When the cold weather hits, the lakes come alive

Out in the lakes, nothing ever truly stands still.

As the water cools, the rules change. The growth of phytoplankton drops, aquatic plants wither and sink, and the water turns crystal clear. It becomes harder for small fish to hide, so they gather in large schools in open water. The predators follow, and in the cold months, all the fish crowd together in fewer, livelier areas. Winter is coming…

For the lakes, winter means feast time. Every predator fish is at its peak and easy to catch — which is why Sweden’s lakes are bursting with perch, zander, and pike this month. Sweden has a rich tradition of lake fishing using traps, small pound nets, and simple gillnets. The main lakes — Vänern, Mälaren, and Hjälmaren — are less affected by nutrient pollution than Danish ones, which keeps their ecosystems healthy and able to sustain strong commercial fishing.

In Denmark, commercial fishing in large lakes is mostly banned. Arresø, Esrum Sø, and Furesø have no active professional fishers anymore — for better or worse. But a lake ecosystem can easily support well-managed, small-scale commercial fishing, giving everyone access to the beautiful fish that live in freshwater.

Vendace roe

A shining example is the fishery for vendace (Coregonus albula) in Lake Vänern — known to most Danes by its golden treasure: löjrom.

While many associate löjrom with the far north — the Kalix and Bothnian Bay region — vendace also thrive in Vänern and Vättern. Production of löjrom around Vänern began in the mid-1960s and, until 2005, used trawls — as silly as it sounds. Today, it’s all done with gillnets of at least 16.5 mm mesh size, a selective method that lets smaller fish escape.

The fishing is carried out by small boats, operated only by licensed fishers, each limited to 1,400 meters of net. Today, there are just sixteen of them around Vänern — sixteen! — who produce löjrom during two hectic months, October and November. For comparison: Helsingør has one fisherman, and Langø doesn’t even have ten. Boom.

The catch is landed daily and processed right by the water. As soon as the fish are unloaded, they’re shaken from the nets using special machines. The roe is then carefully pressed out by hand. It’s gently whisked to remove membranes and blood, then washed several times in clean, cold water — usually three to five rinses, depending on the roe’s maturity.

Finally, the roe is strained through fine stainless steel mesh, impurities removed, and the clean grains hung in nylon sacks to drain. Timing is key: from the first rinse to straining, no more than ten minutes should pass — otherwise the roe loses its color or bursts. The roe then dries for two days at 3–6 °C before being salted with 4–4.5% iodine-free salt.

Craftsmanship

It’s simple, beautiful craftsmanship — a true food culture that begins and ends with the producer.

Why does everything have to be big and complicated? Why does everyone have to be a millionaire? Can you eat money? What time is it in Australia?

So many questions, so few answers…

But at least we can enjoy the best of the lakes this November — perch, pike, zander, and glorious löjrom.