Helige Å FVOF

NOTE!

Now during the holiday season, many people move their boats between different waters and then there is a risk of bringing unwanted stowaways in the form of invasive alien species. Together we must help each other manage our boat and equipment before moving it to a new water so that we can continue to have accessible and good fishing in healthy waters.

The County Administrative Board has produced a film about the message to EMPTY, WASH and DRY equipment before moving it between different bodies of water. Here is the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7ggH63MhpI

Within the Helige Å fishery conservation area, fishing is available to the public in parts of Helige Å , Lake Furen , Gemlasjön , Kråkesjön and Räppe Canal .
In Räppe Canal, which stretches from Öjabyvägen down to Räppe harbour, only angling is permitted.

Fishing tips

Highway bridge

The streams downstream of the highway bridge are classic. The majority of all large chubs and carp have been caught here. You can see the fine streams very well when you pass over the bridge. However, be careful where you dip your hook because fishing is only allowed downstream of the red-marked posts, about 100 m downstream of the bridge. The area attracts chubs from several km of calm water downstream and a hook baited with a piece of bread or shrimp tail here usually yields some really big chubs every year. The chub starts in the high summer around the water lily belts. The largest documented chub is a summer fish of 1,300 g. The fish are in good condition, but a couple of hectars more should be the reward for whoever finds the chub before spawning. So far, no one has seen a glimpse of roe chubs, but no serious attempts have been made either. At the highway bridge, several large birches and roach weighing 800 grams have been caught.

The Farmhouse
On the slowly flowing stretches downstream from the highway bridge there are many nice stream edges and backwaters with overhanging willow thickets to fish from. Helige River splits into two furrows upstream from Bondgården and the eastern one is most interesting. There are many chub here, but the really big ones seem to be missing. Early in the spring and especially in the autumn, some nice roach have been caught on this stretch.

The Fairy
The fishing spots at Fe:et are not really that exciting at first glance, but really big chubs have been caught here. Fe:et is the first shallow part of the river on the entire stretch up to Bondgården. If you head out a little further from the footbridge that crosses the river, you can find nice fishing spots both upstream and downstream. However, the terrain downstream of the footbridge is not kind to a rigged 11-foot bottom fishing rod. At Fe:et, large birches and carp have also been caught. Parking space for 2-3 cars along Öjavägen.

The Wild Boar's Den
Vildsvinshålan is one of the larger deep holes in the river, both in terms of surface area and depth, which is just over six meters. The name comes from the nearby wild boar enclosure with its associated game restaurant. The river divides into two channels a couple of hundred meters upstream and at Vildsvinshålan both channels open up and form several exciting fishing spots. Early spring fishing is good if high tide does not interfere. Roach is what bites best, but large bream can also be caught. Wintering chub and roach are, however, more difficult to lure. Large pike have also been caught in Vildsvinshålan.

Brinkehålan
Brinkehålan is the largest deep cave in the river. Here there are mainly many and large birches, but also the occasional chub. The fishing pressure is low, there are rarely any specimen meters here. Brinkehålan is well visited by spin fishermen because there is free passage for boats between Brinkehålan and Gemlasjön upstream.

From the Wild Boar's Den to the Fairy
Below Vildsvinshålan, the Helige River changes character. The river has been dammed to prevent flooding of surrounding farmland. Echo sounding along the entire stretch down to Fe:et shows the depth in the middle channel to be between 3-7 m, with most of the depth around 5 m deep. Large parts of the river are lined with willow thickets and large eelgrass and there are more and more interesting fishing spots the closer you get to Fe:et. The stretch between Vildsvinshålan and Fe:et has zero fishing pressure and those who like pioneer fishing have found the right place. Large bream, roach, pike and occasionally even chub can be lured along the stretch. Accessibility is currently limited from land, but the fisheries management area is reviewing this.

Furen, Gemlasjön & Kråkesjön
Three interesting lakes for most whitefish species. The carp fishing at the water lily edges can sometimes be very good. All the lakes are quite difficult to reach from land so a boat is recommended. If you can find a spot in one of the lakes you can have fun fishing because there are plenty of tench, carp, bream and roach. Ice fishing in winter has yielded several pike over ten kg in all three lakes and in Furen unexpectedly large perch, around 1.8 kg at the largest.

Summary
As usual, the best fishing spots are very close to roads and parking lots. If you want to walk a bit and dare to try new places, there is still a lot to discover in Helige å. However, there are not many stretches of stream with low fishing pressure, but there are mostly deeper and calmer sections, but on the other hand these are almost unfished. The fisheries management area is working on improving accessibility to the river. Before it is completed, remember to park so that you do not obstruct agricultural machinery and the like. Please ask at the nearest house.