Fishing in Finland, Lapland

Extreme wilderness fishing expeditions

We offer guided fishing trips in the Käsivarsi area, located in the northwest region of Lapland, Finland. Käsivarsi is renowned for offering the finest grayling fishing spots in all of Finland. Guide for the fishing trips is Jukka, the founder of Arctikiller.

Our target group for these trips are fishers, who are confident staying outdoors with heat, cold, rain and mosquitoes. You need to be an adventurous explorer, ready physically and mentally for an expedition to the wilderness.

You will get life-long memories and most likely the biggest grayling of your life. The absence of phone connection gives you a special experience we call a “fishing state of mind”.

Watch a Youtube video from our summer 2023’s expedition!

Tailored full service package

Our “Extreme wilderness fishing excursions” are now available for the summer of 2024. We make sure each trip is tailored to your preferences. Everything you need for the trip is included, except for the flight tickets to Kittilä airport, which you need to arrange yourself.

When you arrive in Kittilä, we provide accommodation for the nights you arrive and depart. The accommodation is in Levi village, 20 minutes drive from the airport. The Käsivarsi region is 2,5 hours drive from Levi. During your stay, we take care of all transportation needs, whether it’s a van, ATV, helicopter or a boat. You can decide how long the trip lasts, but we suggest having at least three full fishing days on the river. Fishing guiding is provided all the time if wanted.

The best time for fishing is July and August. August provides cooler days, darker nights and less mosquitoes. Learn more about the weather and mosquitoes on the FAQ page.

Your group will have a private experience, and during any given week, you’ll be the only guests we host. If you’re interested, you can send an email or call Jukka to inquire about the trips, and together we can plan the ultimate fishing adventure in the Lapland wilderness.

Facilities in wilderness

You’ll be staying at a spike camp situated along the river. The expedition base camp can be set up to a location equipped with an outdoor toilet and a traditional wooden shelter known as a “lean-to.” The lean-to serves as a reliable rain shelter and a convenient kitchen space. To get a real sense of what to expect, take a look at the video provided below!

Less extreme fishing choices in Käsivarsi

You can enjoy easily accessible grayling fishing near roads. Planning a fishing trip with accommodation in apartments or cabins is possible, as there are many options in Kilpisjärvi village. You’ll have a comfortable place to sleep and the opportunity for guided day trips to fishing spots nearby. Even near roads you can catch over 50cm graylings.

Fly fishing or spin casting

We primarily engage in fly fishing, which we consider the preferred method for our fishing excursions. Your guide Jukka, is an avid fly fisher. However, if you prefer spin casting as your fishing style, we can accommodate that as well. We have an inflatable boat in our use at the river, so we can cover many kilometers along the river.

Exclusive fishing experience for you

Our fishing excursions are tailored for private groups, ensuring an exclusive experience with minimal encounters with other anglers. There might be days when we do not see any other fishermen on the river. We navigate the river by boat, strategically selecting fishing spots based on prevailing conditions. In this unspoiled Käsivarsi region of Lapland, nature thrives in its pristine state, surrounded by untamed forests, tundra, and swamps.

Sustainable fishing

Our commitment lies in catching only wild fish from sustainable populations. As part of the adventure, eating our catch adds to the experience. Guided by the principle of selective fishing, we prioritize the release of the largest specimens.

Break your record

Our trips in Käsivarsi are designed for individuals seeking to surpass their personal grayling records. The grayling population in this area is remarkable, boasting impressive average sizes. Here, you can encounter grayling measuring around 55 cm and weighing over 1.5 kg.

While the Baltic salmon is also a potential catch on our excursions, our primary focus remains on Grayling.

Safety on our fishing expeditions

At Arctikiller, we prioritize the safety and well-being of our clients. Your guide Jukka, is certified and trained in Wilderness Medical Associates first aid training. This certification ensures that Jukka has received training in wilderness first aid, equipping him with the necessary skills to handle potential medical situations that may arise during our fishing excursions.

For emergencies, we equip ourselves with a Garmin InReach device to establish contact and request evacuation assistance if needed.

