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Where can you fish in Helsinki?
The City of Helsinki has more than 15,000 hectares of fishing waters off the coast of Helsinki. You may fish in the city’s fishing waters, as long as you make sure you have the necessary fishing permits. See the fishing waters in more detail on the Helsinki fishing waters map.
Shore fishing
You can fish in all of the city’s public shore areas. Fish on private plots is prohibited. Fishing is not allowed on public beaches or bridges – with the exception of the Lauttasaari bridge, from which fishing is permitted.
There are fishing prohibitions near ports and nature reserves, which you can see on the map of the fishing water and in the special fishing regulations.
Fishing from a boat
If you fish from a boat, do not go disturbingly close to residential buildings or saunas. Please also note the prohibited areas near docks at marinas, which you can find on the map of the fishing waters.
Tips for fishing spots
The best fishing areas in the bays are: Laajalahti, Seurasaarenselkä, Vanhankaupunginselkä, Kruunuvuorenselkä, Vartiokylänlahti and Kalasatama. The pike-perch is fished mainly by lure fishing, spinning and with nets.
The mouth of the Vantaanjoki river is a good spot for fishing for whitefish, trout and salmon with a rod, when the migratory fish rise to spawn in the river. However, please note that from 1 September to 30 November, whitefish, trout and salmon are protected and may not be fished from the river. (According to ELY’s decision, however, it is allowed to fish for whitefish in the lower course of the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids from 1 October onwards.)
After the start of the protected period in autumn, from September to the end of November, scoop net fishing for whitefish is popular in the Vanhankaupunginkoski rapids.
Kaitalampi in the Luukki outdoor recreation area in Espoo is a popular spot for catching rainbow trout.
There are plenty of perch fishing spots off the coast of Helsinki, as perch can be caught almost anywhere.
People fishing for herring with a tackle rod are a frequent sight on the Lauttasaari bridge and on the shores of Kaapelitehdas.
The surest spot for catching pike is at the mouth of the Vantaa river after the ice has melted. Later in the summer, pike can be found near the reeds, for example, in Vanhankaupunginlahti. In Vanhankaupunginlahti, please observe the fishing restrictions that are effective in nature reserves, which you can find on the map of fishing waters.
Other fish species that can be caught with a rod and line in the waters of Helsinki around the year include the carp, asp, whitefish, crucian and cyprinids.