Fishing Trips on Lake Saimaa

Fishing Trips on Lake Saimaa
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Sunday, December 25, 2016

Christmas 2016 and fishing stories of the winter 2017 from fishing cottage Jokiniemi on Lake Saimaa





 I did ice-fishing with my family and with my sister's Brazilian friend Luiza, at our fishing cottage Jokiniemi at 23 December 2016.



All the fisherwomen caught plenty of fish, but Luiza and the smallest girl caught the most..... So we had many happy fishing ladies here today.


We did finalize our fishing day with a picnic by campfire.


At Christmas evening we did set up fire, enjoyed traditional Finnish Christmas foods and relaxed by having sauna.



On the last day of the year 2016 I did some “ismete” ice-fishing for pikes. First I caught some roaches and perches to be used as bait. After that I hooked an “ismete” rig for catching pikes. An “ismete” rig is formed of a metal leader and two pieces of single or triple hooks. I adjusted the hooks into the mouths and sides of the dead bait fish, and set a small line weight of 20 grams on to the line, to a distance of 40 cm from the bait fish. By using removable line weights I can freely adjust the free length between the weight and the bait fish. Then I dropped my bait fish and line weight combo through the hole to the bottom and attached the line to a bite indicator. Now I was able to hear and see when the fish were moving or eating my bait fish. It is important to adjust the break of the “ismete” gear to be loose, otherwise the fish can feel friction, become suspicious and spit the bait fish out of their mouth before hooking. The basic idea in “ismete” fishing is to allow pike to swallow the bait and then strike back to get it hooked, so you need to wait for a while before you make the strike. Quite often pikes turn the bait around in their mouth first, so if you strike back for hooking too early, you will loose the fish.

I started my fishing day after midday and continued it until dark. Smaller fish were biting well after midday, but I needed to wait until dark to get my first fish. It is normal that times of dusk in the early morning and late evening are the best for “ismete” fishing. If you start fishing early in the morning, it is a good idea to set your gears down before sunrise. We have several “ismete” sets available for the use of our cottage guests, if you are interested in trying ice-fishing. You can get good advice and tips for fishing spots from our cottage owner and fishing guide Mr Jari Kayhko.

In “ismete” fishing we can select the fish we want to keep for cooking and release the rest, as we do in open water fishing also. We lift the fish from the hole by line or by inserting our fingers under the gill cover (lip lock move). We do not use a landing hook in case we want to release our catch. When the fish is landed, we put it into a water-filled vessel (a plastic sledge or box) and use pliers to remove the hooks. If we want to release the fish, we measure and weigh it before putting it back to the lake (there are specific weighting bags for this in shops).


Active ice-fishing (regular ice-fishing in which you use ice-fishing jigs and short rods which you hold in your hand) is free of any fees and licences in most of parts of Finland. There are some specific fishing areas in which you need a licence for using active ice-fishing gear also.

For “ismete” ice-fishing you need to purchase a licence by paying the fisheries management fee of the Finnish state. According to the law the rod must be at least 1 meter long (typical “ismete” rod is 1.2 meter long). In the law there are no specifications for the reel, so we are basically using bait caster reels instead of pulling the fish up by grabbing the line with our hands. With this licence you can use one “ismete” set per fisherman.

You must notice that for using tip-up ice-fishing gear you need two licences. 1) the fisheries management fee of the Finnish state and 2) the bait fish licence of the local water area owner (“iskukoukkulupa”). Every single unit of tip-up gear needs to have their own licence. It is often quite difficult to find sellers for these local water area licenses, so I prefer “ismete” fishing more.

Regards, Jari

Fishing Reports of Winter season 2017 


In last weekend of February I did some ice-fishing for perch and roach with my old friend near the Russian border. The sunny day had the perfect conditions for fishing: the temperature was -5 degrees Celsius, we had high pressure, no wind and only 20 cm of snow on ice.

My original plan was to do “ismete” fishing for pike, but instead of that we decided to do active ice-fishing for perch and zander. The start of our day was quiet, with not many fish caught before midday. From midday on we had a couple of hours of good bites from perches. The biggest perch for me was the one in the picture. It weighed 280 grams and my friend cooked it for dinner.

