Finally back on the ice

November is becoming my favourite ice-fishing month. Fresh ice, not so much snow, active fish... that is indeed an attractive combination. Where to find a lake with solid ice and good population of artic char? Of course in Femundsmarka! Here are a few photos from my 3-days trip to Elgå and nearby lake Volsjøen. 

The road between Drevsjø and Elgå offers a reindeer safari 

I rented a very nice apartment at Elgåen søndre farm, just next to Femund lake. Hot shower is os good after being on the ice from 7:00 to 14:00. 

Evening view from the apartment over lake Femund, still unfrozen

I like to start fishing early, because arctic char typically bite before 9. It means waking up at 5, driving a few km to the parking and hiking up 50 minutes with headlight to reach my favourite spot and start fishing at 7:30, before the sun rises. 

For 3 days, I fished around this small rocky island, in max 3 meters deep water. 

Volsjøen is nicely located, with some views as well. 

Being alone on autumn ice requires some caution. Here I wear a floating dress, ice spikes and I have an extra set of dry clothing on the shore. Also, the first day, on my way to the fishing spot, I drilled several holes just to check the ice. When I was looking at the weather forecast during November, I was slightly sceptical, because there were not so many days with temperatures below 0, but luckily the ice was almost 10 cm thick, which is more than enough. However, after two days being alone on the lake I was glad to see 3 other fishermen on Saturday. 

Lack of snow also means that it was much easier to walk to the lake. 

And fishing? I brought home 7 nice røya and 1 trout, which is more than I hoped for. Fish were most active before 9 as I expected, but I got some before lunch time as well. I also learned some pretty good lessons: 1) one fish broke my main line - that could mean it was a really big fish (and it felt big), or my line was damaged, or I should have let the fish get more tired and not rushed, or a combination of all of these; 2) two fish released the leader under røyablink - I need to replace everything with more reliable fasteners and 3) placing the rods into rapidly freezing slush snow is not good idea, as it is not possible to release them after while and the handles will be damaged.