Ice Fishing Near the Finnish Arctic Circle

I've been fishing a few times before, but usually from a boat, or water I could stand in, or using a huge fishermen's net. So heading out to go ice fishing in Finnish Lapland, just shy of the Arctic Circle, in the middle of winter, was something new for me.

While staying in the town of Rovaniemi, I signed up for an afternoon ice fishing safari, along with a half a dozen fellow novice fishers from Australia, Britain and France. At the tour company office, they fitted us all out with thermal suits and multiple layers of socks and gloves, then took us down towards the river where our trusty steeds awaited us: snowmobiles. For most of us it was our first outing on a snowmobile, and the guide gave us a very quick lesson on how to drive one before we donned our helmets and raced off along the frozen river.

With the town behind us and the broad river ahead, we soon turned off into a track in the forest. The guide was in front showing the way, and I was just a short distance behind him, when he suddenly stopped and appeared to sink. We'd hit melted pathway. I stopped fast enough to get just one foot wet, and the others piled up behind me.

So while our guide was wet and cold, we were in luck: this meant our snowmobile joyride would last longer as we took a long detour via the river to reach our fishing spot. A campfire was set to go there in a small lake side tent, so we left our belongings there while the guide got us set up on the frozen lake. He showed us how to drill a hole in the ice - it made some of us a little nervous when he told us not to hit the ice too hard, in case it cracked - then left us to fish away while he retired to the tent.

What did I learn about ice fishing? It's hard work. Well, it's easy, really, you just havve to stand there, but it's cold, dark and takes a long time. Gradually, members of the group handing their rods over to the more enthusiastic fishermen and we gathered inside the tent, where our guide was already cooking up sausages and hot chocolate. Two determined men stayed out for half an hour before also coming inside without any fish.

Our ice fishing trip may have had us returning to Rovaniemi without fish, but it was a great experience. Being out there in the frozen forest, dark at two o'clock in the afternoon and with the snow and ice dampening any noise, it seemed like the true Lapland. And while I'm not hankering to get my rod back out on the ice, I can kind of see how some would enjoy the peace of a frozen lake and the slim chance of catching dinner.