Springtime Fishing on Lake Saimaa, May 2014 - 2019: Spinning for Pike, Perch and Zander

In the year 2019 Lake Saimaa was free from ice on April 27th. Our cottage was booked full early in advance for the month of May. The weather was first hot and sunny but then turned cold and rainy, but all in all, May was a great month for the pike fishermen who came to visit our cottage again. Water temperature in the beginning of May was appr. 3 degrees of celsius and in the end of May 15 degrees of celsius.

 

During early years of our sport fishing company the best months (May, September & October) for catching big pikes in shallow water or close by bay areas were not so  popular among our visitors. Weather conditions both in early May late October can be unpredictable. If we reach warm air from south to west as well as high pressure, we reach very good fishing. North wind and low pressure do make it very challenging during cold water periods of less than 8 degrees of celsius. In the other hand reward can be fabulous. Biggest pikes caught inside distance of 3 km from our cottage have weighted  10 to 13 kg. It is very important to release these giants back to water unharmed and select smaller, less than 1 meter long species for cooking.

Weather in May 2019.

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

Water areas near our fishing cottage are free from ice usually around the 1st of May. The waters right in front of our cottage are only max. 2,5 metres deep. This means that the waters warm up quite fast in spring, which attracts small fish to do their eating and spawning there in May, which in its turn attracts bigger carnivorous fish to turn up and eat the small fish. The most effective methods for catching fish in the beginning of May are trolling, spinning, worm angling and fresh bait angling (by using a dead bait fish).

Fishing Holidays on Lake Saimaa – May 2019

Our first fisherman group of five persons arrived at our cottage on May Day for a 10-day fishing holiday. The beginning of their holiday was very warm, but a couple days after their arrival we got suddenly hit with 20 cm of snow! Luckily the snow melted in two days and the group was able to enjoy the rest of their fishing holiday in warm weather.

In the Beginning of May 2019 we had unexpected snowstorm, which gave us appr. 15 cm of snow on the ground. Snow melted in time of 24 hours and spring came back.

Our Russian visitors did very well in fishing for pike, perch, ide and rudd. Their biggest pike weighed over 9 kg.

Our second group, a family from St. Petersburg arrived at our cottage during the 3 rd week of May. Pike fishing was the best for their family as well, but they did also catch good size ides, rudds and perches.

Their biggest pike weighed over 4 kg.

Our third group of six guys from Latvia arrived at our cottage for the 4 th week of May. 

  They caught very good size pikes, perches and ides during their visit: their biggest pike weighed over 8 kg.

 Our Latvian visitors took also longer distance trips that included a picnic by campfire.

Ide over 1 kg.

 

Wish I was fishing.....What a weather to do pike fishing on Lake Saimaa!

 

Our fourth group of six fisherman from Romania arrived our at our cottage for the 5 th week of May. They did fishing both in shallow and deep water by spinning, trolling and coarse fishing. 

Beautiful perch caught by Gheorghe.

They caught nice perches, pikes, breams and ides during their visit. To be honest their group was able to catch biggest ides of the season so far. 

 

Ide 3 kg caught by Andrei in May 2019.

Weather conditions were varyuing from warm and sunny to hard rain during their holiday week.

Some one do need a hot sauna.

 

  Important part of their holiday experience was cooking the fish they caught. 

 As usual, our visitors mostly just kept the fish they were going to use for dinner during their fishing holiday, took some fish with them to their home countries, and released the rest back to water. Common sense and respect for nature are priceless in fishing. 

Here you can find 10 super simple & heathy pike recipes 

  Boating and Fishing on Lake Saimaa – May 2019 

 

Combined boat & fishing trip 23rd of May 2018

 

In the end of May 2019 we had combined boat & fishing trip including a picnic by campfire with group of 4 persons from Macao. We started our event by boat sightseeing of 20 km`s on Lake Saimaa to reach our camp. Weather was sunny and warm, after relatively cold beginning of May we were lucky to reach heat of +20 degrees for our event. 

Carmen cooking tasty dishes for her husband and friends.

 

When landed we started preparing fire for cooking and making coffee & tea. Some members of our group did spinning and coarse fishing from shore line, some helped me in cooking vendeaces and pancakes. Pure and quiet nature was unforgetable experinece for our visitors when wandering around our camp site.

Before sunset we did couple of hours spinning andt rolling for pike and perch from my guidance boat. Trolling was completely unfamiliar fishing method for our visitors and they were exited to learn basics for it. After relaxing and warm day I returned 2 happy couples in to their cottage for sauna, dinner and some more exiting fishing days in Finland.

