Guided Fly Fishing for Wild Grayling and Trout in Finland

Join expert guide Ville in the pristine forest streams of central Finland, where wild grayling, brown trout, and other fish species are abundant. Suitable for beginners and advanced anglers alike, you will experience fantastic multi-species fly fishing in a beautiful boreal forest setting. Nymphing and (often) dry fly fishing will be the techniques of choice for the hidden wild grayling/trout streams, whereas streamer fishing will dominate for trout and pike on the big waters in the nighttime.

Each session booked includes 8 hours. Transportation is included and does not count against your guiding hours except for in the evening or early morning (from 18:00-07:00).

Due to the effectively endless daylight throughout most of the summer, streamer fishing for trout and pike on big rivers will take place in the evening to early morning, whereas small stream fishing for wild grayling and trout can take place throughout the entire day.

Besides enjoying stunning new waters that offer fantastic fishing, Ville will offer many insights to improve your fly fishing skills, everything from casting to reading water, finding fish, rigging, fly selection (streamers, dries, and nymphs), and more. He will also gladly share insights about the nature, having spent his whole life in the Finnish nature.

While fishing, Ville will make sure that your fishing is well fueled, with coffee, Finnish cuisine, and sausages or fresh caught fish cooked over the fire. This could also include seasonal berries and mushrooms in the late summer.

When each fishing session is over, Ville will take you back to the accommodation so that you can rest up for your next outing.

When you contact us to book, we'll work together to make an itinerary to suit your needs.

We run our fly fishing guiding services in a number of rivers near Iisalmi, Finland. Ville will collect you from Kuopio Airport (KUO) or Kuopio train station- we are very flexible with arrival time for pickup. If arriving in the afternoon/evening, you can consider going fishing for trout and pike on the big waters as the first outing of the trip because this is best at midnight.

For an additional €20/person/night, you can stay in Ville's home, in an extra room, for up to 3 people. Mattresses and linens will be provided, and breakfast and dinner (often including fish and local dishes) will be included.

You will have free access to a shower, bathroom, and kitchen. Expect hostel conditions- this is not intended to be a fancy hotel, but simply a base camp to unwind, eat, and rest after long days spent fishing.

Make sure to bring waders and wading boots- these are not provided on our end.

Tackle Recommendations

Rods: For wild grayling and trout on small streams, bring a #3-5 wt fly rod in 7-10 feet- a wide range of rods can work. Shorter will work better for dry flies, small streamers, and indicator nymphing, whereas a longer rod will work well for euro nymphing. Our rod of choice for our favorite stream is the Nation FC small stream rod (7'6 #3). No need to overthink this.

For large trout streams, bring a #6-8 9' rod with a weight forward floating line. This fishing will be exclusively carried out with streamers in most cases. Keep in mind that you will likely not only catch trout, but plenty of pike as well- so make sure to bring plenty of large streamers (Tinseli is our favorite).

Tippet and leader: For small stream fishing, a spool of 4x tippet in monofilament will be versatile for nymphs, dry flies, and small streamers for wild grayling and trout. We can provide line for the butt and middle sections of your leader, though you can also bring tapered leaders.

For large river fishing for trout and pike, bring a spool of ~25-35 lb. test mono or fluorocarbon for your leader material.

Q: Is tipping expected?

A: There is no expectation of tipping, and you can always show appreciation by leaving us a review or referring us to other anglers! However, our guides do gratefully accept tips. All tip proceeds go to your guide!

Q: How difficult is the fishing?

A: This fishing is entirely suitable for beginners, particularly for grayling. However, the tactics used may vary.

8 hours, 1-2 people: €320

8 hours, 3-4 people: €450

Note that waders, fly tackle, and flies are not included. Flies can be purchased à la carte from the guide's box. Few flies are typically lost. We will provide information on flies to bring or tie, and what will be in the guide's box for you to use.

Licenses: Our main destination, a secret small stream full of wild grayling and trout, is totally free to fish with us because of our connections with the local community. However, licenses for the larger waters must be purchased by our guests, typically costing ~€10/person/day. If fishing the big waters, you will also need to purchase a state fishing license for all of Finland, which costs about €15 for a week card.

For accommodation:

€20/person/night, including breakfast and dinner. Also includes mattress and linens, access to shower and shared bathroom. More information above.

Grayling (Thymallus Thymallus) - Grayling are the dominant species on our secret small stream. They average about 30-40 centimeters, though we have caught grayling up to 52 cm. here before.

Brown Trout (Salmo Trutta) - Brown trout are present in both our secret stream and on the larger waters that we guide. Wild, typically smaller trout are present in the former whereas the latter holds a mix of wild and stocked trout in larger sizes.

Northern Pike (Esox Lucius) - A frequent bycatch of streamer fishing on the larger trout rivers and also possible to catch when they eat your grayling while nymph or dry fly fishing.

Ide (Leuciscus idus) - A member of the carp family, ide fight quite hard and inhabit sections of both the larger and smaller waters that we guide. Susceptible to streamers, nymphs, and even dries.

Perch (Perca fluviatilis) - Present in slower moving sections of the rivers, perch are an aggressive predator that is prone to taking streamers. Perch in rivers tend to be smaller but can still reach larger sizes, and they put up a good fight in any case.

Roach (Rutilus rutilus) - Often referred to as "Oh, that's not a grayling," the roach is a simple minded creature that is prone to getting nymphed, often in slower sections of the river. Also an important food source for pike.