Fishing on Lake Saimaa, August 2015 - 2018

August 2018 

During  first 2 week of August we had a fishing family from Switzerland visiting our cottage on Lake Saimaa. In the beginning of their holiday we had a boat trip with picnic and a tutorial fishing trip together to get familiar with best fishing spots and methods for fishing on Lake Saimaa.

Picnic by campfire on Lake Saimaa, August 2018.

Our Swiss vistors caught perches and pikes during their tutorial fishing trip on Lake Saimaa in August 2018.

Simons very first pike caught on Lake Saimaa.

Couple days before end of their holiday on Lake Saimaa I got this wonderful message from our Swiss visitors.: 

 Hi Jari, Another great day in fishing. Here you can find a picture of Eric with his new record pike of 90cm. After taking measurement we released the beauty. Regards, Max and Eric

In the end part of August we had visitors from St. Petersburg. Vitaly did great catching in pike fishing during their family vacation.

 

August 2017

In the year 2017 our fishing cottage on Lake Saimaa was booked full for August months earlier. We had visitors coming from Israeli, France and Russia. In this link below you can find a holiday report of our Israeli fishermea group.

Israeli Fisherman group on Lake Saimaa!

Rami, Ron, Or &Tomer had been planning a fishing vacation to Finland for a long time. They had get known each other in Israeli fishing forum years before. When I was contact by them I started to understand how big differrence there was in fishing methods used in Israeli and Finland. This is why I recommended them to purchase a tutorial fishing trip and also a longer distance fishing trip on Lake Saimaa. When they arrived I learned that Ben became seasick easily and we were forced to find as calm days as possible for fishing. 

During our tutorial day we did fishing in operational area of our smaller cottage boats. We learned most recommended fishing spots, biting times and basics of trolling and softbait spinning. Group did very well in fishing by number of fishes caught daily and they had same fishing philosophy as me and my company has. They tooked and cooked mount of fish they were able to eat and released the rest.

During our fishing trip to open waters of Lake Saimaa I had also another booking for guidance. First I had a daytime gig starting from midday and ending after 16.00. Weather was sunny, warm and we had only small waves. I picked a fishing couple from small harbour in distance of 35 km`s from our cottage.They had been fishing in smaller lake near the cottage they were using and wanted to do some fishing on open water and catch bigger fishes.

We started our fishing trip by trolling and I was pretty much sure that we will catch some zanders that we saw in our sonar. Unfortunately zanders and other fish decited to have a little siesta and first 2 hours of our half day trip were terrible. We caught only few small fish and my visitors started to believe there are no fish at all on Lake Saimaa. I kept my head calm and declared the good bite will start sooner or later, and it started. Last hour of our fishing trip was great for softbait spinning. For the beginning we reached biting flock of bigger perches by side of underwater bank and had great time catching them. Our biggest perch caught was weighted over 600 gramm`s by Tatiana. We did also catch some smaller zanders that did not reach minimum landing lenght. Climax of our trip was big pike caught in the end of our fishing trip. Alexey had long, exiting fight with this strong pike and finally we were able to land it.

After landing to the small harbour I did call to my Israeli fishermen and asked if they wanted to have evening fishing with me. They drove to this small harbour and we were able to start our evening fishing trip by using softbaits.  In our first spot we caught pikes from 2  to 4 kilogramms. After catching some they wanted to do spinning for perch and I drove them to our next spot. Next 3 hours were absolutely great for catching. every spot I choosed gave us good size perches from 200 gramms up to 700 gramms and my group was exited. We had some bad luck as well. Memory card of my camera went broken and I did loose all pictures taken during this great event. This is why I do not have any to share with you. In the time of sunset we finalized our fishing trip by catching zanders, but abolutely climax of this trip was great perch fishing.

 

Instructions for handling and releasing fish

 If possible, release the fish by using pliers while the fish is still outside the boat, near the surface of the water.

If you are planning to take a picture or measurements of the fish, lift it into a container filled with fresh water. Remove the hook using pliers while the fish is in the container of water. 

Wet your hands or use wet gloves when touching the fish. Never hang the fish from its tail or head, as this can cause internal injuries or stretch the spine. Hold the fish horizontally and take the photograph quickly to minimise the time the fish is out of the water.

If you wish to weigh a fish that will be released, use a weighing bag. You can also weigh a fish while it is in a net made of rubber-coated knotless netting.

Release the fish back into the water gently. An exhausted fish may need to be resuscitated before release. Resuscitate the fish by holding it against the stream or by moving it back and forth in the water to make water flow through the gills. When the fish is ready to swim on its own, you may release it.