  Pike Fishing on Lake Saimaa - May 2016

This year our area of Lake Saimaa freed itself from ice on the last weekend of April. After that a wave of very warm and sunny weather reached our country, having a very positive effect on the bite of the fish. At the time of writing this, we have two Fnnish families staying in our cottage for a one week long fishing holiday. They sent me a report of the fishing results of their first two days:

Pike fishing on Lake Saimaa, May 2016

"We started our fishing already on the evening of our arrival and were able to catch two pikes of 1 to 2 kg from the cottage pond by spinning. There is a lot of smaller fish in this shallow and warm water area for worm angling also. Next morning we drove to a shallow bay area near the cottage and did spinning for pikes. Our result was three pikes and the biggest of them was 3 kg - that's prettty good fishing considering the lake just got free of ice. This evening we are going to do more fishing to catch perches and zanders from deeper water areas. We will send pictures of our catches later..... Jari, thank you for the fishing tips you gave us!"

The Weather in May 2016

The first week of May was extra ordinary hot and sunny, perfect for fishing and recreation. Daily max. temperatures were between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius.

Fishing Guide Jari Kayhko - Softbait spinning trip for Zander -  End of May 2016.
Last two weeks of May were the best for catching zanders during spring season.The best season for catching zander is from mid-July to mid-September.

The second week of May started rainy, but ended sunny and warm, between 16 and 21 degrees. During this week we had a Finnish group at our cottage. They caught pikes, perches and breams by spinning, trolling as well as bubble and hook angling.

Fishing & Cooking, perfect way to have a fishing holiday on Lake Saimaa

During the third week of May we welcomed a Russian fisherman group from Moscow. The temperatures were pretty similar with the previous week, and the week started dry and sunny but ended with rain. Our visitors caught pikes, perches, roaches, rudds, breams and zanders by spinning, trolling and angling. Their most unusual catch was a carp caught from Lake Saimaa. Their daily number of pike`s caught were varying from 10 to 20 pcs.Unfortunately we do not have any pictures of their holiday available.

Evening time fishing on Lake Saimaa - May 2016

The fourth week of May started rainy and cold, but on Friday the weather changed to sunny for our Latvian fisherman group of four. This sunny, beautiful and exceptionally hot weather lasted until the beginning of June. The max. temperatures reached 27 degrees. Unforunately we do not have any pictures of their adventures available neither.

Zander spinning on Lake Saimaa, 29 May 2016

During the last weekend of May we had a Russian fisherman group from St. Petersburg fishing with us for two days. We went fishing from morning to evening in sunny and warm weather. Mornings and afternoons were best for catching pikes and perhes, evening time for catching zanders.

Perch spinning on Lake Saimaa, 28 May 2016

Our capacity of accommodation for May 2016 was sold out appr. 2 months before May day. We had 5 great groups of fishermen from Finland, Russia and Latvia visiting our cottage. All our groups were very successful in fishing during May 2016, which makes´s me very happy and proud of them. Many thanks for all of you. 

                                                                                Jari

Fishing Multible Species on Lake Saimaa - May 2015

In the beginning of May 2015 we started our open water season by soft bait spinning for pikes and perches. Because at that time the water is still cold (less than 6 degrees Celsius), fishing can be challenging. The fish are interested in baits that imitate natural bait fish such as vendace (European cisco), perch, bream or roach. Shock colours will also work well in the beginning of the season.

Softbait Spinning for pike`s on Lake Saimaa, 1st May 2015. Pike + 3 kg`s.

Our rental cottage is located by a shallow pond (max 2,5 meters deep), which is connected with a narrow 50-meter waterway to Lake Saimaa. This area of shallow water gets warmer earlier than the deeper areas of Lake Saimaa. Thanks to this we can catch roach-related fishes, perches and pikes from the shoreline of our cottage already from the very beginning of May. The best season for springtime angling for pike  is from beginning of May to mid-June.

Sunny weather and high pressure have a positive effect on fishing. In the end of May, early mornings and late evenings are very good times for catching fish. Nights are still chilly, which makes fishes more active evening time.

Rudd caught from Cottage Jokiniemi in the end of May 2015. We were also able to catch Ides up to 2 kg`s.

Jari and ide +55 cm caught by coarse fishing in 8th May 2015

You can also meet ou funny duck friends betting bread.

We also use natural baits for bubble and hook angling. First we catch small fish for bait and then we use them for angling of pikes and big perches. Naturally we kill the bait fish before using them as bait. This way we can catch pikes up to 5 kg and perches up to 500 grams near our cottage.

