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Text: Harri "The Fish" Matikainen 

This year the springtime has galloped in. When I now, early may, look out of the window, there is no sign of winter left. The waters are open, and a gentleman or a lady is hankering to go fishing.

What to do here in jolly Northern Karelia, when you want to go fishing this time of the year. Get a boat, buy the licences and trim your fishing equipments. this is, if you are interested in trolling fishing. We have here excellent lakes to fish laketrouts, pikes and landlocked salmons   We have many rivers, too, where you can catch graylings, brown and rainbow trouts. Of course we have many put and take waters, where mostly rainbows are waiting for you, some places they put trouts, too. In hundreds of lakes and bonds there are millions of fishes, big and small, to be catched.

Trolling in Northern Karelia

The large lakes of our county have been the stage of major trollingfish tournaments for years. Pielinen, Hoytiainen, Pyhäselkä, Orivesi, Puruvesi and Pyhäjarvi are known lakes for hundreds of fishermen. All these lakes have a good population of laketrouts and landlocked salmons.

                       
       Arto Tukiainen shows, that you can do succesful trolling by rowing, too.   

When the waters have opened, trouts and salmons are very active hunting small fishes like smelts. They are hungry after long, dark winter. This means a hot season for fishermen. Fishes are eating just subsurface and near by the shorelines. So, we fishermen can do like godfather: we make an offer, which fishes can not deny.

All the great lakes of our county have good populations of fishes, so the possibility to catch legal size fishes in one trolling day is very high. In Pielinen Pyhaselka, Orivesi there is excellent population of smelts. This means, that smelt color wobblers are effective.Puruvesi and Pyhajarvi have large population of small whitefishes (Coregonus sp., in finnish muikku), there you have to choose the colors of wobblers like whitefishes are. In the Lake Hoytiainen there is both normal whitefishes (Coregonus lavaretus, in finnish siika) and muikku.
             
           
            Pikes hit on wobblers, too, when you are trolling trouts and salmons!

The licences to all these lakes you find easily for instance in our capital Joensuu. There are a lot professional fishing guides in our county, too. We have high quality holiday villages and houses all over our county. You can choose between basic cottages or luxory standard houses and everything between these depending on your demands. If you have something to ask, please contact Karelia Experts tel: +358-13-2675 300. It is situated in Joensuu in the Carelicum House.

Running waters in Northern Karelia

If you are not interested to sit in a boat hours and hours, perhaps fishing in running waters are in your interests. In Northern Karelia there are many, excellent rapidwater places to fish: Ruunaa in Lieksa, Mohkorapids in Ilomantsi, Saramoriver in Nurmes, Siikarapids in Viinijarvi, Pielisriver in Joensuu and a lot of beautiful smaller places. More information you can have from Karelia Experts.

Ruunaa is the number one in our county, many rapids in wilderness area, but easy to reach. There are rainbow trouts, brown trouts and graylings. They put rainbows and brownies  in the waters in the size to take the fishes. Graylings spawn naturally, but they put some small 1 or 2 years old youngsters to support the natural population. Trouts spawn and are increased naturally, too.

            
             Jukka and a talk-about trout from Kattilarapids..

They put fishes in Ruunaa several times per month. This means, that a fisherman has great possibilities to catch fishes.

Ruunaa area is allowed to fish with rod and reel or flyfishing, no living baits are allowed. The best baits are Leeches, small spoons like Rasanen, small wobblers, Lotto-spinner and the best colors are irritation colors. The best flies are Super Tinsel, small pupas and marabou streamers in irritation colors. In Neitikoski there is a quality holiday village. There is avaible boats to hire , too.

Saramoriver,  20 km from Nurmes towards north to Kuhmo, is an idyllic river. They put in theriver rainbows and trouts. In the Fisherman's Gasthaus - Kalastajan Majatalo you find restaurant and lodging, and you can buy licences there. The best baits are like in all put and take waters: small and irritating.

Look: The River Saramo

Pielisriver  runs through town Joensuu.They have put in the river already for some years laketrouts. The river runs to the Lake  Pyhaselka, where from  the wild trouts and salmons run up to the river in early summertime. They have caught really big trouts and salmons in this river, and of course pikes, too.

It is allowed to fish only the eastern side of the river. Licences you can buy and  have more information f.i. in the reception of Hotel Kimmeli. River is deep, that is why the best fishing system is spinnfluga both with flies or wobblers. Early summertime there is a lot of smelts in the river, so use the color of smelt. Irritation colors can give nice results and vibrations in your rod holding hand, too.

Mohkorapids are near by russian border in  Ilomantsi. The river was restored a few years ago. They put trouts and rainbows in this river, this means, that you can catch fishes, too.

Lodging and licences are avaible just by the river. The water of  Mohkoriver is brownish. This means, that the best baits have to be red colored. marabou streamers in reddish colors are the choice of a flyfisherman.

Siikarapids run from the Viinilake to the lake of  Heposelka, in both lakes there is a nice population of trouts and salmons. They put in Siikarapids both rainbows and tbrownies. The river is beautifully running through old cultural sceneries. You can find there lodging for fishermen and families, too. Specially I recommend this river for flyfishermen.

Perhaps the best put and take waters in Finland

We have many put and take waters in Northern Karelia. Mostly the species is rainbow trouts, but in some places they put brown trouts, too. .

                       
          Put and take waters are for all ages: grandsons and grandfathers. 

Anakainen of the Wild North in Lieksa is one of the most important places.  In Nurmes there is Peuralake area. Private places are for instance Lokinlampi in Nurmes, Iso Karhu (Big Bear) in Juuka and Kunnaslampi in Polvijarvi.

Anakainen is a longish lake, where the color of the water is dark. You can fish either from shore or by boat, which you can hire in this area. Last year they caught 16 kilos pike in this lake by trolling. So, there are natural fishes swimming with rainbows in Anakainen.

In Peuralake area most of the rainbows are in the lake Iso Valkeinen, where the water is crystal clear. Boats are to hire and  lodging is possible. There are some official places to make open fire, too.

Iso Valkeinen can be fished from shore easily. Popular way to fish is to use  ootto-onki = waiting angle, and to use Power Bait as lure.

          
Rainbow trouts love irritation colors. This one took pink Leech.

Lokinlampi in Numes is a private place owned by Jorma Roininen. It is situated near by the town, but the sceneries are like wilderness. Jorma puts rainbows in the lake two times a week, and big ones, too. Lodging is possible, and boats are to hire. Fishing from the shore is allowed and productive. Small reddish wobblers and marabou streamers are the best baits both rowing and casting.
Info: +358-40-573 5751

Iso Karhu in Juuka is a wilderness type of fishing place taken care of by Martti Nykyri. He has developped this area for years. The species are rainbow trouts and natural pikes. There are some cottages without electricity and boats to hire. Fishing from shore is as productive as trolling with rowing. Living baits are allowed, too. Lure tip: small dark colored wobblers and black flies.
Info: +358-50-358 2080

Kunnaslampi in Polvijärvi is a water area taken care of by the local fishing society. It is near by the Holiday Center Huhmaria, where they sell licences, hire boats and of course  lodging is possible there. Only trolling with rowing is allowed. Because the rainbows are number one fishes, tips are: orange and irritaing colored wobblers and flies.
Info: Holiday Center Huhmari +358-13-686 9210


                     
In the waters of Northern Karelia there are swimming a lot of fishes to talk about. Hannu Hiltunen and Arto Ahola (r) trolled this 5,5 kilos beauty.

The open water season in these put and take waters begins normally in mid-may.

If you need more possibilities and places, please, contact: 
Karelia Experts tel: +358-13-2675 300