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Best ice fishing from Salla: one pick for each kind of day

Two freshly caught perch lying on rocks and moss in low sunlight

Illustration photo: freshly caught perch, not from a Salla trip.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

If the ride out is part of the fun, book the Salla trip from the fell resort, which calls the trip ideal for beginners and families. For a short, easy try with clothing and licences included and no snowmobile, drive to Kemijärvi for Jauri Resort's two hours. For a real day on the ice, book its day with a professional fisherman. For fishing under the evening sky, book Lappi Creative.

How the operators compare

Prices are the operators' own published starting prices as of the date this guide was updated, and they change through the season.

Salla: snowmobile and pondKemijärvi: two hoursKemijärvi: with a proKemijärvi: evening
Suits Riders who want a half day out A short, easy try Keen anglers An evening under the sky
Getting to the hole You drive a snowmobile Lake beside the resort Sledge behind a snowmobile Not stated
From Salla In Salla 50 min by car 50 min by car 50 min by car
Length 3–4 h 2 h 5 h 2.5 h

Nothing is ranked: the fishing is much the same, and the right trip depends on the day around it. Prices are on the ice fishing price page for Salla.

Where these figures come from
  • Salla: snowmobile and pond: A guided snowmobile ride from the fell resort to a remote pond, fishing, then a picnic lunch with coffee.
  • Kemijärvi: two hours: Fishing on the lake beside Jauri Resort, with outdoor clothing, licences, gear and a warm drink included.
  • Kemijärvi: with a pro: Five hours with a professional fisherman, a sledge to the holes and a meal by the fire, twice a week.
  • Kemijärvi: evening: Two and a half hours of evening fishing by a campfire, at most four per booking, with pickup in its area.

Salla’s one ice fishing trip is as much a ride as a fishing trip, and the other kinds of fishing day are a short drive away.

In Salla, by snowmobile

Sallatunturin Tuvat takes you by snowmobile to a remote wilderness pond, lets you try the fishing and serves a picnic lunch with coffee.1 It suits anyone who wants the ride as much as the fish.

A short try

Jauri Resort in Kemijärvi runs two hours on the lake beside the resort, with outdoor clothing, licences and gear included.2

A day or an evening

The same resort’s five hours with a professional fisherman take a sledge out to the holes and end with a meal by the fire.3 Lappi Creative fishes in the evening by a campfire, when the sky may clear.4

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

Do we need a fishing permit?

Not for ordinary fishing through the ice with one rod, which is free in Finland without the fisheries management fee. Rapids, running water with migratory fish and some private waters are exceptions. Jauri Resort includes licences in its short trip anyway; on the others, the guide knows whether the spot needs one.

Can a keen angler catch something worth eating?

The two-hour trips are tasters. The day with a professional fisherman at Jauri Resort runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays for four to eight adults, so book it early; it gives the best chance. Ask the guide what is biting and whether you may keep the catch.

Is Kemijärvi worth the drive from Salla?

It is about fifty minutes each way on the main road west. For a two-hour trip that makes a half day; for the day with a professional or an evening with the aurora in mind, the drive is a small share. Lappi Creative's evening includes pickup within its own area, so check whether that reaches your accommodation.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

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