Fishing in the middle of town

In lake Vättern, a Swedish record for both salmon and pike has been caught. In addition, you have the chance to get huge char, trout, perch and grayling. But for Jesper Pettersson, who has been fly fishing since he was 19 years old, that is not the most important thing. For him, it is the beautiful environment and lake Vättern’s exceptionally clear water that matter, plus the fact that Hjo offers fishing right amidst the town centre, completely free.

A chance to catch almost all of Sweden's freshwater fish

That Lake Vättern is a fantastic fishing lake is nothing new. But there are few who might know that the fish in most cases are wild in Lake Vättern and in Sweden, unlike in the rest of the world. In Lake Vättern, only salmon are implanted. "Unlike lake Vättern, many other countries, and many other lakes in Sweden for that matter, lack the richness in number species that we have in this lake" Jesper says. "I mean, name one lake in southern parts of this country where you have the chance to catch almost all of Sweden's freshwater fish there are, in the one same place." "And the best thing is, you do not have to buy a fishing license here in Hjo to do so".

Fly fishing - the obvious choice 

For Jesper himself, fly fishing has been the obvious choice for many years. The fascination lies in the actual moment catching your fish. “Imagine standing in the water, being able to observe as your fish is actually biting on to your fly bait at the surface of the water. When you fish with lures, you totally miss out on that part of the fishing experience”. Jesper also considers fly fishing rods as a bit more sensitive, thus requiring more technique, which is fun. But, no matter what you choose, angling, casting, hauling by boat, or as in Jesper's case, fly fishing, Hjo and Vättern offer good fishing all year round and completely free!