Sea Trout Fishing on Öland (Everything You Need to Know)

Here in Eastern Sweden, we call them the Silver of the Baltic Sea—the sea trout! They are incredibly strong and often large predators that can be caught almost along the entire coast of Öland.

Fishing for sea trout has always been good on Öland, but it has become even better in the last 10 years and now enjoys international fame.

In this article, I will explain how, where, and when to best fish for Öland’s sea trout. Let’s get started!

How to catch sea trout on Öland?

Sea trout on Öland are almost exclusively caught with spinning or fly rods. Both methods work great, although I almost always prefer spinning because it allows you to cover a larger surface area.

Here are a few tips for both types of fishing:

Spin fishing for sea trout

My favorite equipment for sea trout fishing on Öland consists of a medium-light 270-300 cm spinning rod and a 2500 to 3000 spinning reel.

The main line is a 15-pound braided line and as a leader, I use a 12-pound fluorocarbon line, 50 to 80 cm long.

With this combination, I can cast my lures extremely far and feel every tiny tug, thanks to the thin braided lines!

I catch most fish with various coastal lures. These have a very slim body shape, weigh 15 to 25 grams, and are fished relatively quickly 30 to 150 cm below the surface (where sea trout mostly hunt).

In terms of colors, natural colors that imitate the food fish of the sea trout have proven to be the best.

These colors are:

• Silver
• Green
• Blue
• Red
• Orange

Fly fishing for sea trout

Most anglers fish with a class 8 or 9 fly rod between 270 and 300 cm and a medium floating line.

You have a wide choice of flies, everything from smaller dry flies and nymphs to large wet flies and pike streamers.

Sea trout like most of these. However, lure colors can play a very important role!

Where are the best spots for sea trout fishing on Öland?

As mentioned before, you can fish for sea trout anywhere on Öland, although the southwest side probably offers the worst opportunities, with only a few fishable spots.

The entire east side and the northwestern coast north of the Öland Bridge offer many great fishing opportunities!

Wherever you end up, try to find spots and coastal sections that are relatively shallow (50 to 300 cm) and rocky! In such places, you will find most sea trout because there is plenty of food, and the predators can easily hide behind various rocks!

PRO TIP: Waders are an absolute must because otherwise, you can’t cast far enough!

Of course, it is always advisable to book a fishing guide! Öland’s coast is almost 300 km long, and many prime spots are difficult to find.

So, if you are planning a fishing trip to Öland, please contact me directly here or send me a booking request. The sea trout of your life is already waiting for you!

More information about my guided fishing tours for sea trout in Kalmar and on Öland can be found here!

When is the best time to catch sea trout on Öland?

Sea trout here on Öland can be caught more or less all year round! The best times of the year are March-May and August-November.

If it is not too cold in January and February and there is no ice on the coast, you can also have good success in the middle of winter.

The peak summer time between June and early August can also bring success. However, this time of year, you must try your luck either extremely early or extremely late in the day!

I often catch summer sea trout between 4 and 7 a.m. or late in the evening between 8 and 11 p.m.

In late autumn, meaning late November and the entire December, I avoid fishing for sea trout because the fish typically spawn then!

How big do sea trout get on Öland?

The average size of sea trout on Öland is between 40 and 65 cm and 1 and 3 kg. However, catches between 60 and 70 cm and 2.5 and 4 kg are not uncommon!

And the island has even more to offer! Fish between 70 and 80 cm and up to 6 kg (12-14 pounds) are caught annually!

You can imagine how strong a wild, well-fed 80 cm sea trout can be! There are incredible fighters on the line!!!

And that’s not all because even larger specimens are occasionally caught!

Around the island of Öland swim some of the largest sea trout in the world, and fish between 8 and 10 kg (16 to 20 pounds) and around 100 cm are absolutely possible.

Do you need a fishing license for sea fishing on Öland?

This is probably the best part of this article because you can fish in the Baltic Sea around the island without a fishing license!

I repeat: the world-famous sea trout fishing on the island of Öland costs nothing!

However, there are general fishing regulations:

• The minimum size for sea trout in the Baltic Sea is 50 cm.
• Per day, you can only keep one wild sea trout (the ones without a cut adipose fin).
• Around most river mouths in the Baltic Sea in Kalmar County, there is a closed season for sea trout from October 1st to December 31st.

And remember, as always here in Sweden, catch & release fishing is highly encouraged! Both fish and local anglers will thank you!