Probably the most invigorating fishing trip I have ever experienced was my recent visit to Finland, where I fished long after midnight and it was still bright. At the invitation of the Finnish Tourist Board, I travelled to Tampere (or Zanderland), about 170km northwest of Helsinki, along with two angling correspondents, to sample the angling and culture of this wonderful country.
Tampere airport is quite small; our Ryanair flight occupied the only berth on the tarmac. It was, therefore, a surprise to meet the Irish fly-fishing team at the terminal. Manager John Buckley and his team were en-route to participate in the CIPS World Championships at Kemi in northern Finland.
Our three-day tour of the Tampere region brought us to several different locations, each of them different from an angling perspective. Our trusty guide and interpreter, Ismo Kolari, was particularly helpful.
As we drove north to the first destination, Vilppula, I saw a similarity with Ireland - the green fields, the mountain regions, and, in the "land of a thousand lakes", clean water, the most cherished of the elements. Arctic pine forests lined every highway.
At Koivulahti Crab Manor in Vilppula we met landlord Pasi Heinonen, dressed in typical local attire - white collarless shirt, waistcoat, breeches and knee-high boots. Koivulahti is a beautiful wooden manor overlooking Lake Kuorevesi. The manor can cater for 170 guests and has authority to hold wedding ceremonies. Their crayfish sandwiches were delicious.
Still on the Vilppula Route at Lake Ruovesi, we joined Juha Happonen for a most enjoyable evening fishing for pike and zander aboard his seven-metre, nine-seater, party-barge, tracker catamaran. Happonen is sponsored by Shimano and considered the foremost professional angling guide in Finland.
Spinning weighted lures with a "stop and start" retrieve method, we encountered zander and numerous jack pike. Zander are unique to Finland, are strong fighters and can grow to 2kg. For me, they resemble sea pollack, in colour, lateral line and double dorsal fin. The Rasanen H lure with a red bead is particularly good on Ruovesi.
Back on the road, this time to Ikaalinen, about 100km west of Vilppula, we arrived at Frangin Cottages, our accommodation for the night. Frangin is a group of five-star pine houses on the shores of Lake Kyrosjarvi.
After breakfast, Tero Seljas, skipper of Banana Boys, waited patiently on the slipway at the rear of the house. "This morning we troll for pike, perch and zander," Ismo said. It was a riveting spectacle to watch Tero assemble the trolling gear, which comprised three rods to starboard and three to port side, with paravanes set at staggered distances and each with two Wobbler Lucius specials. Two rods at the stern, again each with two Lucius specials, completed a total of 16 lures, and all at different depths. We covered a vast area of lake with reasonable success.
The afternoon session was more exciting. Spinning on Kyrosjarvi Lake with Rapalas and jellied eels, we caught a selection of perch and pike (up to 1.5kg) and zander. The key to success was to sink the lure with a quick retrieve, stop, quick retrieve, stop, and repeated until the cast was spent.
A 50km dash to Vammala brought us to Hotel Ellivuori in time for dinner. "Tonight you will be fishing for asp and other species on Lake Rautavesi," Ismo said. At 9pm, two local guides, Ville Inna and Mikko Ollila, brought us to their special location, a channel that divided the main lake. Here we met many perch on the fly, some to 0.5kg, and more pike on lures, and I made contact with two asp on a "popper", but failed to land either fish. We also caught "ide", a species similar to the Irish bream. With the sun slowly sinking in the distant sky, we decided to call it a day at 1am. (Remember, there is 24 hours daylight in Finland at this time of year.)
After breakfast in Hotel Ellivuori, our final session brought us back to Tampere for fishing on Lake Nasijarvi with skipper Sampsa Liimola. Unfortunately the wind and rain put paid to any serious fishing and we returned empty-handed. This lake is particularly good in late autumn, trolling for brown trout and landlocked salmon.
Later we took a guided tour of Tampere. Sitting between two scenic lakes, Tampere was born from the power of the rapids. It is bright and bustling, with more than 200,000 inhabitants.
Before leaving, I asked Ismo Kolari to sum up the Tampere region: "Nature, peace and quiet and, of course, superb fishing," he said. Contact ismo.kolari@proa-gria.fi or visit www.zanderland.fi.