Another perspective on the size of fish caught in Finland!

Many of our visitors compare their fishing results those they have
reached in their home countries or during their visits to other
countries. They also compare their record fish to the fish caught by
me or by clients that have been using my guidance services, or by
visitors who do all fishing all by themselves in our fishing cottage.

I have been fishing in our area of Lake Saimaa all my life, far over
30 years now, and still I have to face difficult days during which a 1
to 3 kilo pike is a real victory for me. There are days during which I
hunt big ones and only them....just to return home without a picture
of the trophy chased. Luckily there are much more great fishing days,
both for me and for the clients I offer guided fishing trips and for
visitors of our fishing cottage who do all fishing by themselves. It
is obvious for all of us that we can’t only catch record-size fish,
but because the chance to catch The Big One always remains, that’s
what makes fishermen travel far from their homes as well as challenge
themselves on unknown water areas.

I will offer you another perspective on the size of fish caught in
Finnish lakes by spinning and trolling, by showing you the
measurements of the biggest fish caught in a very popular Finnish
fishing cup. The cup consists of catch-and-release fishing events in
which competitors are after pikes, perches and zanders only. The fish
are released back into the water alive after taking a photo of the
length of the fish and another photo in which the fisherman poses with
the fish he caught. The competitors are trying to catch 3 perches, 2
zanders and 1 pike as big as possible. The lengths of these 6
individual fish are added together and the team with the biggest total
sum of lengths wins. This competition cup runs from May to October
every year and it gives us statistics on the size of fish caught by
experienced competing fishermen here in Finland.

I will show you a table including the 5 biggest pikes, perches and
zanders caught in these competitions. Remember that these fish are not
the result of one team, they are the 5 biggest ones caught by appr.
120 to 150 fishermen during an 8-hour competition day. 

 

May 2018

Date & year	12 May 2018	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		100	30	47
		93	29	45
		87	28
		87	28
		83	28

Date & year	26 May 2018	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		95	35	61
		90	33	55
		90	32	52
		84	32	47
		81	32	46

June 2018

Date & year	9 June 2018	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		98	35	53
		98	34	53
		87	34	51
		86	33	49
		84	32	48

May 2017

Date & year	13 May 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		104	31	67
		95	30	45
		88	29
		83	29
		81	28

June 2017

Date & year	10 June 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		79	35	67
		75	34	45
		73	32
		72	31
		64	30

July 2017

Date & year	1 July 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		97	33	68
		92	33	65
		90	32	52
		85	30	49
		79	29	48

Date & year	15 July 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		108	41	81
		102	33	57
		100	33	54
		94	32	52
		84	30	51

Date & year	29 July 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		85	38	65
		82	37
		79	34
		72	34
		70	33

August 2017

Date & year	12 August 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		92	31	62
		88	31	58
		82	30	53
		77	29	50
		71	28	50

Date & year	27 August 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		93	36	66
		92	34	66
		76	34	61
		75	32	60
		73	31	57

September 2017

Date & year	15 September 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		88	41	63
		87	33	56
		86	32	52
		84	32	50
		79	32	49

Date & year	30 September 2017	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		94	34	53
		89	33	53
		88	32	52
		81	32	50
		81	32	50

June 2016

Date & year	12 June 2016	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		109	34	86
		73	33	80
		69	33	79
		68	32	77
		61	31	67

July 2016

Date & year	3 July 2016	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		90	35	77
		90	35	74
		86	33	58
		84	33	58
		65	31	49

August 2016

Date & year	28 August 2016	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		91	35	73
		90	31	54
		75	31	51
		71	30	51
		68	30	50

September 2016

Date & year	18 September 2016	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		93	32	84
		91	31	70
		88	31	60
		84	31	59
		81	30	55

October 2016

Date & year	2 October 2016	Pike / centimeters	Perch / centimeters	Zander / centimeters
		85	34	60
		82	33	50
		81	32	50
		78	31	49
		72	30	48

Our Fishing Holiday to Finland – Israeli Fisherman group on Lake Saimaa

After fishing together in Israel for many years, we decided to plan a fishing holiday abroad, so we started searching the Internet for information regarding fishing in Finland in mid-2016. Initially, Google came up with various results, but every option we looked at had some disadvantages.

Fairly early on we contacted a Finnish fishing guide who had been highly recommended by one of the travel websites. Unfortunately, this guide turned out to be neither cooperative nor informative.

