Ice fishing season 2022/2023

It is almost May. Despite late spring time it would be still possible to do some ice-fishing, even here around Oslo, however I have already finished the season. It was long and good and I have already some plans for the next winter. In total I visited 14 lakes, mostly in Nordmarka and Femundsmarka. 

• Nordmarka: Øvre Øyvann; Langvann; Rottungen (> 5 times); Rypetjern; Fagervann; Store Skillingen; Fjellsjøen (2x); Trehorningen
• Femundsmarka: Volsjøen (3x); Kjerrtjønna; Djupsjøen; Hammarsjøen; Rørsjøen
• Other: Kjemsjøen near Alvdal

Most days I spent on Rottungen, a beautiful lake just 30 minutes by bike from home, with a lot of nice perch and a decent chance to get nice trout as well. I got many perch there (on mormyska) and several trout > 0.5kg. 

Trout and perch from Rottungen

The biggest fish I got was this fantastic 2,2 kg (60 cm) trout that I got on Fjellsjøen. That was really big surprise for me. 

2,2 kg trout from Fjellsjøen

I was not lucky with artic char at all - I got just one nice one on Volsjøen. Next year I must explore other areas in Femundsmarka... However, both visits of Femundsmarka were fantastic and especially the trip with Louka was just amazing. 

And a few pics from around Oslo:

cycling to Rypetjern

Fjellsjøen

Fishing in shallow waters

Kjemsjøen is a lake up in the mountains in Alvdal region. It is known for its big arctic char and the best time to fish them is late in the winter season (April-Mai). I have always wanted to fish there and finally, during this Eastern holiday, I had an opportunity. We were staying in a farm cabin in nearby Haustdalen and from there, it is just 6-7 km on skies to the lake. 

The weather and snow condition were just amazing during our whole stay there (morning view from the cabin). 

First night after full moon, our little Lukas woke me up at 03:00. I used this lovely alarm and decided to ski to the Kjemsjøen early (starting before 04:00). 

Big bright moon, clear sky, no headlight needed. Skiing was OK, except 1km section from Kjemsjøsætra up to the plateau, where the snow was deep and the tracks were confusing

I aimed at being up there before sunrise and I did so. Without any local knowledge it is usually challenging to select a place to fish. But here the popular areas were obvious, as there were many holes drilled. So I just fished there, but it was little confusing, as the water was very shallow - around 1 meter. I was getting nervous, as I planned to fish only till lunch and time went fast without catching anything significant. 

Luckily, two local fishermen from Alvdal came around 08:00 and explained to me the local style. You drill a large hole in shallow water, lay down and fish while observing what is going on under the ice. The water is crystal clear there and the visibility is amazing. So I followed their advice (and used their tarp - thanks!) and for 3 hours I was watching small arctic char playing with my maggots. Unfortunately, no big fish visited my hole and I left without a catch. However, the whole experience was amazing. Next time I must bring my reindeer skin and spend a whole day up there.

The areas is just beautiful. 

View towards Haustdalen on my way back to the cabin.