Fishing destinations

Fly fisherman's paradise (fly fishing only allowed)

It’s called the Teno River in Finland and the Tana River in Norway.

The Teno/Tana River  is a large, 360km long, free-flowing border river that flows into the Arctic Ocean on the Norwegian side. On the shared border section between Finland and Norway, one bank is Finnish and the other bank is Norwegian, the border line runs along the deepest part of the river, i.e. the fairway. The Teno/Tana River is a well-known salmon fishing destination and was once the best salmon river in Europe. In the past, salmon and other fish were mainly fished in the Teno/Tana River and its tributaries. The Teno/Tana River was indeed one of the best salmon rivers in Europe. As the salmon population has declined, fishing and fishing tourism in the area have focused on other fish species that are abundant in the area. Today, salmon fishing is prohibited due to the weak salmon populations.

Teno/Tana offers a diverse setting for fly fishing. Global warming and the arrival of Pink salmon in the Teno/Tana River have contributed to the vitality of other fish species, and for example, the populations of grayling, whitefish, trout and pike have increased and grown larger. Every other year, Pink salmon come to the Teno/Tana River in large masses to spawn, and this has increased since 2017. There is room to fish in the Teno/Tana River and fishing pressure is low. A large river allows for bigger fish, more fish and diverse fishing spots. The Teno/Tana River has rapids, large backwaters, rapids and end slides, and the fishing spots are diverse. The challenge is finding fish in a large river, there are many opportunities and the fish have room to swim. When you find the fish and everything works out, the catch can be fantastic.

Trophy grayling

The target fish in the Teno River are grayling, you have a good change catch a over kilo grayling from the Teno river.

other target species are whitefish, brown trout, sea trout, Pink salmon, pike, (Atlantic salmon must be released immediately.) Perch and roach are also found in the river but are rare catches.

The Teno River has a very long tradition of fishing and fishing tourists. The river valley is full of Sámi life and culture, stories of fishing and salmon fishing. In the past, all the houses along the riverbanks were built for salmon fishing. And camping areas and cottages have been built for tourists in connection with some settlements. Near the Vetsikonkylä village there is a place called "English shore", English sport fishermen arrived here at the beginning of the 20th century to fish for salmon with flies and brought salmon flies with them, the roots of fly-tying culture in the Teno River Valley go back over a hundred years. Fly tying became popular in Teno recently after World War II and the skill of fly tying has been passed down from generation to generation.

Pink Salmon

Pink salmon run in large numbers in the Teno River every other year and next large run is a 2027.

Rules on the Teno River:

To fish on the Teno River you need: Disinfected fishing equipment and the Finnish fisheries management fee

Weekly fishing is the entire fishing season from Sun 7 pm to Mon 7 pm (fishing prohibited)

The fishing season is 10.6 – 10.8

The fishing season for sea trout with a permit is 10.8 - 20.8 in marked areas

The fishing permit entitles you to fish with one rod using a maximum of class #6 fly fishing equipment. The maximum thickness of the tip of the rod is 0.25 mm and the maximum hook size is 8.

The fly line must be floating and a maximum of one 1-barred hook may be used.

The permit is valid throughout the main channel of the Tena River watershed

in the border river area on the Finnish side. The permit is valid

for a fishing day, which starts at 7 pm and ends at 7 pm Finnish

time.

Minimum sizes and catch:

Grayling 30cm (tasty food fish. Sustainable and selective fishing is preferred, medium-sized graylings are used for food

Trout 30cm (sustainable and selective fishing is preferred, can be used for food)

Pike and perch: no minimum size (it is recommended to remove all pikes and perch from the river, to protect salmon, both tasty food fish)

Whitefish: no minimum size (tasty food fish, good prepared in any way)

Atlantic salmon: protected, must be released immediately

Invasive species such as Pink salmon must be killed immediately (tasty food fish when fresh)

Undersized fish must be released back into the water without delay.

It is recommended to use barbless hooks and rubber-handled nets (more fish-friendly)

Fishing is prohibited:

- 10 meters closer to a standing fishing net

- from the bridge

- at tributary mouths 50m upstream and 100m downstream when fishing from the shore and from a boat.

Fishing is not permitted in the following areas

1) Alaköngäs – Bildam

2) Borsejohka – Levajoensuu

Fishing is prohibited from both the Finnish and Norwegian shores.

The Utsjoki is a tributary of the Teno River, about 60 km long, and is one of the national landscapes of Finland. The banks of the Utsjoki Valley have been inhabited and fished for centuries, and the area is still a strong core area of ​​Sámi culture in Finland. In the center of the Utsjoki Valley, the Utsjoki Church Huts rise, located on the shores of Lake Mantojärvi, just a short distance from the center of Utsjoki. The traditional log huts have been gathering places for families since the 18th century, when Sámi families traveled to church to baptize children and celebrate church holidays.

