Lakes Kuusamojärvi & Muojärvi - abundant fish waters in Kuusamo lake country

The heart of this fishing district is Lake Kuusamojärvi, which reaches 25 km east from the centre of Kuusamo town. A series of small basins connect Lake Kuusamojärvi to Lake Muojärvi, a wilderness lake famed for its sizable catch. The district is characterized by numerous lakes, long peninsulas and small islands.

The lakes empty their waters further east to Russia via two routes: the southern route goes through River Pistojoki to Lake Pistojärvi, and the northern waters flow through rivers Kuusinki and Oulanka to Lake Paanajärvi.

Excellent accessibility and good boat slipways, together with hospitable local tourist services, guarantee you many interesting and exciting moments fishing in the waters of Northeast Finland.

Photo: Kuusamon kalastusmatkailuhanke 

Summer on Lake Muojärvi.

Big fish prefer open waters

The main catch of Lake Kuusamojärvi are pike and salmon. The lake is abundant with pike averaging one to two kilos in size. The nearer the town, the smaller the fish, but there are plenty of them to catch. If you leave the town behind and travel further east, deeper into the wilderness, you will find clearer waters and larger-size fish.

For those who wish to pursue pink-fleshed catch, there is a steady population of lake salmon that is maintained by stocking. Wild lake trout is also commonly caught at Lake Kuusamojärvi.

A further delight for troll fishermen is catching other freshwater fish, such as ide or perch. If you happen to hit a shoal of ide, it usually means getting very busy with your rods and lines.

Photo: Kuusamon kalastusmatkailuhanke 

Ide and the boys on Lake Muojärvi.

Early summer the best time to go for pike

As days grow longer and summer approaches, the Kuusamo pike season begins. After spring spawning, when May turns to June, pike eat aggressively for a week and take to almost any lures you wish to use. Later in summer, their appetite settles to the normal level. Then pike are best caught by traditional methods, and conditions such as the day’s weather determine how well they take to lures.

Lake Kuusamojärvi provides ideal conditions for catching pike. They tend to take to lures well, if only the fisherman finds the places where they have gathered to prey for smaller fish. This makes the lake challenging also for experienced anglers.

The season for salmon opens earlier in spring at Lake Kuusamojärvi. The first salmon are caught from surface waters right after the ice has melted and the water temperature is still around 5°C. In late June and early July, shoals of lake salmon can be found in surprisingly shallow waters and near the shore. When the waters warm up, lake salmon and trout swim deeper, following shoals of vendace.

Photo: Kuusamon kalastusmatkailuhanke 

Nice pike from Lake Kuusamojärvi.

Lake Muojärvi famous for big lake salmon

Lake Muojärvi, located east from Lake Kuusamojärvi, is one of Finland’s best trolling waters. The lake is sheltered by islands and peninsulas, and this makes it safe for boating: bad storms are few and far between. Lake Muojärvi is famous for its handsome lake salmon, but for lovers of white-fleshed fish, there is still plenty of pike to catch.

The salmon of Lake Muojärvi are often caught from deep waters, and pike from more shallow inlets. Pike is rarely caught in open water. The best places to go for pike are shallow and grassy bays. Due to the clear water of Lake Muojärvi, the fish are light and bright in colour – they are healthy and strong, and a challenge to catch.

In addition to salmon and pike, Lake Muojärvi is rich in ide that sometimes show you plenty of action at the end of the line. The Muojärvi ide known to be are big, ranging from one to three kilos. Ide and big perch make a good addition to the fisherman’s diet, especially when freshly smoked.

Photo: Kuusamon kalastusmatkailuhanke 

There are wide combined licence areas for trolling on Lakes Muojärvi and Kuusamojärvi.

Easy access joint permit area

The fishing waters of Kuusamo lake country are easily reached. They form a single joint fishing permit area that, in addition to lakes Kuusamojärvi and Muojärvi, covers also the smaller lakes Kirpistö, Kiitämä, Suininki and Joukamojärvi. The area includes 250 square kilometres of waters abundant with fish.

Lake Kuusamojärvi is also a comfortable and safe boating destination with well-marked routes and few high rocks and shallow waters. Its beaches are mainly low, making it easy to go ashore. There are numerous campfire sites and boat slipways available for travellers. An effortless access to the lake is at the Kela shore harbour located in the centre of Kuusamo town.

The best way to go boating on Lake Muojärvi is from Sossonniemi fishing harbour. However, you should make sure that your navigational information is good – there are some serious underwater rocks in the area.

Photo: Kuusamon kalastusmatkailuhanke 

Bright landlocked salmon from Lake Muojärvi.

Best results with clear-water lures

Lures that have proven good in clear waters also work well in Kuusamo lake country. If fish are slow to take to your lures, try switching to smaller lures and, for salmonoids, livebait hooked on bait holders.

Best lures and fishing tips for Kuusamo lake country waters are found at Kuusamon Uistin Lure Factory Shop. After all, Lake Kuusamojärvi is the top testing spot for the luremakers of this famous lure factory!