Sajno Lake is the largest lake in the vicinity of Augustów and one of the largest lakes in the Suwałki-Augustów Lake District. It is close to the city, but not easily accessible as it is separated by Netta’s waters. Sajno is surrounded on all sides by the forests of the Perstuńska Primeval Forest, which is part of the forest complexes of the Augustów Primeval Forest. From the east, Lake Sajno is connected with the Sajenek lake (provincial road No. 664 and the railway tracks run there). The dike is completely artificial. In 1897, the lake was cut off by an artificial dyke along which the Grodno-Suwałki railway track was built. It divided the reservoir into two reservoirs: the main one in the west and the eastern one. During World War II, in 1944, the front line crossed the lake, hence the remains of trenches in the western part of the lake and military items that were often found. In the northern part of the lake, the Bystry Canal opens. In the south-west direction, the Sajownica River flows out of Sajno – an unregulated section of the Netta River.
The lake covers 522 hectares. The maximum depth is 27 meters and the average depth is 10. It has numerous meanders and headlands. The shores of the lake are poorly shaped – mostly covered with reeds, clubs and bulrush. Only at the influence of Sajownica there is a wet meadow.
The lake is deep in the forest and there aren’t many bystanders here. The inhabitants of Augustów prefer Lake Necko for a quick trip to the beach. There are two holiday centers on Lake Sajno, which provide the necessary infrastructure: houses, bars, a guarded beach, jetties and water equipment rentals. The Bystry Canal can be a destination for canoeing trips through the center of Augustów (where it joins the Netta River) to Lake Necko. In fact, the only place to quickly jump to the lake is the parking lot at the dike that divides the lake into two parts. About 20 cars will fit here. The plaza here is nice and grassy. The descent to the water is gentle. However, the beach is right on the road and there is no infrastructure.
According to its name, the bicycle trail “Around Lake Sajno” runs along both shores of this lake. It starts in the center of Augustów, runs through Sajenek and ends in Białobrzegi on the Augustów Canal. It is 21 kilometers long, runs mainly along good forest dirt roads and along the bicycle paths of the Green Velo trail. It is marked in yellow. The trail runs only on roads with no traffic or on local roads with little or very little traffic, no dangerous intersections. The trail is recreational and suitable for families.
The lessee of the lake is the Augustów Fisheries Farm. You must purchase a fishing permit. The lake has numerous meanders and headlands where anglers can easily catch many species of fish. The fish that occur here are mainly: pike, perch, eel, zander, carp, bream, tench and whitefish. The amount of fish is average. However, fishing in this large and quiet lake is fun. There is a quiet zone here – internal combustion engines cannot be used in boats.
