Yxerns FVOF

Yxern, Kalmar County's largest lake but still quite unknown and anonymous, surrounded by coniferous forest with a wonderful feeling of wilderness. It is said of the Ax - as of some other lakes - that it has 365 islands. No one has counted them, but many are.

The lake has an irregular shape with many bays and headlands. In the southern part of the lake there is a wetland area with reeds and beach meadows.

In the lake there is a very rich bird life with nesting great loons, ospreys and herons. Furthermore, brown duck, brown marsh hawk, water hawk, spotted marsh hen, reed hen, great crested grebe and gull.

The fish stock is plentiful, including pike, perch, vendace and large populations of pikeperch. After the plague in the 1970s destroyed Yxern's fine stock of crayfish, signal crayfish were implanted in the 80's. This implantation yielded very good catches during the 90s, but in recent times the catches have varied greatly.

Due to its archipelago-like nature, the lake is very attractive for the active outdoor life. At Gröpplesand there is a nice bathing place and good opportunities for swimming, it is also available on bare rocks out in the lake.

The shores of the lake are partly shallow, in other places rocks fall vertically into the water. The lake reaches a depth of 26 meters in some places. The water is of good quality with a good pH value. It has a slightly brown tint through humus substances from surrounding woodland.

There is plenty of foundation and stones in Yxern. The lake is also regulated and the water level can vary greatly, so take it carefully.