One of Europe’s best fishing waters for pike and perch

Spring sunshine, blue sea and golden reeds. A grey mirror of water turning to pink in the evening. Crashing grey, leaden waves when autumn comes. The swaying of the reeds as the pike accelerates towards your bait. Welcome to Åland. This is the right place to be if you want to catch your dream pike. Both pike and sport anglers have a wonderful time among Åland’s thousands of islands and coves.

You’ll find that there are pike there to be caught in just about every clump of reeds and even in more open waters. In the summer the pike often go down into deeper and cooler waters. During the rest of the year they make their way to warmer coves. The pike is a tough customer that can be fished in different ways. Many prefer spinners and jerks; others jigs or lures. Whatever the method, it is a tremendous experience to hook a large pike.

One pike per angler per day

In Åland catch and release fishing applies but you can, of course, taste what you catch as well. You are welcome to keep one pike per angler per day. The minimum size of pike is 60 cm. There are also enormous numbers of perch around. Åland is called Ahvenanmaa in Finnish, meaning, roughly, “perch country”. The perch are not just plentiful in numbers - they are often large and feisty as well. Spinners, jigs or angling with a rod are effective. Have you tried jigging perch when the water has frozen over?

Obtain a fishing licence before you start fishing. There are nearly 60 large and small fishing licence areas to choose from. You can buy a fishing licence from your travel host in the fishing stores or in the local grocery store. If you go fishing with a guide, the guide will ensure that you have a valid fishing licence and help you to choose the right area.

Fishing packages

You can book complete fishing packages from Eckerö Linjen and Viking Line. These include travel, accommodation and a fishing licence. You can even add in an experienced fishing guide to increase your chances of a catch.