Perch caught by softbait spinning from deep water area of Lake Saimaa in May 2015

Cottage Jokiniemi is a very good place for fishing and it is easy to catch fish for dinner daily. This is why we release the fish we are not going to use for food. In our cottage we have all you need for smoking, frying and cooking delicious fish dinners. If you want, we can also teach you how to bone the fish you catch.

Zander +50 cm caught by softbait spinning in the end of May 2015.

Coarse Fishing on Lake Saimaa - May 2014

In 2014, the month of May was extremely hot in Finland. In the end of the month the water surface temperature was already over 20 degrees of Celsius, which is good for coarse fishing for roach-related fishes. So, in the end of May we did coarse fishing for roach, bream and rudd. The catch was good especially in the evenings, right before dusk. We released the fish we were not going to eat, but still kept plenty of rudd and bream, which we smoked and in addition to this we cooked up a tasty fish soup.

The Saimaa Ringed Seal

The only existing population of these seals is found in Lake Saimaa, Finland (hence the name). They have lived in complete isolation from other ringed seal species for around 9,500 years and have diverged into a morphologically and ecologically different subspecies of ringed seal. The population is descended from ringed seals that were separated from the rest when the land rose after the last ice age. This seal, along with the Ladoga seal and the Baikal seal, is one of the few living freshwater seals.

 

 

Welcome to our Cosy Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi on Lake Saimaa!

The Fishing Cottage of Old School Trolling is best suited and especially equipped for sports fishermen groups of max 6 people, families or couples. The pond and river waters right next to the cottage are good for independent angling and spinning and the actual Lake Saimaa areas near the cottage are great for spinning and trolling.

 Our peaceful cottage is located close to all services fishermen need. Guests can use small motorboats of our cottage and fishing equipment that can be found in our fishing storage for free. For the use of cottage renters we have 4,2 meter boats that are equipped with 4 hp outboard engines, sonars, GPS plotters, oars, anchor and rope, life vests, landing net, 6 sets of rods and reels for trolling and 6 sets of reels and rods for spinning.In the storage you can also find a freezer and equipment for handling fish. In the storage you can also find angling rods, worms, mash, hooks etc you need for angling in Cottage Jokiniemi.

 We don’t allow our customers to use fishing nets or traps. Cottage Jokiniemi is for angling, spinning and trolling only.


Contact:

jari@oldschooltrolling.fi

Read more about us:

www.oldschooltrolling.fi 

 

 

Winter Fishing Season 2016 & Fishing Cottage on Lake Saimaa

Winter fishing Holidays on Lake Saimaa, Finland

January 2016

We began our winter fishing season of 2016 with ice fishing of rainbow trout with a Russian group. We started to set up rods for active and tip-up fishing in the morning even before sunrise at a truly wintery temperature of -15 degrees Celsius. The rainbow trout kept biting evenly throughout the day, with the afternoon hours being the most active time. Naturally the day's schedule included a relaxing coffee and lunch break by a lovely open fire. Our biggest catch was a rainbow trout of 2,4 kilos. In the end of our fishing day, temperature was -22 degrees of Celsius. Hot sauna finalized this cold fishing day.

The end of January is burbot-catching time in the area of our fishing cottage. In the beginning of burbot season the fish can be found from waters deeper than 10 metres. When the spawning season starts, the burbots come to the shallow water areas, to depths less than 1,5 metres. We catch burbot by using large spoons or ice-fishing jigs with fresh bait.

The first part of January is also good for catching pikes by active ice-fishing and “ismete” fishing methods. In “ismete” ice-fishing we use fresh baits for catching pikes. By Finnish fishing law active ice-fishing is free of any charges and licenses (with the only exception being special license areas for rainbow trout fishing, for which you must buy a license). For using the “ismete” method you need to purchase a license by paying the fisheries management fee of the Finnish state for one rod and lure. By regulations you must also stay near your “ismete” gear on ice while it is in water, not leaving it alone and not letting it out of your sight while fishing. Combining “ismete” and active ice-fishing methods is a very interesting way to winter-time fishing for pike.

March 2016 

 Around mid-March the fish start moving back to shallow water. I did some test fishing on March 18th near our Fishing Cottage and the results were pretty good. Although the best possible bite hadn't yet started, I was able to catch fish all day long in a sunny, warm weather. Our springtime ice fishing season will only get better and and better in the next 2 to 3 weeks from now.

active ice fishing on Lake Saimaa

 On March 21st, we had a nice ice fishing day for rainbow trout at Enonkoski with a Russian father and son.

On the day before there had been a big ice fishing competition for rainbow trout, namely the Finnish Championships with over 560 competitors. Fishing had not been good: only 56 competitors managed to catch any fish, and the winner got three fish in total.