I had a little bit of bad luck also. I had one very strong and promising bite in my mormyshka during our day. I was able to swim this mysterious big fish for 10 to15 seconds before it released – and of course my friend had the same destiny, dropping his fish the same way as I did. We will never know what species this big one was, but it was definitely not a pike. But of course, all things considered, we had a very pleasant day of mid-winter ice-fishing.




Waiting for open water season 2017 .....Posted February 2017.




Monday, December 5, 2016

Fishing on Lake Saimaa, October 2014 - 2021

 

Most of our guests visiting our fishing cottage during October are coming here to do pike fishing. The most popular dates are last week of September and first 3 weeks of October. 

Most of our visitors do book at least 7 day holiday for fishing due unpredictable wind conditions of late fall. Temperature can be varying from minus degrees and snow on the ground to plus 15 degrees of celsius. Most often temperature is varying between + 5 to + 10 degrees of celsius.

In this blog text you can find fishing stories of our visitors starting from the October 2014.

As one of biggest and also strongest predator & game fish of our waters, pike is very important for our water ecological system balance. It is highly recommended to release undamaged species over 100 cm long. 

When you use pike for cooking delicious meal for your family or friends, you can select smaller species for that purpose. We call that kind of fishin with daily fish quota by using a term: Selective fishing.

We do welcome all selective fishermen and C&R fishermen visiting us on Lake Saimaa!


Trolling for pike on Lake Saimaa 12 October 2014


In October 2014 we welcomed another family of four, this time from Moscow. The son and his parents used our cottage boats for fishing every morning and every evening. We fished together for three days, catching pikes and zanders. The mother of the family was the best in jigging for perches, but the father caught the biggest fish of the weekend during our trolling trip. The son also managed to catch some very nice pikes.

Softbait spinning for perches on Lake Saimaa 11 October 2014





Latvian fishermen catching pikes on Lake Saimaa - October 2015


We started October with trolling and softbait spinning for pikes on Lake Saimaa with our Latvian visitors.

Pike of 3 kg caught by softbait spinning near our fishing cottage. Picture was taken 4th October 2015.


 The day began windy but turned sunny and calm towards the evening, letting us enjoy the fall colors and quietness of the Lake Saimaa nature.




The beginning of the season of fall colours, from mid-September to the beginning of October, is excellent for catching big pikes close to our fishing cottage. The season of fall colours will last until mid-October. From the beginning of October bigger perches start forming flocks in the deeper water areas of Lake Saimaa. Bigger pikes are also moving to deeper water areas to hunt vendace, which have their spawning season from mid-October to mid-November.




You can easily find both mushrooms and berries from the wild nature of Lake Saimaa during October also.



Despite the very cold weather due north wind, our Latvian guests were able to catch 10 to 30 pikes on a daily basis. They selected some of the pikes for food and released the most. They seemed to have really enjoyed their stay at our fishing cottage, because just one week after their visit they made a new reservation for us for June 2016.



Tip from our fishing guide and company owner Mr. Jari Kayhko:




I have been fishing for over 30 years on these waters and I have learned that the period from the beginning of September to mid-October  is very good for pike fishing near our fishing cottage. This is due to the coldness of the waters in the end of September and the beginning of October which makes big pikes hungry and ready for catching. There are also plenty of smaller pikes hunting in shallow water, which makes fishing very active with lots of biting and actual catches. From the mid-October bigger pikes are also moving to deeper water areas to hunt vendace, which have their spawning season from mid-October to mid-November.







October 2016



During first week of  October 2016 we welcomed a group of six experienced fishermen from the Czech Republic. This was their first visit to Finland and they picked our fishing cottage on Lake Saimaa for their destination. They liked our cottage so much that shortly after returning home they booked a new holiday with us for the autumn of 2017! Our guests were especially pleased with our well-equipped kitchen, our sauna and pike fishing.


Fishing Holiday on Lake Saimaa  1 -  8 October 2016



The first days of their visit were spent looking for the best fishing spots and the best lures. They caught pikes and perches every day and kept fish of the nicest size for cooking. On the third they they spotted a Saimaa Ringed Seal in the bay closest to our cottage – this was a massive stroke of luck as this fresh water seal is extremely rare!






