Text: Johannes Lehkola
Photos: Janne T Soilakari

Katlarapid is a part of Saavariver in the area of town Karkkila, which is located about 65 km from Helsinki northwest (route 2). You can buy the licences in Esso Karkkila by the route 2. Then You drive to Pori direction and turn to right from crossroads, where is the sign Pilpala 11 km. Route 2 crosses Siikalarapid, where it is allowed to fish, too. A good landmark for Siikala are the two "footballs", size of a house.

The parking place of Siikala is located just by the bridge. The Esso service station is the easiest place to buy licences, because it is open 24 hours a day, so You can go fishing any time You want. Siikala is quite a short area, and fishing is perhaps a bit uncomfortable because of the houses by the rapid. Normally there are good relationships between fishermen and local people. In Siikala there is some graylings, too. They are more rare in Katla area, where you have to concentrate on brown trouts and "old" rainbows. There is no place to make fire in Siikala, but in Katla there are old open fire places to grill sausages etc. Use always the old places, do not make new ones. Remember: When the official grassfire or woodfire warnings are on, no open fire is allowed! Ask the situation of warnings, when you buy the licences.

The best times of fishing in Katla area are late evenings and early mornings. At these times we have seen most of big fishes and even had contacts with them. Small, illegal size of trouts you can catch all day long. There is a lot of stones in the Katla, and these stones are the hot spots. Fish the sides of stones very carefully. It can happen, that the trout takes the fly but by the tenth time you serve it to the same place. The middle part of Katla is steep, fast running water. When the water level is low, even in daytime here is possible to catch trouts. About. 300m downstrem there is rushing stream with large stones. In the evening here it is possible to have contact with really big one. The beginning of the rapid is a beautiful place with deep, underwater holes. Here I have caught a nice fish with dryfly. A bit upstream there is a short rapid worth of fishing in the late eveningtime. Last time I was fishing this place there was a huge whirl of a fish, "old" rainbow trout, perhaps?

I myself fish with nymphs, specially stonefly nymphs, and with small streamers. But it is possible to catch fishes with dryflies, too.

New rules

Wading is prohibitied till the end of April. This is to protect spawning graylings and the the trouts developing from eggs.

Graylings: the minimum size is now 40 cm

Trouts: the minimum size is now 50 cm

With daily licence it is allowed to take two fishes
                     
                                
The E-mail of Esso Karkkila: lm.masuunikarkkila @sok.fi 


The Anatomy of a Trip to Katla  9.5.2002

            

We arrived at 14.00 with my friend Janne. We walked by the first short rapid, because there is not so often fishes (a local fisherman took there in the evening a good size of rainbow with rod and reel). We camped by the large rapid area, where is a old place for open fire.

          
There was a lot of flying insects but no fish seen..

We tried and tried, but no contacts with fishes, so it was time for grilled sausages. :)

After the break I fished the downstream parts of the area, and the river woke up! In short time I saw 5 tailing fishes, but they did not accept my minimuddlers or nymphs. Only a small trout took my fly - and I was really frustrated...

          
Here the trouts were swimming around my legs...

This was too much for me. I went to the fast middle area and said to Janne: " Here I have to try!"

Just when I was wading I saw a fish to tail downstreams – a couple of casts with black minimuddler and a fish on! Pitty, it was only 39 cm.

           
Finally a fish on!!!

               
Just one centimeter too short, 39 cm,  trout safely in the net...

              
We fished yet the upper parts of the area, but no tailings and no fishes seen. When it was time to leave, I caught one minor one in this mirror with a stonefly imitation dryfly (#14).

             
it was time to leave at nine thirty. The fishes sent their goodbuys with this huge tailing...perhaps next time?