Best fishing spots in Karelia 2023 by savage – hands-on experience with photos and tips

If we evaluate the whole of Karelia as an area for amateur fishing, then here everyone can find what they like. The abundance of reservoirs of various types and an impressive list of fish species inhabiting Karelia make this region a Mecca for the amateur fisherman who wants to relax and go wild fishing. The Republic of Karelia on the online fishing map, in particular, Petrozavodsk is the capital of the subject:

What makes fishing special in Karelia

First of all, Karelia is distinguished by the richness of water bodies. On its territory there is the northern part of Lake Ladoga, the huge Onega Lake, several large lakes and countless medium and small lakes. There are also rivers, including those in which Atlantic salmon – salmon, and now acclimatized pink salmon – go to spawn. There are many small rivers. The White Sea-Baltic Canal forms a chain of reservoirs, each of which is rich in fish. More than 60 species of fish live in the reservoirs of Karelia. Some of these species, mainly salmon, have several forms. Fish in Karelia can be caught with
spinning, fly fishing, float tackle, feeder and some specific methods that show their effectiveness in Karelia. It’s open water.
Fishing October is the most successful autumn month in Karelia, many types of fish are active [/ caption] In winter, both traditional and some unusual methods for fishermen of the middle lane are used fishing. Fishing in Karelia is special because the republic is located in the north. Accordingly, all spring processes of nature revitalization come later, and the winter fishing season comes earlier.

All this concerned only freshwater fishing. But part of Karelia is located on the coast of the White Sea and there are many interesting things to tell about sea fishing.

Fishing in Karelia savage – the best places where you can get by car to fishing Karelia

Riding at random does not make sense. It is necessary to collect all possible information – it is better from friends and acquaintances, as a last resort, on the Internet and, based on it, take what you need for fishing. Aids of navigation are absolutely necessary – there are so many forest roads in Karelia that it is not surprising to get lost. Mobile communication is absent in many places. Practically on any body of water, you can find a convenient parking lot where you can set up tents, arrange a fire pit and a barbecue. There are usually no problems with firewood, but a chainsaw will not hurt.

Attention! When leaving fishing, be sure to take all the trash with you! It can be thrown away at the nearest village.

How to get to the wild lakes of Karelia

It is rather difficult to get to most places without personal vehicles. Separate bases, when booking a voucher, provide for delivery from the nearest railway station. Fishing in Karelia is an unforgettable adventure and a trip full of impressions. So, which reservoirs are the most interesting for fishing in Karelia. If you start with the giant lakes, then you should dwell on two: Ladoga and Onega.

Ladoga lake

Unfortunately, the Karelian part of Ladoga is not as rich in fish as its southern part. Ladoga skerries amaze with their beauty, abundance of berries and mushrooms, but, alas, not fish.
Ladoga skerries – beauty and abundance of natural resources [/ caption] The fact is that there is simply no place for feeding most freshwater fish. Almost from the coast, a drop begins in depth, which can reach hundreds of meters in places. The water is very clean, there is little plankton, and there are very few bottom organisms on rocky or sandy soils. Therefore, there are all types of fish familiar to Europeans, but in small quantities. Catching on your ear is not a problem, but taking your soul away is unlikely. Although there are good specimens, especially the backwoods pike – short and thick like a log.
400 km from St. Petersburg there is a place near which the island of Mantsinsaari, popular with fishermen, is located. People come here to fish for large pike by trolling, perch in various ways and pike perch, which, however, is not so much here. Craftsmen catch a large grayling among the coastal stones. Mantsinsaari Island on the fishing map online:

Lake Onega

This reservoir has an area of ​​9700 km2. It is home to 47 species and forms of fish. Many fishermen come here just to relax and fish the usual, but not so oppressed by pressure, roach, perch, pike, bream. But there is a category of anglers who visit Onega to purposefully catch certain types of fish. These fish are the following:

• Onega salmon (licensed or not);
• zander by trolling in large quantities;
• large burbot from ice;
• ripus (local name “killets”) from ice to a special tackle.

Needless to say, going out in the lake on a double “comb” in summer in order to catch salmon or pike perch is not only pointless, but also deadly.