Self guided DIY fishing trips

If you are confident in going fishing independently, a self guided do-it-yourself fishing trip could be the perfect choice for you.

We offer comprehensive gear rentals and valuable location tips, along with transportation options. Our rental services include a wide array of equipment, including inflatable boats, motors, fishing gear, tents, GPS devices, cars, and cooking gear, among others.

You can also hire a fishing guide for the first day, after which you can continue your angling journey by yourself.

These do-it-yourself fishing trips serve as an excellent choice for those working within a limited budget for their fishing vacations.

Fishing in Finland

While Finland may not be the first name that comes to mind when thinking of European fishing destinations, it certainly deserves consideration.

Grayling (Thymallus thymallus) fishing in Lapland is world class. Only Alaska, Canada, Norway and Sweden can compete with Lapland in this. Russia has great fish populations, but who wants to go there? I have not seen evidence, videos or photos of +55cm graylings from anywhere else than Finnish Lapland. Most YouTube content about Alaska grayling fishing typically features around 40cm fish. That is not a big grayling for me.

Juutua River in Inari region, is a legendary river for fishing migratory lake brown trout. The trout in Lake Inari grow big, and over 5kg trout are caught. My friend caught a +7kg brown trout from Juutua in the early 2000s. The trout population is still strong and thriving there. If you are interested in fishing there, I recommend a fishing guide named Atte Ikkala. A link to his business: https://galddoaivi.com

Another fishing guide in Inari region I can recommend is Samu Hurskainen. His website: https://northernpolar.com

Aside from fishing, the nature in Lapland remains relatively untouched. Urban fishing is not a thing here. Arctikiller will take you to a total wilderness if you want. Even fishing near villages and roads feels peaceful and “wild” in Lapland.

Lapland’s human population is only around 175 000 people, and the uninhabited wilderness areas are vast. Population density is very low, at two people per square kilometer. The best fishing opportunities in Finland are here.

Southern parts of Finland offer good fishing too. Pike fishing in lakes can be excellent there.

Fish populations and industrialization

Timber rafting was a big problem for the river environments in the past. The rivers were dredged, meaning that the riverbed was altered and big rocks were removed for the logs to raft better through the rapids. This destroyed the spawning grounds for fish. Pulp and paper industry was, and still is, a significant part of the Finnish economy.

Fortunately for the fish, northern Lapland was spared from this issue, as the forest industry never expanded here due to the slow growth of trees in the region.

Hydro power plants have also had adverse effects on fish populations in Finland. After World War II, with Finland’s rapid economic and industrial growth, hydro power plants were constructed on almost every major river.

Two major border rivers in Lapland were spared from this. Finnish-Norwegian Teno river and Finnish-Swedish Tornio-Muonio river remained untouched. They were unbuilt because Finland’s politicians could not make the decisions to build power plants without Norway and Sweden. The smaller rivers in Lapland were spared due to the region’s limited industrialization.

Today, Lapland’s economy relies heavily on tourism and mining.

State of the salmon in Finland

For over a century, the Teno River in northern Lapland, which is a border river between Norway and Finland, was renowned as the best salmon river in the world until recent decades. The first fly fishers from Great Britain traveled to the legendary Teno already in the late 1800s.

Another premier salmon river in the world at the time, Kemi River, had hydroelectric power facilities built on it in 1948. The salmon went extinct. This is the biggest environmental disaster Lapland has seen, and the social and cultural effects were immense.

In recent years, Teno has faced fishing closures for three consecutive summers due to a significant decline in the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) populations. There is hope for a resurgence in the salmon population in the coming years.

However, the Pink salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) population in Teno River is thriving. Pink salmon spread from Russia to Finnish and Norwegian rivers in recent years. It is not a native species here. Last summer hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Pink salmon swam to rivers along the Arctic Sea and Atlantic coast. The initial reaction was to try to exterminate the Pink salmon population, but in the future, it may be more advantageous to adapt to their presence and develop tourism based on Pink salmon as well.

In the summer of 2023, the migratory Atlantic salmon population in the Tornio River declined notably. The reason for this decline is still unclear. For the past decade, salmon had been thriving in the river.