Ice fishing

Ice fishing enthusiasts have to wait until early winter, usually December (in the past couple of years) before they can test the sharpness of their ice drills and see how well the fish are biting. The days are really short, but if you find the right place, you may get surprised by the activity of the fish. You should leave your mormuska rigs at home at this time of the year and fish with heavy weights and vertical jigs as the shoals are still moving and the fish bite for only a short duration of time.

Check out our ice-fishing video.

Mid-winter

In mid-winter when snow has fallen on the ice, perch remain stationary and the ice fisherman who has a good and sharp drill and enough muscle to drill plenty of holes will beat the one with fewer holes. Fish usually bite a little deeper down, at about 3-6 metres depths. This is quite deep in our waters as the average water depth is around 2½ metres. It is worth your while to try a vertical/snell jig at this time of the year, and if the weather is good the mormuska is a good lure. The ice fisherman can already in his/her mind, see the lovely spring conditions – long days and plenty of sunshine.

Early Spring

March – April is the best season for anyone into ice fishing. The days are long and it is wonderful to walk on the ice after a night of frost. The fish start to migrate towards shallower bays, which there are many of around here. One life is not long enough to test all the good fishing spots hidden in our archipelago. Now it is worth your while to use a more tempting lure than mormuska, as the bellies of female fish are bulging with eggs and depending on the lightness of the day. The fish may be quite cautious now, until the dream of every fisherman comes true – she/he finds the right colour and starts to lift up fish after fish through the little hole in the ice. This is the moment when you have to be humble and peep down the hole. You might have to rub your eyes at this point. There may be a shoal of several fat perch swimming around the hole – a moment when also an experienced ice fisherman starts to tremble with excitement. Frantic brainwork – which colour would be the right one - black or gold, copper, red, or green… Whitefish may suddenly swim past the hole and make the fisherman’s head spin. In many ice fishing enthusiasts minds, this is the angler's life at its best: a good enough catch, sun is shining, birds are returning from warmer regions, and the wonderful feeling of spring.