Family ice fishing in Kemi: which trip takes the children
Illustration photo: a hot drink poured on a sled, not at one of the trips described here.
The short answer
With small children, book the pond day: the lodge collects you from your Kemi hotel, calls the outing suitable for everyone and has a warm hut to retreat to. The private trip from Ii also takes the youngest, because it brings a warm tent. On the snowmobile trip, ask where young children ride before booking, since its listing does not say.
Children change the question from which trip is best to which trip will still be fun at the end, and the sellers around Kemi say very different amounts about them.
Who says children are welcome
The pond lodge in Keminmaa calls its outing suitable for everyone.1 The Ii company’s trip brings a warm tent against the sea breeze and says that thanks to it even the youngest members of the family can come.2 The snowmobile trip onto the bay sets no age on its listing,3 and neither does the rapids outing in Tornio.
How the children get there
The pond lodge collects the whole family from hotels in Kemi and Tornio, with transport included, so the children never need to drive or ride anything. The Ii trip mentions no transport, so plan on driving there yourselves. On the snowmobile trip the ride out is on the machines, and the same seller’s other snowmobile rides put young children in a sleigh pulled behind; ask whether the fishing trip does the same.
Warming up
At the pond there is the lodge’s hut with a fire and a soup made from the catch, and the Ii trip has its tent. The trip onto the open bay mentions no shelter at all, which matters more with a six-year-old than with an adult.
Tours you can book
Ice fishing on a private pond, with the catch in a soup
Run by Lapland Salmon Lodge
From €120per person
Length5 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)By snowmobile to ice fishing on the frozen Bothnian Bay
Run by Sea Lapland Safaris
From €155per person
Length2 h
Book now on GetYourGuide(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
What should the children wear?
It depends on the trip. The snowmobile trip lends a full winter outfit with boots, gloves and a helmet, though it does not say whether it has children's sizes. The Ii company asks you to bring windproof, warm clothing and sunglasses against the glare, and rents winter clothing for an extra charge. The pond lodge says nothing about clothing, so bring wool layers and ask.
Is there anything for children who get bored of the hole?
At the pond, yes: the lodge's listing describes the day as designed for all ages, with sledging and snowman-building between bites, so there is something to do when the fish are slow. The other trips mention nothing of the kind, so a child who cannot sit still for long is better off at the pond than on the sea ice.
Where does a teenager ride on the snowmobile trip?
On the safari company's snowmobile rides, children over twelve and taller than 140 centimetres may sit behind the driver, and the driver must be 18 with a licence, so a teenager rides as a passenger with a parent. The fishing trip's own listing does not repeat the rule, so confirm it for this trip when you book.