Private ice fishing in Kemijärvi: how to get the ice to yourselves
Illustration photo: a lakeside house in winter, not in Kemijärvi.
The short answer
For two to four people who want a guide to themselves, book the local company's private day: one price for the group, with ice fishing and a chance of the aurora among the day's activities. For a group of four to eight adults who mainly want to fish, book the resort's trip with a professional fisherman, which your group can fill on its own; ask the resort to confirm nobody else is added.
Kemijärvi sells no ice fishing trip labelled private on its own. There are two ways to end up with the ice to your party.
A private day
A local company sells a private guided day for one to four people at 1,290 euros, and ice fishing with a chance of the aurora is among the things it offers in that day.1 The price is the same whether two or four come, so the cost per head falls with every person who joins.
Filling the professional’s trip
The resort’s day with a professional fisherman runs for four to eight adults and is sold per person.2 A group that size fills it on its own, and pays for fishing time rather than for a private label. The page does not promise that the resort will not add other guests below the maximum, so say what you want when you book.
Which to choose
The private day for a small party that wants one guide and several things in a day; the professional’s trip for a group of keen anglers who want the whole time on the ice. Everything sold in Kemijärvi for anglers is compared on the best ice fishing in Kemijärvi.
Tours you can book
Priced per person
Five hours on the ice with a professional fisherman, lunch by a fire
Run by Jauri Resort
From €232per person
Length5 h
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Priced for the whole party
A private guided day for up to four, with ice fishing in it
Run by Lappi Creative
From €1,290per group of up to 4
See it on the operator’s site(opens in a new tab)
Questions people ask
Is the small evening ice fishing trip private?
Its page caps a booking at four people and does not say whether two separate bookings can share the same evening. A family of four fills one booking, but the page stops short of promising that the fire and the guide are yours alone. If privacy is the point, ask the company before paying whether it will keep the evening to one booking.
Can the private day be only ice fishing?
The company says each experience is tailored to your wishes and the conditions, and that its guides are available for single activities as well as whole days. Its published price, though, is for the day package, so a shorter fishing-only outing would be a separate quote. Ask for it in writing, with the hours, before you compare it with the resort's trips.
What does a group of four pay on each route?
On the private day, the single group price given above covers up to four. On the resort's five-hour professional trip, four adults at 232 euros each pay 928 euros, with the sledge ride and a campfire lunch included; the shorter pre-Christmas version at 150 euros each comes to 600. Neither figure includes anything beyond what each page lists.