Göta älv (SFK Laxen)

Salmon have been fished in Göta älv since time immemorial. In older writings one can read how fishing was conducted and what the ownership arrangements were as far back as the 1200s. Until the beginning of the 1900s, the fishing rights were held by both private stakeholders and the Crown (the Swedish state).In 1908, c. Emil Haeger, founder of Lilla Edets Pappersbruk, sold the rights to the salmon fishing and the waterfall to the Swedish state. Today, Vattenfall and Lilla Edets kommun are the fishing-rights owners of the salmon fishing in question, which Sportfiskeklubben Laxen manages and administers.Göta älv has more or less always provided good salmon fishing, except during the 50s and 60s when industrial pollution impaired reproduction and made the salmon run minimal.The power company (Vattenfall) is obliged, under a water judgement, to release 35 000 salmon smolts/year, and for a number of years Lagan salmon were released, which has meant that the genuine Göta älv salmon probably no longer exists today. When this was discovered, they changed to Säveå salmon, a salmon which genetically is very similar to our old Göta älv salmon. Säveå salmon is also a somewhat earlier salmon than Lagan salmon, so we now have salmon already in May instead of, as before, at the end of June.Today we have fantastically clean water compared with the end of the 60s, when visibility depth was only about 10 cm. Today we have a visibility depth of 1,5 metres in favourable weather and the water can actually be drunk. SFK Laxen has been involved in salmon fishing since 1983, when the club was founded, and puts in about 9000 hours of voluntary work at the facility. All so that fishing guests can have as good a fishing experience as possible.Since the start in -83, the curve for caught salmon has risen sharply. From initially catching about 200 salmon per year, we are now at 700-1000 salmon per year. The club's objective is for the fishing to return to the figures of old times in terms of quantity and size of fish, and for us to become one of Sweden's best salmon waters. Göta älv has in fact been one of Europe's best salmon waters, but that was then... Free fishing for children and young people up to and including the age of 12. Only when accompanied by a guardian/adult/person who has a valid permit (on that person's quota) Sport Fiske Klubben Laxen "SFK LAXEN" has been involved in salmon fishing since 1983, when the club was founded, and puts in about 9000 hours of voluntary work at the facility. All so that fishing guests can have as good a fishing experience as possible.