Rainbow trout ice fishing on Lake Saimaa

This was not very promising for us, but we had good feeling about fishing. And our instincts proved right: we caught our first 2-kilo trout as we were only starting to set our tip-up gears down to water. Our young client Dima lifted the fish from the ice hole and our guide Jari helped him land it. A great start for our relaxed, sunny fishing day!

Our next fish was caught also with tip-up gear before midday. Sharp-eyed Dima noticed the flag, which indicates bite, and soon the fish was landed.

We took a break to have a nice picnic by campfire in the middle of day. When we resumed fishing, we had our last trout action at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. This time the trout bit into one of Jari's special ice fishing jigs, but the fish was too strong and broke free after a 10-minute battle.

The day was quite difficult for active ice fishing, but still we were able to create action and contacts with the fish. The final result of our sunny day on ice: two trouts and three happy fishermen!

Easter 2016 on Lake Saimaa

During Easter holidays 2016 we did ice fishing for perch and roach. In the beginning we still had 5 to10 cm of snow on ice and a lot of small perches and roaches up to 100 grams to catch near our Fishing Cottage. Then the weather changed for warmer, melting the snow, and a couple of days later we got clear ice.

Our Fishing Guide Jari Kayhko did ice fishing in a radius of 3 km from our cottage by foot as well as in a radius of 30 km by car. He went through traditional angling places, known mainly to local ice fishing enthusiats. His catches were good every day in the morning and evening time. The caught perches were between 50 and 600 grams in size. As the weather was warm and sunny, making it easy to walk on ice, the conditions were perfect for having an enjoyable Easter time ice fishing holiday.

Easter time ice fishing holidays on Lake Saimaa, Finland

If you are planning dates for a icefishing holiday for the year 2017, I would like to recommend dates from 27 March to 9 April 2017.

At this time of the year snow has melted from the surface of the ice, it is easy to walk on ice and the fish are biting very well. Spring time sun is warm and sunny days are excellent for icefishing.

Near our cottage there are very good places for icefishing, which you can reach by foot. There are also excellent icefishing places in a radius of 30 km from our cottage, which you can easily reach by car and which I can recommend to you. I have created maps / introductions of icefishing targets and spots for the use of renters of my cottage. This way you can try catching very big perches as well as pikes by icefishing by yourself.

With best regards, Jari

Christmas 2016 on Lake Saimaa

 

Have a memorable Christmas vacation in our cosy fishing cottage on Lake Saimaa.

 In Finland, Santa might also be known as Joulupukki! (This really means 'Christmas Goat' as it was traditional in Finland that there was a Yule Goat who was scary and asked people for presents - and certainly didn't give any out! Over time the goat became the gift giver and then Santa took over the gift giving duties but the name of the Christmas Goat was still retained in Finland!) Joulupukki rides with reindeer leaves gifts under the Christmas tree but if you have been naughty you could end up with a bag of coal!

Christmas Eve is very special and the most important day over Christmas. It's traditional to eat rice porridge and plum fruit juice for breakfast. Then the Christmas tree is decorated. Most of finnish people like a relaxing sauna on Christmas Eve.  The main Christmas meal is eaten in the early evening. Lutefish (salt fish) is the traditional starter, but is not so common nowadays. The main meal is a leg of pork served with mashed potato traditionally baked slowly in birch-bark boxes in the oven with similarly cooked mashed swede. Casseroles containing different vegetables including, rutabaga, carrot and potato are also common. Cured salmon is very popular and some people also have turkey. Desert is baked rice pudding/porridge eaten with spiced plum jam. One almond is hidden in the pudding. Whoever find the almond will be lucky for the next year.

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.

December 2016

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

Read more about winter fishing and accommodation on Lake Saimaa - Click Here!

Winter Fishing and Cottage Accommodation on Lake Saimaa, Finland

Welcome to have winter fun at Lake Saimaa, Finland! We are offering you a holiday in our well-equipped cottage in the best season of winter for recreation and ice fishing, as well as fishing with our professional fishing guide and company owner Jari Kayhko. The cottage is located right next to a lake and offers very easy access to do fishing, skiing or snowmobiling on the ice.

Ice cover usually forms in mid-December on Lake Saimaa, but the best ice fishing time starts from the beginning of January or so. The early ice is very good for ice fishing of pike. The ice fishing season of rainbow trout starts from the beginning of January and ends in April. We use both active ice fishing and tip-up ice fishing methods for both pike and rainbow trout. From mid-January to mid-February we do ice fishing for burbot. From mid-March to mid-April it is the best season for ice fishing of perch, roach and bream near our fishing cottage.

