Fishing permit Byskeälvens FVO

Welcome to the Byske River (Byskeälvens FVO — Västerbottensdelen).
Below are the most important fishing regulations. Please read them carefully and remember: leave no trash behind — discarded fishing line, plastic, and packaging harm wildlife for hundreds of years.

Children & youths

Anglers aged 0–17 fish free of charge until the day they turn 18. A free youth permit must still be obtained by registering on iFiske, and carried while fishing. It is valid in all waters within the FVO under the same rules as paid permits.

Salmon and sea trout

• Salmon may be killed only between 19 June and 31 August.
• Between 1 August and 31 August only salmon within a slot of 50–63 cm may be killed.
• Sea trout may be killed only within a slot of 50–63 cm throughout the entire season.
• Minimum size for both salmon and sea trout: 50 cm.
• Bag limit: max 1 salmon or 1 sea trout per angler and day.
• Annual bag limit: max 5 salmon and 5 sea trout per angler per season.
• Mandatory catch report within 24 hours of catch.
• After killing a salmon or sea trout the angler must practise catch & release for the remainder of the day (until 24:00).
• Different rules may apply to holders of fishing rights (landowners).

Grayling

• Bag limit: max 5 grayling per angler and day. Minimum size: 35 cm.
• Closed season for grayling: 1 April – 31 May.

Closed seasons and protected areas

In Byske village during June, all fishing is forbidden between 06:00 and 18:00 in the stretch between the blue iron bridge (into the village) and the wooden cable bridge downstream. During June only single hooks are allowed on this stretch.

All fishing is forbidden year-round in the area around the permanent fish trap at Fällforsen, on both sides of the river. The protected zone extends 50 m upstream of the water intake and 100 m downstream of the discharge.

Closed season: 1 September – 31 December — all fishing in the river and its tributaries is forbidden. Fishing in the stocked lakes is allowed year-round.

Tackle and method

Tippet (leader) length must not exceed 2 metres when spin-fly fishing.

Foul-hooked fish must be released. A properly hooked fish is hooked inside the mouth (hook entering from inside out). If the hook is set on the outside of the mouth, the fish is considered foul-hooked and must be released without exception, dead or alive.

Boat fishing in the river is reserved for:

• Locals living along the river inside the FVO.
• Owners of cabins within the FVO boundaries.
• Holders of fishing-rights certificates with an annual permit (säsongskort excluded).
• A companion of a person entitled to fish from a boat.

Catch & release

Barbless hooks are recommended for catch & release. Keep fight time as short as possible — long fights cause lactic-acid buildup that can be fatal.

Always handle fish as gently as possible. Wet your hands before touching the fish — their slime layer protects them from infection.

Never drag the fish onto land. Unhook it in the water using pliers or a forceps; if the hook is stuck, cut the tippet. Never lift a fish to be released by the gills or by the tail head-down. Make sure the fish can hold itself upright in the water before letting go. A quick photo is fine, but never at the cost of the fish's health.

Rotation fishing

Fishing follows the rotation principle — frequent changes of position. Start upstream of other anglers and work downstream. Leave room for the next angler so everyone gets a chance to fish.

Stocked lakes (Abborrtjärn, Blanktjärn, Blankträsket, Östra and Västra Skäljetjärnarna)

• Open year-round.
• One rod per angler — multiple rods are not allowed.
• Fishing only from shore (ice-fishing excepted).
• No minimum size limits.
• Combined daily bag limit for grayling, rainbow trout, brown trout and char: max 3 fish per day and angler. Day-permit holders: 3 fish per permit (not per day).
• Catch reporting is required for these lakes as well.

Catch reporting

Report every catch — including released fish. Reporting is mandatory throughout the season within 24 hours, for salmon and sea trout at or above the minimum size, and for all catches in the stocked lakes. Submit reports via iFiske.

High water temperatures

At water temperatures above 20 °C anglers should not target salmonids — mortality risk rises sharply, and catch & release should be avoided. If a fish is to be killed, the slot-size rules still apply. The FVO board may close all or part of the fishery during extreme conditions; no refunds will be issued for already-purchased permits.

Control fees (penalties)

Anyone fishing in breach of the rules will be charged a control fee. Selected examples:

• Exceeding the 5 salmon/year or 5 sea trout/year limit — SEK 5,700.
• Exceeding the 5 grayling/day limit, or below 35 cm minimum — SEK 5,700.
• Fishing inside the Fällforsen protected zone — SEK 5,700.
• Killing salmon before 19 June — SEK 5,700.
• Killing salmon over 63 cm in August, or sea trout over 63 cm at any time — SEK 5,700.
• Fishing after 1 September — SEK 5,700.
• Killing a foul-hooked fish — SEK 1,400.
• Tippet longer than 2 m when spin-fly fishing — SEK 1,400.
• More than one rod in the stocked lakes — SEK 1,400.
• Exceeding 3 fish/day from the stocked lakes — SEK 5,700.
• Failure to submit, or incomplete, catch report — SEK 1,400.
• Not carrying a valid permit — SEK 630.

All anglers must present a valid fishing permit on request from a fishery warden.

Suspension

Anglers who repeatedly break the rules can be suspended and have their permits revoked. The same applies to those who violate discount or conduct rules. Suspensions run until the next ordinary FVO meeting at the latest; longer suspensions require an ordinary-meeting decision.

Source: ifiske.se and byskealven.se. This is an English summary of the official Swedish regulations — in case of any discrepancy the Swedish original applies.