Recreational anglers turn from stocked trout to wild fish

Recreational anglers are increasingly moving away from catching stocked rainbow trout and towards wild fish such as perch, pike, roach and zander, Yle reports. Rainbow trout catches fell from 604 tonnes in 2004 to 353 tonnes in 2024.

Aku Ahlholm, communications manager for Metsähallitus wilderness services, said anglers increasingly view catching trout stocked at catchable size as artificial fishing.

In this type of fishing, rainbow trout are released into a pond and then caught at approximately the same size as when they were stocked.

Zander catches have almost doubled

The shift is also visible in catch statistics from the Natural Resources Institute Finland. Zander catches nearly doubled over the two decades, rising from 2,265 tonnes in 2004 to 4,317 tonnes in 2024.

Ahlholm said zander are spreading gradually northwards and their populations are growing in areas where the species has traditionally been found. Many recreational anglers are choosing zander instead of salmonid species, which were previously among their favourite catches.

Salmon catches have fallen sharply over the same period. Recreational anglers caught 198 tonnes of salmon in 2004, but only half as much 20 years later.

Warm water closes fishing sites

Climate change is also affecting fishing. When waters become warm in midsummer, Metsähallitus often has to close salmonid fishing sites.

In late summer, rivers in Northern Ostrobothnia and the Oulanka River in Kuusamo, for example, can become so warm that fishing must be stopped. Salmonids may not survive being tired out and released in water warmer than 21 degrees Celsius.

Ahlholm said salmonid fishing sites often have to be closed in July because many parts of Finland are simply becoming too warm for salmonid fishing during the summer.

Net fishing is declining

Another clear trend is the decline of net fishing. Nets have traditionally produced the largest catches, but casting is becoming more common. Trolling and angling remain popular, although they generally produce smaller catches.

The decline in net fishing is reflected in lower total catches. Finland’s 1.6 million recreational anglers will also have to get used to not always catching fish.

Ahlholm said potentially good fishing spots can be found almost everywhere, often close to population centres. The trend is increasingly to fish nearby rather than travel farther away.

During Yle’s short fishing trip to the Temmesjoki River south of Oulu, the only catch was one perch, which was released.