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The best ice fishing in Ylläs, by what happens to the catch

Four freshly caught silver fish with orange eyes lying on grey ice

Illustration photo: fish on the ice, not caught in Ylläs.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this

The short answer

For a real fishing day, book the hidden lakes: you reach them on snowshoes or skis, fish most of the day and eat the catch by the fire. For an afternoon without a long day out, the village lake trip is the shortest and cheapest. If you want to see how Finns fish with a net as well as a rod, take the trip to Luosujärvi.

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.

Village lakeWalk-in introductionLake LuosujärviHidden lakes
Length 2 h About 2.5 h 3 to 3.5 h About 5 h
Adult price €65 – lowest adult price €80 €129 €145
Food Not listed Warm juice and a snack Soup lunch in a café Light lunch and your catch
When Thursdays at 14:00 Not stated On request Not stated

Highlighted figures are the best in that row: lowest adult price. The Konijänkkä operator's two trips cost more from 13 December to 3 January and from 31 January to 28 February. A longer trip is not marked better; it is only longer.

Where these figures come from
  • Village lake: Two hours on Lake Äkäslompolo in the middle of the village, on Thursday afternoons.
  • Walk-in introduction: About two and a half hours, walking or snowshoeing to the lake, with warm juice and a snack.
  • Lake Luosujärvi: A drive of twenty kilometres, rod fishing, a net demonstration and soup lunch in a café.
  • Hidden lakes: About five hours on remote lakes reached on snowshoes or skis, the catch cooked on a fire.

Around Ylläs the ice fishing trips differ most in how far from the village the lake is and how the day ends.

Close to the village

Snow Fun Safaris fishes on the lake in the middle of Äkäslompolo for two hours, and also drives guests to Lake Luosujärvi to see net fishing and eat soup in a café.1

The long day

Ylläs Experiences walks guests to the ice for its shorter trip, and for the hidden lakes drives further out, goes on by snowshoe or ski and cooks what is caught.2

Trips that add a snowmobile ride are compared on ice fishing in Ylläs.

Tours you can book

Questions people ask

What fish are we likely to catch?

The Konijänkkä operator says perch or whitefish on the hidden lakes, and the Äkäslompolo company says there are enough perch in any lake here for a fish soup, with a sizeable whitefish for the lucky. Some lakes also hold rainbow trout. Nobody promises a catch.

Do these operators also fish by snowmobile?

Both do. The Konijänkkä operator rides 35 km to its lakeside hut for a five-hour fishing day with lunch, and the Äkäslompolo company rides about twelve kilometres to Lake Luosujärvi on Tuesdays for its own five-hour version. Both price a shared and a solo machine separately.

What if it is very cold?

The Äkäslompolo company lends thermal clothing and boots on all its trips. The Konijänkkä operator's fishing page does not list clothing, so ask whether it lends any. On the long day, much of the time is spent sitting still on the ice, so dress for that rather than for walking.

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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