Does the freshwater(inland) license cover FB?
 
#26 ·
Yeah hoping the weather will hold up! Thank ypu for the tips im sure to look at that area, seems to be not to far from where il be staying.I sure don't mind a walk, pretty much why we are there ;) Brought lures for anything from crappies to muskies.

Does the freshwater(inland) license cover FB?
 
#27 ·
......Does the freshwater(inland) license cover FB?
Yes! I'd think about a back-up plan. Heavy rain is coming Wednesday and Thursday this week. The "Big Muddy" will likely be muddy. It's one of the oldest rivers in the region. It's been in the same place since the mountains were raised about 250 million years ago. The French Broad has washed away all the rock layers and is down into what was once the sandy seas bottom long ago. All the times I've been to Hot Springs, the river was muddy....living up to it's nickname, Big Muddy.
 
#28 ·
The French Broad has washed away all the rock layers and is down into what was once the sandy seas bottom long ago. All the times I've been to Hot Springs, the river was muddy....living up to it's nickname, Big Muddy.


True, but...the six trillion tons of silt that washes into it from the horrible grazing practices, turf farms and massive development upstream are 90 percent of what makes it muddy. When your're musky fishing above the airport and a chunk of bank the size of a Volkswagen tumbles off because a herd of cows are following your boat, something's not right.
 
#29 ·
Yes.....but the six trillion tons of silt that washes into it from the horrible grazing practices, turf farms and massive development upstream are 90 percent of it. When your musky fishing above the airport and a chunk of the bank the size of a Volkswagen tumbles off because a herd of cows are following your boat isn't natural.
Even if what you cite had never occurred, the French Broad would still be a muddy river. Now that there's fewer dairy farms along it, have they just been replaced by turf farms...? Did you see or see pictures of Douglas Lake when it was very low during the drought a few years back? The silt covered everything. The sand went on and on looking rather like a desert next to a river.

I still remember the first time I went to Hot Springs during the summer of 1971. We were camping in Cocke County, Tennessee at Rattlesnake Mountain. We decided we were tired of our camp food and drove down the mountain to Hot Springs to get something to eat. Along the way we got a laugh when we saw a hippie farmer tending his corn field on a steep slope. He had marijuana growing between the rows of corn. We yelled out the car windows, we'll be back when it's ripe. We got his attention. Then, the river looked like whitewater chocolate milk. The town looked so old. The traffic lights were on poles about 6-8 feet high instead of the overhead wires I was accustomed to seeing. They looked like the ones my dad and brother had on the roads around their model train set that they built. When we were at the diner we found, everybody stared at us....outsiders. It was an interesting morning!
 
#30 ·
Guess i'l have to get a plan B, Fb was my first choice as it would be within walking distance from where we are staying.
Do you know of any good trails that lead to some good fishing, would like to take a hike and perhaps stop to fish on the way.
Going to look at the spots already mentioned and se if they might fit the bill :)
As it looks right now il be stuck with bank fishing so some streamer might be to prefer?
 
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