During the first days of their holiday the wind was blowing from the north, which always makes fall-time fishing challenging. After that the wind turned to blow from the south and the west, which is always better for successful fishing. The last two fishing days were the best for our Czech group: on both days they caught 10 to 20 pikes, the biggest being from 80 to 90 cm in length.


Our Czech guests were very pleased with the fishing of pikes, but felt that fishing for zander and perch was challenging in the cold waters (8 to 10 degrees Celsius). They thanked our fishing guide Jari for all the help he gave in finding the best fishing spots and the most appropriate lures for their holiday of independent fishing on Lake Saimaa.

 

Mid-October 2016 on Lake Saimaa!

In mid-October I went trolling for pike, perch, zander and landlocked salmon on Lake Saimaa with a Russian family I knew from previous engagements. We started our fishing day after 9 am. with salmon trolling. Our expectations were high, as the weather was perfect for fall-time trolling and for spinning as well: it was calm and warm, with a slight wind blowing from the south. First we learned how to operate with 10 sets of trolling rods, talked about the best colours and swims for wobblers and spoons, and discussed weather conditions as well as other fishing issues the father of the family was interested to learn. This family owns a country house in Finland and they have been fishing with me a couple of times to learn more about fishing near their cottage.


Pike Caught 15.10.2016


We started locating flocks of smaller fish and predators hunting them, and eventually trolling took us over 10 km from our starting point. Fish of the salmon family were passive, but we were able to get several pikes while enjoying the beauty of the fall colours of the Finnish nature. The best bite was waiting for us after midday. In a period of less than two hours we were able to land and also release a lot of pikes as well as several zanders. We kept some of the catch for cooking a meal and released the rest. Our most significant landing was a zander of more than 50 cm in length, caught by son of the family. Overall, our fishing day was a success and I enjoyed the company of this nice family very much.

Zander +55 cm caught 15.10.2016




In the third week of October we welcomed a  fisherman group from Lithuanian. The temperatures were pretty similar with the previous week, and the week started dry and semisunny but ended with rain. Our visitors caught pikes, perches and zanders by spinning and trolling.


Zander +60 cm caught 22.10.2016



End of October 2016 on Lake Saimaa



In the last weekend of October we welcomed a charming young couple from France. Before their arrival I had arranged warm clothing, boots, fishing licenses and gasoline for our cottage boat for their use, so it was easy to start their fishing vacation. They successfully started their fishing vacation by spinning pikes near our fishing cottage, had a sauna and a good night sleep before our guided fishing day together.



30.10.2016


We had a combined spinning and trolling day together near our cottage. The morning was cloudy, which made the weather feel cold, so we definitely had use for warm clothing. The beginning of our fishing day was quite difficult. Every time we stopped to do spinning, we were able to catch one or two pikes or perches, and this is why we changed fishing spots fast. After midday pikes started to bite like crazy. We were able to land and release several pikes in a period of less than two hours. We ended our fishing day before sunset and we all seemed to be happy with our fishing day. A couple months later our French couple made a new reservation for the summer of 2017 and sent us these regards: ”We are so excited to come back and see the cottage and the lake during summer time!!!”


30.10.2016


October 2017

 
 
One happy perch fisherman and 40 cm of perch.

 
 
During first week of  October 2017 we welcomed a group of six fishermen from the Czech Republic back to our cottage. They caught good daily numbers of pikes and perches during their fishing holiday of one week. Weight of pikes caught by spinning was varying from 1 to 8 kg. Their biggest perch weighted almost 1 kg. 
 
 
Pikes caught 2 October 2017 by our Czech visitors.

 
In mid-October 2017 we welcomed a group of six pike fishermen from Latvia in to our fishing cottage for 5 day fishing holiday. They caught great pikes during their 3 full fishing days in near by area of our cottage. 
 
Pike caught 13 October 2017.

 

 

Our Swizerland friends catching pikes and perches on Lake Saimaa - October 2019

 


 
We welcomed our Swiss family back to lake Saimaa in October 2019 for a 2 weeks fishing holiday. They started by pike fishing at 7 th october in calm and warm weather. Biggest pike of the day was caught by trolling and was over 70 cm long. 