Ice Fishing Holiday on Lake Saimaa

Our cosy and comfortable Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi is best suited and especially equipped for groups of sports fishermen of 4 to 6 people. The pond just 30 metres from the cottage is good for independent ice fishing of pike, perch, bream and roach. The actual Lake Saimaa area starts from a distance of 100 metres from the cottage. This area is excellent for ice fishing of zander, pike, perch, burbot, roach and bream.

Ice fishing trip for learning best spots for catching pike and perch in Cottage Jokiniemi

 

Ice fishing trips to places where you can catch pikes and perches. Participants must have warm clothes of their own. The price includes rent of our fishing gear and guidance. Available: December - April.

Fun and easy rainbow trout fishing trip

We arrange rainbow trout fishing trips at a privately owned lake, which is located 35 km from the Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi. There is a small shelter, fireplace and toilet at the area for your use. The distance from the parking place to the shelter is 100 metres and to the ice is only 30 metres. Excellent place for fishing with children.

Available: December – April

 

The rainbow trout in the lake are between 1 and 3 kg in size. You can catch and keep 3 trout / day / one license.

Your fishing guide Jari Kayhko will teach you the best spots and tricks, and he will actively assist you with fishing rainbow trout. The price includes the necessary licenses and the use of fishing gear. Also available tasty picnic by campfire for extra charge..

You can use three fishing rods at same time in this place, so we will use one rod for active ice fishing and two sets of tip-ups. We will use small spoons, balanced jigs, leeches and ice fishing jigs for active ice fishing and for the tip-ups we'll use fish eggs as bait.

Read more about us and find prices of our accommodation!

Fishing Trips and Cottage Accommodation on Lake Saimaa - October 2015

Latvian fishermen catching pikes on Lake Saimaa - October 2015

We started October with trolling and jigging for pikes on Lake Saimaa with our Latvian visitors of Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi.

Pike of 3 kg caught by softbait spinning. 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 season of fall colors on Lake Saimaa lasts yearly from mid-September to mid-October.

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

Despite the very cold weather, 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 June to Midsummer (which will be on June 25th in 2016) is very good for 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.

Book Your Lake Saimaa Sport Fishing Holiday and Cottage Accommodation in Finland for Year 2016!

http://www.oldschooltrolling.fi/english/offer.htm

See memorable pictures from the past 5 years of our company Old School Trolling! 

 

 

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.

Picnic breaks by campfire are favourite moments during  Jari`s fishing events. Picture was taken 3rd December 2011.

Jari helped his mother catch a pike of  +3 kg by softbait spinning near our fishing cottage. Picture was taken 7th October 2012.

In this picture Jari has marked a landlocked salmon of less than 50 cm in length and one of our clients is releasing it back to Lake Saimaa. Picture was taken 2nd November 2013.

In this picture we have perch +500 grams caught by softbait spinning. Picture was taken 12th October 2014.

Fishing Trips and Cottage Accommodation on Lake Saimaa - September 2015

Zander fishing by trolling and spinning on Lake Saimaa

We started our autumn fishing season with trolling and jigging for zander with Russians. The day began rainy and windy but turned sunny towards the evening, letting us enjoy a nicely warm and semi-cloudy fishing weather. In addtion to zanders we also caught pikes and perches.

Our very first +50 cm zander for September 2015

Russian fishermen caught pikes, perches, breams and roaches at Fishing Cottage Jokiniemi, September 2015

The first days of September were days of a real “Indian summer”, hot and sunny, perfect for relaxing, picking mushrooms and berries and for fishing pikes at Cottage Jokiniemi, of course.

Our Russian guests started their fishing week by learning the very best fishing spots near our fishing cottage with the help of our fishing guide and company owner, Mr. Jari Kayhko.

Pike appr. 3 kg`s catched by fresbait angling in Cottage Jokiniemi, September 2015

All our fishing groups from St. Petersburg were very successful in pike fishing also on their own. They caught lots of pikes, released the most of them and prepared food of the ones they kept. For pike catching they used the methods of spinning, trolling and freshbait angling.

Catching breams in Cottage Jokiniemi, September 2015

For catching perches, roaches and breams they used bubble and hook angling with worms. This way it was very easy to catch smaller fish, our guests told us.

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

 The weather is still warm in late August and early September, making it great for picking berries and mushrooms near our cottage as well as fishing for perch and pike. 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.

Fishing Trips and Cottage Accommodation on Lake Saimaa - August 2015

Softbait spinning for zander on Lake Saimaa

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.

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.