Fishing Trips and Cottage Accommodation on Lake Saimaa - June 2012 - 2019

Pike + 6 kg caught in the beginning of June 2019.

We welcomed a fisherman group of five persons from Latvia to our cottage on 5^th of June 2019 for a 8-day fishing holiday. The beginning of their holiday was very hot and they decited to do most of their fishing early morning and late evening. In this part of the year we do have daylight for over 20 hours a day, which do make night fishing on boat safe and effective. Warm and hot air as well a wind from south to west makes fishes bite well. Cold north wind makes fishes passive.

In the beginning of June we had hot period from 3rd to 9th day. Next we had colder period from 10th to 15 th day. once again hot weather starting from 16th day over the midsummer fest.

Their fishing results were good, They had a lot of action with pikes when using softbaits, biggest one weighted 6 kg`s and was caught by jerk bait fishing method.

Evening fishing 15th June 2019.

In the end of 2 nd week of June 2019 we welcomed a fisherman group of 2 older gentelemen  from Moscow in to our fishing cottage. In the first day of their fishing holiday we had a guided fishing trip together. We caught perches and pikes by softbait spinning in deeper water area of 6 to 10 meter deep. These gentelemen were not so interrested in trolling or deep water fishing and they decited to do fishing by spinning and coarse fishing in shallow water near shorelines during their holiday.

 They caught good daily numbers of pikes and roach related fishes in shallow water of less than 3 meter deep. The most memorable moment for them was a simultaneus catch of 2 pikes in our cottage pond. Finally there was 2 pikes in same landing net and third coming right after this picture below was taken. As you can see, shallow water fishing can offer plenty of action when you find correct place and time for catching.

These older gents were also great cook`s. They offered me the greatest 3 coarse meal I have ever tasted in our cottage. We did also have a long converstion of their lives and careers starting from  Soviet years to  former Russian Federation years and retirement. Thank you for sharing this part of your life experience with me.

As usual, midsummer started actual zander season in our location. Zander prefers warm water and start eating well when their spawning season is over. I was having a long week-end vacation in our cottage durig midsummer and did some trolling and soft bait spinning for zander. Evening time, from couple of hours before sunset to dark was the best for catching. Sun light warmed the water and zanders were active evening time. Water surface temperature and wind direction are also important for summer time zander fishing. Water surface temperature reached + 18 degrees and we had wind from east to west. Long term wind from North West to North East do bring cold air to our area and makes fish passive.

Average size for zander caught in our area is varying from 40 to 60 cm. Minimum landing lenght is 45 cm and recommended daily fish quota is 2 zanders / 1 fisherman / 1 day.

Guided fishing trip for catching zander in June 2012

Softbait spinning for zander in 28 June 2012. This zander was released after photo shoot.

During the last week of June 2012 I worked as a guide for two Finnish fishermen. We did softbait spinning in a semi-sunny and warm weather. Afternoon and early evening were the best times for catching zanders which we were looking for. One of our visitors caught his biggest ever zander during this event.

Zander +50 cm which our visitors prepared for a tasty meal.

Hooking and cooking on Lake Saimaa!

 

Fish soup for 4 - 5 persons

• 1 kg fish
• 1 liter water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 onion
• 10 allspice (whole)
• dill stems
• 1/2 leek
• 4 large potatoes
• 4 decilitre milk
• 1 tablespoon flour
• dill and chives

Clean and fillet the fish. Boil the bones with coarsely chopped onion and spices. Cook for about 20 minutes. Strain the liquid into another saucepan. When the liquid comes to the boil, add the leek cut into rings and the peeled, diced potatoes. Cook for about 15 minutes. Cut the fish into chunks and add to the soup. Cook for another five minutes. Mix the flour with milk and add to the soup. Let the soup simmer for a few more minutes. Sprinkle plenty of chopped dill and chives on top of the soup.

 Memorable midsummer fishing in 2014

 

  Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 19 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures.

 

Lighting bonfires and bathing in saunas are two of the most typical traditions in Midsummer celebrations. Barbecuing, fishing and boating have later become standard Midsummer pastimes while enjoying cottage life. In the olden days, Midsummer spells were cast, many of which had to do with hopes of increasing fertility and finding a future spouse. Midsummer was also a popular time for weddings.

Evening fishing 23 June 2014

An important feature of the midsummer in Finland is the white night and the midnight sun. Because of Finland's location around the Arctic Circle the nights near the midsummer day are short or non-existent. This gives a great contrast to the darkness of the winter time. The temperature can vary between 0 °C and +30 °C, with an average of about 20 °C in the South.