Subsequently, we sent an E-Mail message listing our questions about fishing and accommodations in Finland to some 20 addresses we had found on the Internet. The answers started coming in – but still nothing seemed convincing.

Eventually, we came across Old School Trolling (www.oldschooltrolling.fi) through the Finnish fishing site. We logged on to their website and immediately realized that they were offering what we wanted.

That was how we established contact with Jari Käyhkö, the owner and operator of Old School Trolling, with whom we started communicating in January 2017 regarding a holiday in July-August of this year.

I can honestly say that since the very first E-Mail message, we BOMBARDED Jari with questions regarding every conceivable aspect of our potential fishing holiday in Finland. The man was unperturbed. He answered every single question with infinite patience and in minute detail. This on-going dialog helped build our confidence in Jari and we eventually booked our holiday with him in early February.

During the period between our booking and our actual arrival in Finland we continued to harass Jari with endless questions – which he answered magnanimously and promptly, providing us with all of the information we requested.

When we finally arrived at Jari's cabin on July 29, he was waiting for us as promised. We found the cabin fully prepared and equipped for our arrival: beds made with clean bedsheets and covers, a new washing machine/dryer, a fireplace and a sauna, clean towels, detergents, cleaning tools and a TV set. The kitchen was fully fitted with new electrical appliances (refrigerator, dishwasher, oven/stove, microwave oven, coffee machine, toaster and even a hand blender), shiny cookware, cupboards full of tableware & glassware, drawers full of cutlery, utensils and kitchen gadgets. Outside, we found a barbecue pit and a Muurikka grill plus a smoking box. We felt stupid for bringing along our own kitchen knives....

Then it was Jari's turn to brief us – first on the cabin and subsequently on the boats and the fishing gear. In person he was just as informative, thorough and patient as he had been in our E-mail correspondence. During his briefing, we felt even more stupid than before – this time for bringing along our own fishing tackle!

Apparently, Jari had prepared everything we could possibly need plus lots of extras and spares: trolling and spinning rods and reels, lure boxes with a huge selection of lures (wobblers, soft baits, spinners, spoons, etc.), landing nets and all of the necessary accessories. He had prepared two full sets of everything – one for each boat. The boats were fitted with good Mercury engines and Jari had prepared a sufficient stock of fuel for us to use. One of my most important recommendations for future clients – do not bring along anything, as Jari will provide you with everything you need.

In the three days that followed, we took three guided fishing trips with Jari. We were deeply impressed by his professionalism and thorough knowledge of the area, but even more impressed by his easygoing, friendly, generous and helpful personality. This gentleman was genuinely interested in assuring us of a good time and successful fishing, and he went out of his way to do so. Our second guided fishing trip was particularly productive and we all managed to catch fish – particularly lots of Perch.

When we were left to fish on our own, Jari called us daily to provide more tips and advice. He promptly solved any problem we encountered and generally did everything he could to ensure that we were having a good time.

Jari's cabin is located in the village of Savonranta. There is a supermarket nearby that we used on several occasions and it was just fine. There is also a local restaurant that we have not been to. We had intended to check out a local nature trail but were unable to do it because of bad weather.

We drove into the city of Savonlinna (about 45 minutes from the cabin) a few times and did some shopping for fishing tackle to take home at the local Motonet branch. We did our grocery shopping at the Savonlinna branch of the Prisma supermarket chain, and also ate at a couple of local restaurants – which were very nice. We also attended a performance by Finnish singer Ina Forsman at a local club – a wonderful experience.

In conclusion, our fishing holiday in Finland was a wonderful experience. We absolutely loved Finland and everyone we came in contact with was exceptionally friendly and helpful.

Jari Käyhkö of Old School Trolling runs a unique operation, combining an excellent cabin, suitable for 4-5 people, with a complete range of fishing gear (boats and tackle) for 4 fishermen included with the cabin. Jari also offers professionally guided fishing trips on his own boat – at least one introductory fishing trip with Jari is a must for people fishing in Finland or in Lake Saimaa for the first time. Jari's rates are more than reasonable and his service standards are excellent. We have nothing but praise for him.

We warmly recommend Jari Käyhkö and Old School Trolling to anyone considering a holiday in Finland where the emphasis is on fishing.

Rami, Ron, Or &Tomer

(Israel)

Mission accomplished, our visitors were able to catch all their target fishes.