Alexander and perch + 700 gramms caught from Lake Saimaa.

 In the second week of August we wellcomed a fishing family from France in to our cottage for 7 day vacation. Young couple Clemence and Alexander had visited our cottage last fall and returned with their parents in-law. They did fishing by themselves in the beginning of their holiday and we finalized their fishing vacation with a guidance during their second last day of holiday.

Eric with zander caught by softbait spinning.

We had cloudy and warm day for their evening time fishing trip, but using wind proof clothing was very good idea because of wind chilly wind.  My French visitors wanted to use softbait spinning all their fishing trip and catch some perches and zanders. They had been catching many pikes by themselves for cooking French Cuisine earlier same week, which made me very happy.

 

Clemence caught the biggest zander of our fishing trip.

 We had very good fishing evening with a lot of action with perches and zander, but cold north wind made our number of fishes caught little bit smaller than we had couple weeks earlier with Israeli group. All members of our fishing group caught both perches and zanders during our fishing trip. I am very happy with fishing results because wind from north makes it much more difficult to catch fish, luckily it is not as horrible during summer season as it is in fall.

This time we caught couple fishes from spot and were forced to change spots faster to find more eating fish. there was also some periods in which bite totally died. Luckily we were able to get our fishing trip done before thunder storm, heavy wind and big waves after sunset. Luckily my visitors had driven to harbour by their rental car and they were not forced to travel almost 40 km`s of heavy seas back to our cottage in dark and rainy weather conditions. When I got my boat back to our home harbour in our cottage they came to see me and said I am little bit crazy. Luckily my boat is very stable and safe, so there is no reason to worry about me. Most important is to have good time and to be able to get familiar with new fishing locations on Lake Saimaa as well.

In the third week of August we welcomed a fishing family from Moscow in to our cottage. Area near our cottage was familiar for them and they did great with fishing by themselves. Faina, Pavel and Daniel were able to catch good size perches, zanders, breams and pikes during their 2 week fishing  holiday.

We had a guided fishing day together in area of open waters of Lake Saimaa. When we started travelling in to our fishing area weather was pretty calm, but started to change windy. Waves got bigger and bigger when we reached our target area. We had problems staying still because anchor was not getting grip in such a windy conditions. It was also little bit uncomfortable to do spinning in middle of rough waves, but Faina was able to cach this beautiful big pike with softbait.

After long and exiting fight we were able to land it. As you can see Faina was very happy and guys, well little bit jealous for her. Unfortunately we were forced to leave this spot and find cover of wind. Our next spot gave us good size perches and some more pikes, but all the time growing waves forced us to start slow drive back to near by water areas of our cottage. We finalized our fishing trip there and caught some beautiful zanders. Our fishing family picked a lot of mushrooms and berries during their holiday.

August 2016

Picnic by campfire with Catherine & Paul, August 2016

In second week of August 2016 we welcomed a couple from Britain. They used our boats to catch pikes and perches in near by waters of our fishing cottage. We also had a very relaxing boating and C&R fishing trips together.

Fried Cisco ~ "Muikku" is a tradiotional finnish dish.

Boating & Fishing on Lake Saimaa.

Morning time fishing with Paul

There are very many providers of fishing trips around Europe and Scandinavia, which makes it tricky to know which one to choose when searching the internet.  But on finding Jari at Old School Trolling, I knew we had found the perfect place for our first fishing trip to Finland.  Having grown up around the waters of Lake Saimaa, much of it spent trolling upon them, Jari has the same attitude to fishing, and to life, that we have.  That it’s not just about the numbers, or the sizes, or the varieties, of the fish that you can catch (which are plenty, of course), or about watching the clock and moving on from one fish to the other without much thought to the last ; it’s about living, pure and simple, within the world, and taking the time to appreciate everything about it, and how to protect it for the future; about meeting new people, from different places and hearing their stories, enjoying fresh food over an open fire together, watching sunsets and casting out into the deep indigo midnight.  Jari was a thoughtful, attentive and generous host and we were pleased to have met him.  He knew the waters around his cottage well and his only thought was to help us to catch fish.  He was adaptable according to the weather conditions, which were not always kind to us, and his passion for fishing and the outdoors, and to the lakelands around his cottage, was evident, meaning that our trip was not part of a soulless, commercial venture, but more of a personal, tailor-made trip with a friend.  The cottage is great; comfortable, well looked-after, with every convenience you need, in a perfect setting and, of course, with a beautiful sauna (one of the nicest we stayed in during our trip).  We really hope we can return soon, and will definitely keep in touch with Jari. 

                                                                                        Catherine  & Paul

Paul fishing in ner by our cottage.

