Finland: Seine fishing in winter


FINLAND: Seine fishing in winter

Kitkan viisas, Northeast Finland

Northeast Finland,

5th of July 2016


Fishing at sea requires technique, knowledge and patience…but what about fishing in a hole in the ICE?

Seine fishing in winter is probably not a familiar fishing method for most people. Here is a description of a winter seine fishing trip.

  1. First a long-blade chain saw is used for making a hole in the ice. From this hole the seine is dragged back onto the ice. Another hole is sawn at a distance of 300-1200 metres, and this is the hole where the seine is placed under the ice. At both ends the block of ice which was sawn off is pressed under the ice in such a way that it can be placed back over the hole after the fishing is done. By doing this the ice left is safe for other people to walk on.
  2. At the second stage two strong ropes are floated from the first hole to the second. The floater can be either a radio-controlled, propellered “miniature submarine” which floats under the ice, or a float controlled by a rope with driving wheels.
  3. When the rope ends have reached the second hole, spreader boxes are attached to them. The spreaders also float under the ice. The spreaders have three or four blades on the upper side which lead them outwards from the centre of the fishing area. The actual trap or net is fixed to the spreaders. Now when the drag machines pull the ropes back towards the first hole, the seine is spread under the ice in its correct form. The spreading seine traps the fish and directs them towards the end of the net.
  4. After the spreaders and the ropes attached to them have arrived to the first hole, the actual dragging of the seine on the ice is started. During the dragging, the fish end up at the back end of the net which is lifted last from the water. From there it is easy to lift the fish to isolated carrier boxes.

Would like to learn more on fish from the clean waters of Northeast Finland?

Check out