The craft must be at least 4 meters long and equipped with a motor with a power of at least 15 hp. And then, knowledgeable anglers will call it a “suicide kit”. Usually, much larger and more powerful small boats are used. It’s not even that there can be strong storms on such a large body of water. Well what to do: storm – wait on the shore. The reason is that both salmon and pike perch are caught at a considerable distance from the coast – usually at least 10 km. And if a storm happens far from land, it will not be possible to escape on a fragile boat. Salmon are caught exclusively by trolling with a few rigs. From 6 to 10 spinning rods are installed on the targa and each is equipped so that different baits go at different depths and at different distances from the boat. As a result, the depth of the fish and the type of bait that it prefers is determined.Salmon do not go deep – in the past, most anglers used the largest Kuusamo Professor.
Kuusamo Professor, as the main lure when fishing for salmon in Onega [/ caption] They are expensive at a fairly high speed – up to 7 km / h. The caught fish is hauled out without stopping the boat, otherwise all the rigs will get confused. Therefore, they fish with powerful trolling
multipliers . Pike perch is also caught by trolling over banks. “Bank” in the understanding of the Onega pike perch hunter is a sandbank 20 meters deep in the middle of a 100-meter deep. Pike perch is also caught with lures with a small (2-5 meters) depth, mainly with wobblers. Compared to Ladoga, where during the course of a zander at night you can easily collide with another boat, Onega is almost completely deserted. Fishing in Karelia – zander trolling: https://youtu.be/d37-R8UEgD8

Winter fishing on Onega

In winter, people come to Onega especially to catch burbot, since there is an opportunity to catch even a pood fish. The banks where he lives cannot be reached without a snowmobile or a motorized towing vehicle. The tackle used to catch burbot is called a burbot. This is a powerful winter fishing rod with a jig head attached as bait. Sometimes a predator just goes to knock and turns red. But sometimes you need to plant a piece of fish or silicone bait. Catching burbot in Karelia in winter on Onega – video review-report, what difficulties await when a savage is caught from ice: https://youtu.be/mDOdyiaTrZM Around the same place where burbot is, they catch burbot. This is a large Onega ripus (vendace form). Tackle – a small winter lure, above which an artificial fly is tied. In a zhor, a kilts can bite on the spoon itself; in a bad bite, a fly has to put something on a fly’s hook, for example,a couple of maggots. This fish bites half-water and the horizon has to be groped empirically. The by-catch often includes
whitefish . To Karelia by car by savages on a fishing trip for a week – video report: https://youtu.be/VJ6JsaLdwCo

Other large lakes in Karelia – we offer places where you can go wild fishing in summer, spring and winter

Lizhmozero

After about 550 km of the Kola highway (Murmanskoe highway), you can turn right and get to Lizhmozero, and if you go further, then to the lake. Sandal. Lizhmozero has long been popular with St. Petersburg fishermen, but for many years people have been coming there from other regions. They catch pike and perch in the lake.
The pike can be very large, they say that a perch of 1.5 kg comes across.
Interesting fact! In one part of the lake, pike can only be caught half-water by trolling, while in the other, it bites and in the coastal zone is thrown. The fact is that the pike that is caught on the track with wobblers (usually very large ones) feeds on vendace and walks under a flock of this small fish along the depth where its prey walks. There is a lot of pike perch in Lake Sandal, mostly small, but for some reason it is not widely popular.

Vygozero

It is a reservoir formed after the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal. Its area is 1143 km2. Coastal fishing is difficult due to the large number of submerged stumps and snags. There are a lot of pike, pike perch and burbot in the lake.
The perch is colored in a peculiar black-orange color. The
perch is painted in an interesting color – purely Karelian [/ caption]

Segozero

The lake is deep (up to 109 meters) with an area of ​​815 km2. A reservoir of glacial origin with clear water and rocky shores. In lakes of this type, the concentration of fish is usually low, but there are interesting objects of catching and the likelihood of catching a trophy. So, in Segozero, you can catch plenty of even a medium-sized grayling, and if you make efforts and skills, try to catch a palia or whitefish. In addition, the common perch, pike and pike perch are found there. Vygozero and Segozero are perfect for fishing in Karelia by a savage – a place on the online map:

Pyaozero

Large (657 km2) lake in northern Karelia. People come here specifically to fish for trout, palia and whitefish, although there are also enough fish familiar to everyone. Trout is caught half-water with various lures, which go 2-5 meters deep. Palia is another matter. This Arctic char lives at great depths and can only be caught by trolling, using a downrigger, or using a plumb line on a spoon, on which it is desirable to add a piece of fish, for example, vendace. Fishing in Karelia in the fall of 2021 – a fresh video report from the coast of Pyaozero: https://youtu.be/sYnd_vTaHYs

Topozero

The fourth largest lake in Karelia. The reservoir is home to 16 species of fish. For anglers spoiled by their usual trophies, the lake offers trout, whitefish, grayling and ide. True, you still need to be able to catch them.
Fishing on Topozero for grayling, pike, perch: https://youtu.be/ofrenuWevLY Autumn fishing in Karelia has its own peculiarities and secrets: https://tytkleva.net/rybolovnye-mesta/rybalka-osenyu-v-karelii.htm

Catching a savage on the Karelian rivers – where to go with your car?

There are many rivers in Karelia, but there are no such large ones as in the neighboring
Leningrad region . The length of most rivers does not exceed 200 km.

Suna

The longest river in Karelia is 282 km. Popular with tourists and anglers. True, the latter note that it is better to fish not in the river itself, but in the lakes through which it flows.