Catching a crocodile during Midsummer 2014

 

During midsummer 2014 I did spinning with soft baits and Rapala minnow spoons in shallow water areas near our cottage. The weather was beautiful and warm, perfect for recreational fishing. We caught this big pike from a water area of 2 to 2,5 meters deep. The fish hit our lure from the offshore side of the lake. Usually pikes are caught from the shoreline, where they are hiding among plants or looking for cover from stones or sunken logs. It is also a good idea to do spinning in deeper water areas that have underwater humps, pools or banks to catch bigger pikes in summertime.

Great catch for Anatoly during midsummer 2014

Catching pikes by using dead baitfish as bait in bubble and hook fishing  in 2015

We started June 2015 by angling of pikes. First we caught a small baitfish, which we used as a bait for pike angling. The end of May and beginning of June are good for catching pikes of 1 to 3 kg right along our shallow cottage shoreline. Pikes of this size contain only low levels of mercury and they are the most suitable size for cooking. Making a rig for pike angling is a simple task. Attach a swivel to a leader line of 50 – 60 cm long. Thread a big fishing float in to the line and attach one single or triple hook to the another end of the line. It is not necessary to use any line weight in this rig.

Pike, 2.9 kg caught in Cottage Jokiniemi June 2 nd 2015.

Smoked pike is a very tasty meal. For smoking we use a gas burner, which makes controlling the smoking process easy for everyone. You get a good aroma of wood as well as a juicy and moist texture to your smoked fish with this equipment.

Smoking fish in Cottage Jokiniemi.

 If you have never smoked fish, here's a quick guide for smoking pike, zander and big perch: 

Place the scaled and gutted fish onto a bed of coarse sea salt for a couple of hours. Sprinkle salt generously on the skin of the fish and also apply some on the inside. Place some alder wood chips or sawdust on the bottom of the fish smoker such that it is almost covered. Shake the excess salt from the fish and place them onto the grill. Close the smoker lid, light the fire and smoke on a highest flame for about 20 – 30 minutes and another 20 – 30 minutes on a lowish flame. The fish is ready when its skin is nicely golden-brown and the scales come off easily when you pull them with your fingers.

Hot and sunny summedays of June are perfect for catching big perches on Lake Saimaa. Bite can be wild when you find a flock of perches eating smaller fishes. Perch + 500 gramms caught 22 June 2015.

Bread Crumbs-Coated Fried Perch

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon whitepepper
•  1/4 teaspoon dried garlic
• 1 pound / 500 grammes lake perch fillets
• Vegetable oil

In a shallow bowl, beat eggs and milk. In another shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and whitepepper. Dip the perch in egg mixture, then coat with crumbs. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry fish for several minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork

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 June to Midsummer (which will be on June 25th in 2016) is very good for big pike fishing near our fishing cottage. This is due to the coldness of the waters and the end of spawning period, 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.

Fishing Reports of June 2016

 The first week of June was exceptionally hot and summery this year, and it brought us a group of five fishermen from Latvia.

 They had fantastic weather conditions to fish for pikes and perches by spinning and trolling on Lake Saimaa, as well as to go fly-fishing for brown trout on the rapids in Heinävesi.

Pikes were particularly eager to bite in the evening time, making it easy for our guests to cook delicious pike dishes at our cottage.

 All aboard. Riga-Tallinn-Helsinki, plus 5 hours drive to The Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi. Everything is clear - thanks Jari for detailed instructions. Our group had an opportunity to fish local Lake Saimaa and also went for fly-fishing trout in near-by area streams. Each evening we had a gourmet fishing meals accompanied with a splash of wine (vodka, whisky, etc.). Accommodation environment positively surprised us- there was much MORE than we expected from "country cabin". Using 2 boats was smart idea- we split into 2 groups and had twice more opportunities to learn waters. It paid back. Each day there were 10-12 good size pikes cached and same amount released. Two nice pikes were lost because one broke our landing net and another broke brided cord ( we estimated size of pikes in 8-10kg each). During evening gatherings Jari was giving us valuable advice, in exchange - we share own observations and established plan for next day challenge. Even weather conditions were difficult (too hot) we managed get fish each day, enjoy calm nature and comfort of accommodation.
 
Ervīns, on a behalf of Northproject team (Latvia)

Second Week of June:

The second week of June was very cold and rainy this year due long term north wind. It brought us another group of fishermen from Latvia.Unfortunately they did not sent me report or pictures of their holiday catches to be published.


Third week of June:

In June 2016 we welcomed a family of four from St. Petersburg. The father, mother and their 2 daughters used our boats to catch pikes and perches in near by waters of our fishing cottage on Lake Saimaa.

Family did mainly trolling for pikes and bubble and hook angling for perches, breams and roaches. Biggest perch was caught by daughter of the family and it weighted over 500 grams.