Fish species
A guide to the most common sport fish in Swedish waters. Tap "Read more" for species facts, size, season and method tips.
Rovfisk
PikeEsox luciusRovfiskFreshwater's ambush predator — explosive on the strike.
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Freshwater's ambush predator — explosive on the strike.
The pike is a long, lean predator with a powerful tail and a wide, tooth-lined jaw. It hangs motionless in the weeds, then launches at prey in a blur of speed. You'll find pike almost everywhere in Sweden, from tiny forest tarns to the brackish water of the archipelago.
- Habitat
- Weedy bays, lakes, slow-flowing rivers and brackish coastal water.
- Size
- Typically 1–5 kg; trophy pike over 10 kg show up regularly.
- Season
- All year, but the strike is usually hottest in spring and autumn.
- Methods
- Spin fishing, jerkbaits, dead-bait rigs and fly fishing.
Tip: Work the reed edges and weed margins in spring when pike sit shallow.
See waters holding pike and the top catches →PerchPerca fluviatilisRovfiskSweden's best-loved sportfish — striped, hungry, everywhere.
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Sweden's best-loved sportfish — striped, hungry, everywhere.
Perch are unmistakable: dark vertical bars down the flanks and bright red-orange pelvic fins. They hunt in schools and can be wonderfully aggressive, which makes them the perfect species for first-time anglers and old hands alike.
- Habitat
- Lakes, rivers and coastal water — often around rocky bottoms, docks and reefs.
- Size
- Usually 100–400 g; a perch over 1 kg counts as a proper specimen.
- Season
- All year, but late summer and autumn are prime time.
- Methods
- Float fishing with worm, light jigging, small spinners and ice-fishing with jigs.
Tip: Find one perch and you've usually found the whole school — keep working the same spot.
See waters holding perch and the top catches →ZanderSander luciopercaRovfiskThe twilight predator — shy, sharp-toothed and prized.
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The twilight predator — shy, sharp-toothed and prized.
Zander are sleek, fanged hunters with large, light-sensitive eyes that give them the edge in murky water and low light. They feed most actively at dawn and dusk, which is when you'll catch them.
- Habitat
- Larger lakes and rivers with stained water, typically over hard bottoms.
- Size
- Usually 1–3 kg; fish of 5–7 kg are real prizes.
- Season
- Spring through autumn; summer evenings are often best.
- Methods
- Jigging, trolling and live- or dead-baiting at dusk.
Tip: Fish the transition zones between deep and shallow water as the light fades.
See waters holding zander and the top catches →BurbotLota lotaRovfiskThe winter fish — the only cod that lives in fresh water.
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The winter fish — the only cod that lives in fresh water.
Burbot are nocturnal bottom-dwellers with a single barbel under the chin. They thrive in cold water and spawn in the dead of winter, which is exactly what makes them a classic ice-fishing target.
- Habitat
- Cold, oxygen-rich lakes and rivers — always close to the bottom.
- Size
- Usually 0.5–2 kg; bigger burbot show up in the north.
- Season
- Best in winter, around the January–February spawn.
- Methods
- Bottom rigs with worm or fish bait, often through the ice at night.
Tip: Fish after dark — burbot do almost all their hunting at night.
See waters holding burbot and the top catches →Laxfisk
Brown troutSalmo truttaLaxfiskThe river angler's challenge — at home in stream, lake and sea.
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The river angler's challenge — at home in stream, lake and sea.
Brown trout are wildly adaptable, showing up as small stream trout, lake trout and sea trout depending on the water. Speckled, selective and famously fussy, they're one of the cornerstones of sportfishing.
- Habitat
- Clear, well-oxygenated streams and rivers, cold lakes and along the coast.
- Size
- Stream trout often under 1 kg; sea trout can weigh several kilos.
- Season
- Varies by water — usually spring and autumn, with coastal fishing extending into winter.
- Methods
- Fly fishing, spin fishing with small spoons, and coastal jigging.
Tip: Approach stream water carefully — brown trout spook easily and will see you long before you see them.
See waters holding brown trout and the top catches →Atlantic salmonSalmo salarLaxfiskThe migratory fish — pure power and stamina.
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The migratory fish — pure power and stamina.
Atlantic salmon grow up at sea and run back up the rivers to spawn. They're relentless swimmers and the dream catch on Swedish salmon rivers like Mörrumsån, the Em river, Lagan and Torne älv.
- Habitat
- The sea during the growth years; major rivers on the spawning run.
- Size
- Typically 3–10 kg; trophy salmon can be much heavier.
- Season
- River fishing is mostly summer into early autumn.
- Methods
- Fly fishing and spin fishing with spoons or wobblers in flowing water.
Tip: Work the holding pools and softer water where salmon rest between the rapids.
See waters holding atlantic salmon and the top catches →Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissLaxfiskStocked salmonid — a strong fighter and the put-and-take star.
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Stocked salmonid — a strong fighter and the put-and-take star.
Rainbow trout originally come from North America and are widely stocked in Swedish lakes and put-and-take fisheries. The pink stripe down the flank gives them away, and they're famously willing to take a lure or fly.
- Habitat
- Stocked in lakes, ponds and put-and-take waters.
- Size
- Often 0.5–2 kg in put-and-take; larger fish are not uncommon.
- Season
- All year; usually best in spring and autumn when the water is cool.
- Methods
- Fly fishing, bait fishing with PowerBait and spinning with small lures.
Tip: Keep changing depth until you find where the fish are holding — it can shift through the day.
See waters holding rainbow trout and the top catches →Arctic charSalvelinus alpinusLaxfiskThe jewel of mountain waters — at home where it's cold and clear.
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The jewel of mountain waters — at home where it's cold and clear.
