Sommen

Sommen offers great opportunities for anglers to pursue their hobby. The lake’s varied character and wide range of fishable species provide varied fishing, whether from land, boat or ice. Lake Sommen is species-rich and contains 22 species, of which the most particularly valuable for protection are the large Arctic char and lake-dwelling trout. According to several surveys and independent reports, these species have declined for at least 50 years. Because of Sommen’s character, with several narrow bays, shallow inlets, large pelagic areas, great depths and differing nutrient status in the eastern and western basins, there is room for many fish species (i.e. many potential niches). Sommen is, however, nutrient-poor, which is why it does not contain particularly many carp species. Angling can preferably be carried out from land or close to shore during spring and early summer. Fishing with worms or bleak and spinning with jigs over shallow areas during this period can produce good catches of perch. If you are after pike, try large jigs or long, narrow wobblers with a green or blue hue. Pike are now found both close to shore and at depths of 1-12 m over deep areas. Bottom fishing with worms during the evening and night offers the chance of catching eel, roach and perch, and in shallower bays also bream and tench. As the water temperature rises increasingly during high summer, a boat is generally required, as several fish species move towards deeper water. An effective method for pike now is drift fishing or trolling at depths of 10-20 m over the lake’s deep areas. This fishing can sometimes also result in trout or Arctic char. Evening or night fishing with this method at depths of 5-12 m can produce really large pike and sometimes zander in the western part of the lake. Perch can now be caught by ice fishing from a boat over isolated shallows or on drop-offs at depths of 10-20 m. Winter fishing on Sommen is popular. Ice fishing for smelt-feeding perch at depths from 10 m to 20 m can periodically be really good throughout the lake on new ice. In the eastern part of the lake there is some possibility of catching Arctic char by ice fishing. When the ice is covered with snow, the western part of the lake is recommended, as there is a population of perch close to shore at depths of 3 - 6 m. Great caution is required regarding Sommen’s ice; it is never completely safe everywhere. Free fishing for children and young people up to and including the age of 15. Sommen’s fisheries management area aims to develop a long-term sustainable strategy for fisheries management in Lake Sommen by:- Preserving and strengthening weak populations of unique and threatened species such as Arctic char and trout.- Adapting and developing fishing to an ecologically sustainable level.- Restoring damaged aquatic environments and limiting external impacts.- Building local knowledge and expertise for future fisheries management.- Through long-term sustainable fisheries management measures, contributing to increasing the attractiveness of the Sommen area, both for year-round residents around the lake and for visitors interested in nature and culture.