Ice fishing and Lake Inari

6 min read Updated October 2026 Compare all tours

The municipality of Inari describes Lake Inari as the third-largest lake in Finland, about 100 km long, with an average depth of 14 metres and deep points that reach almost 100 metres. The Finnish Environment Institute gives its area as about 1,082 km². The lake has more than 3,000 islands, and the Inari region counts over 10,000 lakes in all.

The lake is not right next to Saariselkä. The island trips from the village begin with a minibus ride via Ivalo, roughly 30 km away by road. Other fishing tours do not name the lake they use, or they start in Ivalo or in Inari village, about 75 km from Saariselkä. Check where each tour begins before you book.

Do you need a fishing permit?

For a single rod, no. Finnish general fishing rights let anyone angle and ice fish free of charge with one rod at a time, and Metsähallitus, which sells the angling permits for Lake Inari, lists hook and line fishing and ice fishing there as free of charge in still waters. The exceptions are rapids and streams that matter for migratory fish, and areas closed to fishing, which are listed in the Kalastusrajoitus.fi service. With two or more rods, or with lures on Lake Inari, you need an angling permit and must pay the state fisheries management fee, which applies from 18 to 69 years. The number of permits for Lake Inari is limited.

Ice fishing in Finland means a short rod and a small jig that you move up and down through a hole in the ice. On a guided tour the operator brings the rods and bait and drills the holes, so the permit question only matters if you fish on your own.

Island trips with lunch

Ivalo Safaris runs the most complete day on the lake. From Saariselkä a minibus takes you to its office in Ivalo to change into thermal clothing, then on to the lakeshore, where a snowmobile pulls your sleigh to a small island. There are two reindeer on the island. You fish, then eat a homemade three-course lunch with hot berry juice in a teepee by an open fire. The trip lasts five hours, takes up to ten guests and starts at 7 years. One guest notes that people who do not care for fishing may get bored after a while.

The same operator offers a four-hour version that collects you in Ivalo and drives to Koppelo, where the snowmobile and sleigh wait. Pickup from Saariselkä, Kakslauttanen or Kiilopää is possible for an extra charge, which makes it mainly a choice for guests staying in Ivalo. Lunch is local reindeer or fish, with a vegetarian option. Guests mention that the shared sleigh is uncomfortable for people taller than 1.90 m, and one describes a day at −36 °C in January 2026 as unbearably cold.

Driving or walking to the fishing spot

Lapponia Tours starts at its safari house in Saariselkä and lets you drive a snowmobile to a fishing lake, or sit in a sledge behind the guide. According to one guest the drive takes about 45 minutes. At the spot the guide cooks a picnic lunch on a campfire. Drivers must be 18 and hold a licence, and children from 7 can join as passengers. The tour takes four hours.

Lapland Welcome takes a quieter approach. After a short transfer from your hotel you walk on snowshoes to the fishing spot, and lunch is served by an open fire. The operator asks you to be ready for physical activity, and the tour is open from 10 to 70 years. One guest wished the snowshoe part had been longer.

Fishing near Ivalo and Inari

Xwander starts at 10:00 from its shop at Ivalontie 12 in Ivalo, drives to a lake and cooks lunch on an open fire, returning around 15:15. Winter clothing is provided and at least two guests are needed. There is no hotel pickup.

In Inari village, Galddoaivi Safaris offers two hours on the ice for up to six people. A sleigh pulled by a snowmobile carries you up to 4 km out onto the lake, the guide uses sonar to find fish, and on cold days you fish inside a tent. The meeting point is at a red sign for Lake Inari Mobile Cabins, and one guest found the navigation app unreliable on the last stretch. Bring your own warm clothes and, as one guest suggests, something to sit on.

Skating on natural ice

Arctic Timetravels runs a skating track on frozen Lake Inari and calls it the only track on natural ice in Lapland. You spend two hours on the ice, with ice hockey skates in sizes 40.5 to 48 or figure skates in sizes 36 to 42, plus a helmet and a balaclava. Gloves and a hat are your own. Transport from Saariselkä takes about an hour each way and is an option at extra cost; you can also meet the group at the track. Natural ice is not maintained like an indoor rink, and guests mention cracks and an uneven surface. The tour is open from 4 to 65 years and up to 110 kg, in groups of 4 to 24.

Across the lake by snowmobile or sleigh

Inari Onnela Wilderness Services runs a private four-hour snowmobile day on Lake Inari from Nellim, at Nellimintie 4017. You share a snowmobile with another person, a single machine costs extra, and there are snacks and hot drinks by a campfire. Bring your driving licence. Transfers from Ivalo, Inari or Saariselkä are available for an extra charge. Our page on snowmobile tours covers the rides closer to Saariselkä, including one along the Ivalo River onto the lake.

In the evening, Ivalo Safaris crosses the lake in a sleigh pulled by a snowmobile to an island, where dinner is served in a lavvu, and the group watches for the northern lights on the way. Pickup is in central Saariselkä, and the evening lasts five hours.

Cold on the ice

A frozen lake offers no shelter from the wind, and you spend much of an ice fishing trip sitting still. Weather records give a January average of roughly −12 °C in the area, and the regional tourist office warns that temperatures can fall below −30 °C. Most tours lend thermal clothing, but the Inari trip and the skating track do not, so read the tour page and see what to wear for the layers underneath. For a visit to the Sámi museum in Inari village, see Inari and Siida.