Benefit

It is of more interest to historians who have the opportunity to see the famous petroglyphs than to anglers.

Pista

Quite a short river, known for its rapids, for which water tourists adore it.
Pista rapids [/ caption] There is a lot of grayling in the river, but its bite depends on many factors, first of all, on the water level. At the optimal level, grayling weighing up to 1 kg comes across, and he bites on the turntables, as it should. With its low activity, you have to catch a fly mounted on a bombard.
True, quite good dace and roach come across along the way.

Recreational fishing regulations in the Republic of Karelia

Fishing rules in Karelia are even more confusing and incomprehensible to the common man than those for the Leningrad region. Through careful study of numerous Internet resources, it was possible to find out the following:

1. Salmon in Lake Onega can be fished under license, with the exception of small areas of the water area. The cost of the license is 500 rubles. for one caught specimen.
2. You can catch grayling in Karelia. There are spawning prohibitions that are different for each reservoir.
3. Spring bans on fishing for pike, zander and bream also differ in different regions of Karelia. Somewhere they are completely absent.
4. In one day, a fisherman can remove 1 kg of whitefish from the reservoir ; 2 kg of char; 5 kg of brown trout; 2 kg of pike perch, 15 kg of any of the following fish :
   • Pike;
   • roach;
   • perch;
   • bream;
   • smelt;
   • vendace;

The minimum sizes of fish allowed for catch have been established, which are:

• for bream – 29 cm;
• for roach – 14 cm;
• for zander – 40 cm;
• for whitefish – from 22 to 33 cm, depending on the specific reservoir;
• for pike – 30 cm.

By car to Karelia, fishing in Karelia on the island by savages and how to while away the time in the rain in a tent: https://youtu.be/WQYtNaTkiUs

Fishing bans

As can be seen from the rules of amateur fishing in Karelia, there is no complete ban on catching a particular type of fish.

Attention! Before traveling to any body of water in Karelia, you must carefully study all the rules of fishing. It may turn out that it is in the right reservoir that it is impossible to catch exactly the fish for which the fisherman is going there.

Bite calendar

According to numerous reviews of fishermen, it is better to start fishing in Karelia not earlier than July. By this time, the water will warm up sufficiently, aquatic vegetation will appear, and many fish will begin to peak post-spawning zhor. This applies primarily to zander, but also applies to pike and perch. It is better to go for grayling and whitefish in August-September. Closer to cold weather, the activity of salmonids such as brown trout and char is increased. The Onega salmon itself is successfully caught throughout the open water season, but in extreme heat it becomes passive. In the middle of winter, the daylight hours in Karelia are too short, so it is better to leave in March-April. Although, if the target is burbot, then his most active zhor happens in February.

Fishing bases in Karelia

The fishing and tourism business is currently quite developed in Karelia. Almost all more or less large lakes have at least one base with a certain level of comfort. In the Karelian part of Ladoga, the following can be named:

• fishing base Bryaus . Pitkyaranta region. Comfortable trailers by the lake. 1800 rubles / day;
• Guest houses “Uksunlahti” . The same area. Comfortable houses. Prices from 2500 rubles / day;
• Mantiansari is located on the island of Lunkulansaari opposite about. Balaam. The prices are more than affordable. For example, 2500 rubles per day. for 4 people.

The following bases are located on the shores of Lake Onega:

• recreation center “Onega Coast” (Kvartsitny village) . A favorite spot for salmon hunters. Prices from 3000 rubles / day;
• recreation center “Fisherman’s Wharf” (the village of Kvartsitny). The same place, but a luxury option. 7000 rubles / day;
• recreation center “Clean Karelia” (Tipinitsy village). A multidisciplinary base offering, in addition to fishing, a variety of excursions to interesting places.
• The tourist base “Segozero” is a comfortable place for a family vacation. Prices from 3800 rubles / day.
• Recreation center Meshkov . A budgetary base for anglers on Pyaozero. Cost from 2000 rubles / day.
• Tourist complex Welt . Located in the regional center of Kalevala. Offers a variety of services: river and lake fishing, rafting, excursions to interesting places. Prices start at 1900 rubles / day. In addition to this base, there are four more different degrees of comfort in the village.

Features of fishing in Karelia

Fishing in Karelia has many peculiarities, but I would especially like to note one – people who at least once have visited a place in this fertile land will certainly return there again and again. There is a category of fishermen who travel to Karelia for specific fish. Usually for salmon, pike perch, burbot and partly for keel. As a rule, fishing for such people turns into fish stocking – refrigerators with gasoline generators or dry ice are brought with them in order to preserve the maximum amount of fish. But there are also many who come to relax in nature and catch different fish. A purposeful trip to Karelia assumes that nothing superfluous is taken with you. If an angler comes to catch grayling, then he needs clothes and equipment for coastal fishing, light spinning rods or fly fishing gear and the minimum required set of baits.It’s the same with salmon or pike perch.

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