Arctic char are cold-loving salmonids, marked with pale spots on a dark body and often a vivid orange belly. They're a signature species of Sweden's mountain lakes and the deep, cold lakes of the north.
- Habitat
- Cold, clear mountain lakes and deep northern lakes.
- Size
- Mountain char are typically small; lake char can run several kilos.
- Season
- Summer in the mountains; ice fishing is the winter classic.
- Methods
- Fly fishing, spinning with small lures and ice jigging.
Tip: In mountain lakes, char often hold near inlets and outlets where the water is coldest.
See waters holding arctic char and the top catches →GraylingThymallus thymallusLaxfiskThe sailfish of running water — that big, painted dorsal fin gives it away.
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The sailfish of running water — that big, painted dorsal fin gives it away.
Grayling carry an unmistakable oversized, colourful dorsal fin and even smell faintly of thyme. They like steady, even currents and rise beautifully to insects on the surface.
- Habitat
- Clear, fast-flowing streams and rivers, mostly in northern Sweden.
- Size
- Usually 200–600 g; a grayling over 1 kg is a fine fish.
- Season
- Summer and early autumn, when insect life is at its peak.
- Methods
- Fly fishing with dries and nymphs, and float fishing.
Tip: Grayling shoal up — once you've had one take, keep working the same stretch.
See waters holding grayling and the top catches →WhitefishCoregonus maraenaLaxfiskA small-mouthed shoaling fish — and a serious table fish.
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A small-mouthed shoaling fish — and a serious table fish.
Whitefish are silvery salmonids with a small, downward-pointing mouth built for snapping up tiny prey. They travel in shoals and vary noticeably in shape from one water to the next.
- Habitat
- Larger lakes and coastal waters, often in slightly deeper zones.
- Size
- Usually 0.3–1 kg; bigger whitefish do show up.
- Season
- All year — ice fishing in winter, float and fly fishing in summer.
- Methods
- Light float fishing with small hooks, fly fishing with tiny nymphs and ice jigging.
Tip: Use light tippets and small hooks — the whitefish mouth is small and delicate.
See waters holding whitefish and the top catches →Karpfisk
RoachRutilus rutilusKarpfiskOne of Sweden's most common fish — the float-angler's classic.
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One of Sweden's most common fish — the float-angler's classic.
Roach are silver-flanked cyprinids with reddish fins. They live in just about every type of water in the country and are, for many anglers, the very first fish they ever caught as a kid.
- Habitat
- Lakes, rivers and brackish water — endlessly adaptable.
- Size
- Usually 50–200 g; a roach over 0.5 kg is a big one.
- Season
- All year, but easy fishing from spring through autumn.
- Methods
- Float fishing with worm, bread paste or sweetcorn.
Tip: Roach are nearly everywhere — a simple float rig and a tin of worms goes a long way.
See waters holding roach and the top catches →BreamAbramis bramaKarpfiskThe deep-bodied bottom feeder — and surprisingly big once you hook one.
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The deep-bodied bottom feeder — and surprisingly big once you hook one.
Bream are tall, slab-sided cyprinids that root around soft bottoms with their extendable mouth. A decent-sized bream gives a slow, heavy, planing fight that always feels bigger than the fish.
- Habitat
- Nutrient-rich lakes and slow rivers with soft bottoms.
- Size
- Usually 0.5–2 kg; specimen bream can reach 4–5 kg.
- Season
- Spring through autumn, best in warm water.
- Methods
- Bottom fishing with worm, sweetcorn or boilies; pre-baiting the swim pulls the fish in.
Tip: Pre-bait the swim before you start — bream love to gather where they've found food.
See waters holding bream and the top catches →IdeLeuciscus idusKarpfiskA muscular cyprinid that takes both bait and fly.
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A muscular cyprinid that takes both bait and fly.
Ide are stocky, silver cyprinids that grow noticeably bigger than roach. They're true omnivores and can put up a surprisingly tough fight for their size.
- Habitat
- Bigger streams, rivers and lakes — often in flowing water.
- Size
- Usually 0.5–2 kg; ide over 3 kg do show up.
- Season
- Spring through autumn; often most active in current.
- Methods
- Float fishing, fly fishing and spinning with small lures.
Tip: Look in current seams and under bridges — that's classic ide water.
See waters holding ide and the top catches →AspLeuciscus aspiusKarpfiskThe predator of the cyprinid family — smashes baitfish on the surface.
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The predator of the cyprinid family — smashes baitfish on the surface.
Asp are large, fish-eating cyprinids that hunt small baitfish, often with a violent surface boil that gives them away. They're protected or tightly regulated in many parts of Sweden.
- Habitat
- Larger lakes and rivers, often around currents and outflows.
- Size
- Usually 1–4 kg; big asp can push 8 kg.
- Season
- Spring and early summer, around the spawn, are often best.
- Methods
- Spin fishing with surface lures and fly fishing with streamers.
Tip: Always check local closed-season rules — asp are protected in many waters.
See waters holding asp and the top catches →Övrigt
European eelAnguilla anguillaÖvrigtThe mystery migrant — born in the Sargasso Sea.
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The mystery migrant — born in the Sargasso Sea.
Eels have a snake-like body and a life cycle that puzzled biologists for centuries: they're born in the Sargasso Sea and drift thousands of kilometres to reach Swedish waters. The species is critically endangered and tightly regulated.
- Habitat
- Lakes, rivers and coastal water; tucked away on the bottom.
- Size
- Highly variable; females grow larger than males.
- Season
- Most active on warm summer nights.
- Methods
- Bottom fishing at night — but eel fishing is heavily restricted.
Tip: Eels are critically endangered and protected for nearly all anglers — check the rules carefully before you fish.
See waters holding european eel and the top catches →This is a general guide. Always check local fishing rules and closed seasons before you fish — they vary by water and species.