Best ice fishing in Ranua: which trip for which day
Illustration photo: heading out onto the ice with gear, not in Ranua.
The short answer
For a first try that leaves the afternoon free, take the guided morning. If an adult in the party also wants to drive a snowmobile, the Wildlife Park resort's morning ride to a wilderness lake does both in half a day, and the activity company's day that ends with soup by the fire does it at length. For a single day that covers the fishing, the ride and an evening with reindeer, the activity company's day package is the one. Keep the Kemijärvi resort for a trip that is passing that way anyway.
Two companies in Ranua sell guided ice fishing, and choosing between their trips is less about who and more about how much of the day you want it to fill.
A first try, and the afternoon free
The guided morning is the plain version: a lake, a guide, a hole and a line, back by lunchtime. It suits anyone who has never done it, and anyone whose real plan for the day is elsewhere.
A snowmobile as well as a rod
Two trips reach the ice by snowmobile. The Wildlife Park resort’s ride takes a morning, heads north through the forest to a small wilderness lake, and puts two guests on each machine to take turns at the handlebars.1 It suits guests staying at the resort best, since its winter clothing is lent only to them. The activity company’s longer day ends with dinner at the lake, and is the one for anyone who would get restless sitting over a hole for a whole outing.
One day for everything
The activity company also sells a day package: the fishing and snowmobile ride from ten until two, then an evening at its activity park from seven, with reindeer to feed, skating, a sauna and an ice bath, though no reindeer sleigh ride.2 It is for a short stay that has to fit Lapland into a single date.
A resort on the way elsewhere
The Kemijärvi resort fishes the lake beside it and is the one seller that writes the fishing licences into what it includes.3 At about an hour and forty minutes by car it is not a trip to make from Ranua for the fishing alone, but it fits a route that goes east.
A lake to yourselves
No licence is needed for one rod, which is explained on ice fishing in Ranua along with how the three village trips compare.
Tours you can book
Two hours of ice fishing on the lake beside the resort, licences included
Run by Jauri Resort
From €83per person
Length2 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)A morning of guided ice fishing on a lake near Ranua
Run by Lupland Adventures
From €99per person
Length2.5 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)Snowmobile to a wilderness lake for ice fishing, from the Wildlife Park
Run by Ranua Resort
From €169per person
Length3 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)Snowmobile out to ice fishing, with a campfire dinner, from Ranua
Run by Lupland Adventures
From €198per person
Length5 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Can we fish and visit the Wildlife Park on the same day?
Yes, with the morning trip. It starts at ten and lasts two and a half hours, and the park is open every day from ten to four, so an early lunch still leaves most of the afternoon for the animals. The activity company can collect you from Ranua Resort's Arctic Igloos or Safari House if you ask in advance. The resort's own three-hour snowmobile ride, also leaving at ten, leaves a shorter afternoon; the five-hour snowmobile day is too long to pair with the park.
What happens if the weather turns on the day?
The activity company says its activities run according to safety and local conditions, and that if the weather affects a programme it will agree any change with you directly. Its terms add that if it has to cancel and you do not accept an alternative, you get your money back for that activity. Travel or accommodation costs you have already paid elsewhere are not covered.
Which trip is quietest?
The morning on the ice, with no engines once you are there, and the two hours of fishing on the snowmobile day are much the same once the machines are switched off. The difference is the ride either side, on both snowmobile trips. If you have come to Lapland for silence, the morning is the calmer choice; the package fills the day and the evening and leaves little of it.