Next to the huts stands the Utsjoki Stone Church, built in the early 19th century. It is one of the northernmost stone churches in Lapland and a scenically impressive sight on the shores of Lake Mantojärvi.

The Utsjoki is a slightly larger, clear-water and clean river than the Vetsijoki, but with a different character. The river is made up of long, narrow and deep lakes and their headlands. The river has gentler currents and turbulent rapids, large lakes with plenty of fish. Predatory fish from the lakes come to feed in the neck areas of the rivers, where smaller fish feed. More gentler currents and places where there is no current at all. Utsjoki has a good grayling and whitefish stock, pike is also a very common fish, perch are in the lakes and trout rise to feed in the joints and neck areas of the river from the lakes. Pink salmon rise to the first kilometers of the river every other year. Utsjoki is a spawning area for Atlantic salmon. Sea trout rarely rise to the upper parts of Utsjoki, but they do occur from time to time. Atlantic salmon fishing is prohibited in Utsjoki, just like in other parts of the Teno River.

It is recommended to use a rubber-handled net to retrieve the catch.

To fish in Utsjoki you will need:

Disinfected or dry fishing equipment and the Finnish State Fisheries Management Fee

A fishing permit from the Utsjoki Parish Council

Rules:

Weekly fishing is permitted throughout the fishing season from Sun 7pm – Mon 7pm (fishing prohibited)

The fishing season is from 1 June to 30 August

In addition to fly fishing, fishing with a rod and lure is permitted in Utsjoki.

It is recommended to use barbless hooks for flies

The lure may have a maximum of one treble hook or a maximum of three single-prong hooks.

Fishing is prohibited:

- 10 meters closer to a standing fishing net

- from the bridge

Undersized fish and catch:

Grayling 30cm (tasty food fish. Sustainable and selective fishing is preferred, medium-sized grayling for food

Trout 50cm (sustainable and selective fishing is preferred)

Pike and perch: no undersized fish (it is recommended to remove all pikes and perch from the river, to protect salmon, both tasty food fish)

Whitefish: no undersized fish (tasty food fish, good prepared in any way)

Atlantic salmon: protected, must be released immediately

Invasive species such as Pink salmon must be killed immediately (tasty food fish when fresh)

Undersized fish must be released back into the water without delay.

It is a tributary of the Teno River that joins the Teno River at the fishing village of Vetsikko. A 30km long river with clean and clear water flowing in the wilderness, which originates from Lake Vetsijärvi. A wild river flowing in rapids, challenging the fisherman to find fish next to rocks, on rock mirrors and in deeper rapids. There are few large clear pools, so the river challenges the fisherman to see the river through the eyes of a fish. The first 7km of the river are almost all rapids, with small pools and rock mirrors. The target fish are grayling and brown trout, also today, as the waters warm, pike and whitefish have increased in the rapids and river, when they grab the end of the fishing line, the brown pike is a tough fighter. The Vetsikko River is a well-known salmon river and was previously a fish storehouse for the people of Vetsikko on salmon fishing trips. There are a few cottages on the upper river banks that have served as fishing bases for Vetsikko residents on multi-day fishing and hunting trips. Salmon spawn in the river along the entire length of the river. In the upper reaches of the river, the pike, perch and whitefish population is stronger. Catching salmon is prohibited.

In the lower part of the river, we mainly fish for grayling and brown trout, sea trout is possible but rare. It is possible for salmon to get caught on the line and it must always be released to continue its spawning journey. Pike and whitefish are also found in the lower part. Pike and perch are always taken as catch if they come, this protects the weakened salmon population. Grayling and trout are usually released except in exceptional situations. (e.g. injured fish).

You can get to the river by walking along the path and moving along the riverbank on the rocks is challenging in places. The fishing area in the lower part is approx. from the bridge upwards. 1.9km long and 2.5km on the other side. There can be a lot of insects and mosquitoes on the riverbank in the summer, this is a good time to fish for grayling. You can see wild salmon jumping into the air on the river.

Fishing is allowed using fly fishing equipment and with a rod and lure. It is recommended to use barbless hooks when fishing. In mid and late summer, wading across the river with wading pants is possible, in early summer the water is often too high and you cannot cross the river.

The river has a weekly fishing ban from Sun 7pm – Mon 7pm

Minimum fish sizes: Trout 50cm, grayling 30cm, sea trout 30cm

The river is suitable for younger and adventurous people who want to challenge themselves in fishing. The requirement for a guided fishing trip is that you are able to walk 2.5 km – 6 km per day without difficulty along the path and river bank. The river bank is steep in places and walking on rocks is challenging.

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