still ice fishing

still ice fishing

Mika Lappalainen | Friday, 23 April 2021

As I told last week weather is looking good for ice fishing. It was awesome weather during last weekend. Almost +20 celsius and sun shine. Snow was mostly gone from ice so light can go down. Unfortunally it was maybe too good weather and during weekend when we fished with Satu it was more like enjoying the sun.

Monday we had guests in our lake for icefishing. They called last week and wanted to get some whitefish. I gave some tips for weekend that they can fish by themselves in some lakes in our area and we agreed that Monday we fish on our place. That is quite normal from me, when you book me you will get some tips where to fish yourself. And as so many times even you know where to fish, it doesn’t mean that you know how to fish.

There is big difference in those two things. I can draw a map where exactly to fish and explain how to do it. Still it is possible to have no success. There are little things which might be game changers. You will see it all the time when fishing your friends. You are fishing same spots etc, one got fishes and you don’t, or other way round.

Well guests where fishing my map spots and got some perch but not whitefish. So our main target was whitefish on Monday. I was little bit worried about that. That fish is really difficult from our lake, main reason is that you need to use really thin line and small lures. As we have rainbow trout in the lake so things normally end up to broken lines. So we talk to about that we decided to take a risk.

One person was fishing for rainbow trout and 3 others whitefish. They had sonar with them so it was something I haven’t been using for ice fishing even it is good when searching fishes. I do know our lake so, I don’t have need for that over there. Anyway it they wanted to test it and it was quite interesting experience for me also.

We started from river mouth. It is easiest the spot on this time. We didn’t need drill because our old holes where there with so thin ice that you could kick holes open. (there are still about 50 cm ice totally). For sonar I made hole just next to fishing hole. I told them to use golden or black/red/white morri. It didn’t take long when sonar guy was lifting something carefully from line. It was nice size whitefish. He told that he saw it in sonar and right after that strike. So was sonar helping, not really but it gives some extra when you see that fish is over there.

Little while from that a lady got nice size perch and she but it back because we were after whitefish. Then it was long silence, nothing under ice action. Top of ice fishermen took some beer and chat and we were having good time. It was time to take sonar guy and check some other spots. I took him on deepest place just in case and also he wanted to learn how to use sonar. Then I heard that lady how got perch earlier had something on the line. She got good size whitefish.

Guests had they dinner for evening so we went to have lunch and have some break. After lunch we continued fishing but only got some gently strikes but nothing up. Just before finishing fishing around 5 pm there was huge fish in sonar and good strike but no hooking.

It was great day to finish ice fishing guiding for this season. It was short and difficult season but last day paid off everything. How I know that guests where satisfied? I got big bottle of high quality russian vodka and some extra payment. That might be normal for any of you but when you got those from Finnish people. Then you really know that you have doing great work and guiding.

After guiding we have been getting reindeer ready to go back to the wild. I have been also cutting some trees that reindeer can have some forest food before it is time to go. When reindeer have got they share from those trees will be firewood. So we use everything as good as possible.

Have a nice weekend

Mika the Legend