Villa Sarmi

Wild trout Lake Inarijärvi is the number one spot in Finland for fishing brown trout. In recent years, trout catches have amounted to about 45 tonnes. The normal size of a brown trout varies between one and three kilos, but here trollers may entice real record-breaking whoppers on the end of their lines. The largest specimens caught on Lake Inarijärvi have weighed more than ten kilos. The best part is that trout reproduce in rivers flowing into the lake. A 2.6-kilo trout from a deep in Nanguvuono Fjord. In the early season, which means late June on Lake Inarijärvi, you can find trout at a few metres, at the mouths of bays, at the tips of shallows and in the sounds around mid-lake islands. In the last case, you can hook a trout by spinning from the shore of your campsite island. Once the waters warm up past 10 degrees, brown trout move in deeper waters. Good fishing spots include steeply sloping island shores and fingers of deep water (10–30 m) sticking into the midst of shallow waters. During the white midsummer nights, you can also find brown trout right at the surface or at a few metres in areas where waters are 20–40 metres deep and at the flanks of mid-lake shoals. Deep wide mid-lake areas will seldom yield any catches. From mid-July to August, it’s worth sinking some of your lures down to 10 metres. In autumn, brown trout will return to shallow waters. Autumn conditions are often rainy and windy, but if you’re having a good day, your trout catch may be all the more impressive. Arctic char strike spoons from the deep Arctic char is another splendid game species on Lake Inarijärvi. Ordinarily, arctic char weigh between 0.7 to 2 kg, but specimens weighing as much as several kilos are possible – record fish have weighed eight kilos. When waters are cool, you can catch an arctic char from surface waters. In summer, they strike spoons at 10 to 20 metres. Lake trout are eager to snatch a lure at 20 to 30 metres or sometimes in quite shallow waters. Grayling with spinners from shoals Spinning anglers can catch handsome grayling from the rocky shores of mid-lake islands. The stock is strong and grayling weighing 0.5 to 1 kg are common on Lake Inarijärvi. A gentle wind is beneficial when pursuing grayling and windward shores make for great hot spots. Good spots for catching grayling include sounds next to islands dividing open mid-lake areas. In late July, you can catch big grayling at 2 to 4 metres Whitefish with flies The whitefish stock is good and fly-fishers have the best chances of finding them in the warm conditions of early summer, when they go to feed in soft-bottomed bays. At peak feeding times, whitefish also strike spoons. Bottom-dwelling whitefish grow to weigh as much as several kilos, but regular catches fall short of one kilo. From the deeps of Lake Inarijärvi – at river mouths in particular – your lure may also be snatched by a pike, but this species is quite scarce in these cold waters. Pursuing the red-fleshed with jigging lures Similar to many other waters in Lapland, grayling can be found in winter right next to the shores and at the edges of shoals. When the water level is low, a good fishing depth is 1 to 2 metres. Around May Day, the water level starts to rise and this is when you can catch big grayling from pockets formed between rocks at less than half a metre. Even trout may grab a jigging lure in the midst of your pursuit of grayling. Ice-fishing arctic char in winter is a challenging sport on Lake Inarijärvi; you need to sink your jigging lures to a depth of 10 to 20 metres.

Lake Inarijärvi – the rugged salmonoid lake of the North ‘The week’s trip on Lake Inarijärvi is drawing to a close. The wind is blowing whitecaps over the wide open Kasari. We are waiting out the weather in our tents on the sheltered Selkälahdensaari Island, so as to return to our car over the big mid-lake area. Covered in ice in the cool box lie the fillets of the big arctic char that we caught yesterday. We haven’t seen a soul for two days.’ So goes one traveller’s story from Lake Inarijärvi, the largest lake in Lapland and the third largest in the whole of Finland. For anglers, it offers a unique setting in the wilderness, pristine waters and handsome fish. Lake Inarijärvi is one of a kind in Europe; there are few places where you can fish in as much peace as here. You can glide along the wide open mid-lake areas for days on end, taking in the unspoilt nature, without meeting a soul. Except for a few villages and abandoned cabins, the shores are unspoilt by buildings.