Sponsored by Fishheart: Finnish national team takes gold in Nordic ice fishing championships

The 24-person Finnish ice fishing national team claimed first place in the Nordic ice fishing championships held on lake Storsjøen in Odal, Norway March 16th 2024. 

Sponsored by Fishheart, the Finnish team defeated Sweden and Norway in six of the eight categories in both team and individual competitions. Finland dominated the total points in the championships where the only accepted competition catch is perch.

– The practice competition the previous day gave us good insight on the right depth and equipment for catching perch. In the evening, we held a team meeting to find the right strategy for the competition day and it paid off, says assistant team captain Vesa Rahikkala.

Rahikkala stood for the biggest overall catch of the weekend, 9,3 kg in the practice competition. On competition day, another Finn, Samppa Ylönen, rose above all others with 8,6 kg.

The Finns hold their victory in high regard as the Swedes and the Norwegians are traditionally tough to beat on Norwegian soil – or frozen water, to be exact.

– We rode the bus overnight from Finland to Norway and decided that the trophy is coming with us on the return journey, Rahikkala beams.