Biggest pike of first fishing day was over 70 cm long.

Our Swiss group caught good size pikes and perches all they vacation by using trolling, spinning and ice fishing from boat. They were also lucky to see and take some pictures of Ringed Seal of Saimaa during their visit near our cottage. This year we had luck by weather, there was no hard wind and big vawes in almost 2 week time of their visit. They also had couple snow flakes falling down one of their fishing days, weather was close to zero then.




Our young fishermen did fishing every day of their holiday and every day they did also catching. I was was pretty proud of their entghusiasm and skills. 


Biggest pike of 94 cm long was caught by father Max. They caught and released over 15 pikes longer than 70 cm and quite a punch of smaller ones. Great job our Swiss friends.


 Third visit to Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi for our Czech pike fisherman - October 2021


Perch 39 cm

 
In 10–17 October 2021 Jiri and his friends stayed at our cottage for the third time, having previously visited us in 2016 and 2017. Originally we had planned a fishing holiday for them for the year 2020, but due to the Covid-19 travel ban it had to be cancelled.
 
Pike + 100 cm

 

Their previous visits had taken place a week or two earlier in autumn, and they had had a lot of action with smaller pikes. Because this time the water was colder and the water level was lower, they now made most of their fishing on deeper water areas than before.
 
 
Perch + 35 cm

 
 They told me that there was less fish action, but the fish they caught were bigger, which made them very happy. Average pike caught was 70 - 90 cm long, perch 30 - 40 cm long. Biggest pike was over 1 meter long. The first three weeks of October are always a good season for pike fishing at Cottage Jokiniemi.



 

 

Landlocked Salmon and Brown Trout of Lake Saimaa

The minimum landing length of Landlocked salmon and Brown trout on Lake Saimaa area is 60 cm. Due Finnish law from he year 2016, it is forbidden to kill any wild landlocked salmon or brown trout species with adipose fin on Lake Saimaa area.

Fishing rules for landlocked salmon: 

It is totally forbidden to fish any landlocked salmon during period 1 June -  31 August on Lake Saimaa area.

Fish quota is 1 landlocked salmon or brown trout with removed adipose fin / day / 1 fisherman.
 
By finnish fishing law it is forbidden to kill any landlocked salmon, brown trout, grayling or lake trout with adipose fin on Lake Saimaa area. Specie with adipose fin must be released immediately back to the water, dead or alive. 
 
If you keep any endangered salmon specie with adipose fin, you can be judged to pay a fee aworth of almost 9 000 euros.

 Good fishing season extends from May to beginning of June before the waters really warm up. The best season for catching both landlocked salmon and brown trout that have removed adipose fin`s do last from October to November, when the water temperature has fallen to 10 degrees and below. At that time, lanclocked salmon most often bite at the surface or max 6 meters deep from the surface.

• Landlocked salmon and Brown trout of 60 cm long are weighted from 2 to 2,4 kg`s.

• Average size of Salmon caught on Lake Saimaa is from 2 to 5 kg`s. Salmon of over 6 kg are concidered big. On Lake Saimaa the max size of Salmon can be 10 - 12 kg`s.

• Average size of Brown Trout caught on Lake Saimaa is from 2 to 5 kg. Brown Trout of over 5 kg are concidered big. On Lake Saimaa the max size of Brown Trout can be 9 - 11 kg`s.

To learn more about sustainable fishing of these species on Lake Saimaa, you can visit the website:

The Lake Saimaa Salmonidae Project


  

Landlocked Salmon 4 kg, caught by trolling. Landlocked Salmon and Brown Trout are both endangered species on Lake Saimaa. This is why Jari quit catching salmon and trout with the adipose fins still intact in the year 2012 both in personal fishing and on our company events. We only keep the fish that have had their adipose fins cut out (they are planted for sports fishing purposes) and release all landlocked salmon and brown trout that still have the adipose fin (as they are wild fish).  From the beginning of the year 2016 it will be officially forbidden to take any landlocked salmon or browntrout with the adipose fin by Finnish fishing law. Minimum landing size is 60 cm for both species. Picture was taken 2nd November 2010.