In third week of August 2016 we welcomed a Latvian fisherman group visiting our cottage. Our visitors had great pike fishing, number of fishes caught was varying from 10 to 30 pcs. Many thanks for using selective fishing method, taking some pieces for a food and releasing the rest.

In mid-August I went trolling and spinning for pike, perch, zander and landlocked salmon on Lake Saimaa with two Russian families I knew from previous engagements. We started our first fishing day after 16 pm. with softbait spinning and picnic by campfire. Our expectations were high, as the weather was perfect for spinning: it was calm and warm, with a slight wind blowing from the south.
 Our Russian visitors caught nice zanders and perches during their fishing day on Lake Saimaa.

 

Zander +50 cm caught by softbait spinning 20.8.2016

We started our second fishing day after 9 am. with softbait spinning. Perches were passive, but we were able to get several pikes while enjoying the beauty 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 by trolling.

Every time you see something yellow peeking out from the moss on the forest floor, it is worth taking a closer look and making a mental note of the exact spot, as chantarelles tend to grow in groups and in the same place from one year to the next. And better still, chanterelles never accommodate maggots, unlike many of the other delicious types of mushroom. Chantarelles grow in southern and central Finland, and are used to make sauces and soups.

Chantarelle (Cantharellus cibarius)

In the end of August 2016 we welcomed a Russian fisherman group from Israel. They have been catching pikes, perches, breams, rudds and roaches by spinning, angling and trolling.....They have also been picking a lot of mushrooms and berries from the nearby areas of our cottage during their fishing holiday 23 August  -  2 September .

Cep (Boletus edulis) and pine cep (Boletus pinophilus).

In Finland, the use of mushrooms, ceps in particular, spread from across the eastern border. They are not nearly as highly valued in western as in eastern Finland. Finnish mushroom dishes are very Russian in style. Often salted and eaten as a salad, mushrooms are also used to make creamy soups, sauces and casseroles.

Learn more about Finnish wild mushrooms & berries

August 2015

The weather in August varied from beautiful sunny days to cloudy and rainy. First we had a family staying at our cottage for two weeks and they did independent fishing on the waters near our cottage, catching good size pikes, perches and zanders. During their stay they really got into jigging, using the boats of our cottage a lot. We also had guided fishing trips on beautiful and warm summer days, catching lots of pikes, perches of over half a kilo and evening-active zanders.

Softbait spinning for zander on Lake Saimaa August 2015

During one guided fishing day we stopped without hurry for a nice break on land. We took our time relaxing, cooking coffee and food on an open fire. The lady of the family took the opportunity to pick mushrooms and blueberries.

Picnic by campfire on Lake Saimaa

During one guided fishing day we stopped without hurry for a nice break on land. We took our time relaxing, cooking coffee and food on an open fire. The lady of the family took the opportunity to pick mushrooms and blueberries.

Fishing Guide Jari Kahko and released zander 47 cm ~ 1 kg.

In mid-August we had three sunny and hot fishing days with my fFinnish friend. The warm surface waters made zanders and pikes really eager to bite. 

Pike 3 kg`s catched by softbait spinning.

 

My friend really appreciated pike for food and we did catch pikes a lot on each of our fishing days. We did release most of our catches. We only chose to keep pikes of 60 cm or more, and picked 2  pikes of about 1,5-3 kg for daily food. Back on land the pikes were filleted and there was even enough to put into the freezer for my friend to take back home with him.

Zander +50 cm catched by softbait spinning.

Our visitor had never fished zander before and the definite high point for us was catching a zander of over half a meter by softbait spinning.  We also landed in the boat a handsome and feisty ide, which we filleted and smoked.  Thanks for good company and having a great mini holiday with us on Lake Saimaa!

Ide +50 cm catched by trolling.

 

In the end of August the weather was still hot and zanders as well as pikes and perches were active to bite throughout the day. 

Perch appr. 300 grams catched by softbait spinning.

We had a visit by a very experienced spin fisherman and it was simply a pleasure to observe his work, jigging for zander from our boat.

Zander 44 cm, catched by softbait spinning, released.

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

 In Finland July and August are the best months for fishing on Lake Saimaa due to warm waters and often very warm or even hot weathers. There are plenty of fish about and you can fish around the clock if you wish, thanks to our light summer nights. Big perches normally move to the shallow waters in mid-July and they can be caught there in the daytime during a period of a couple of weeks. If you do late evening / early morning or night time fishing near our cottage, you will be able to catch zanders and pikes from the shallow waters as well. The best season for night-time fishing on Lake Saimaa continues from Midsummer until the end of August.