The Paljakka Fishing Park is an excellent family fishing destination, located among the eskers of Puolanka at the heart of the Paljakka Ski and Holiday Resort. Surrounded by scenic hills, the kilometre-long park contains four ponds where two trout streams cross. The park-like area is easy to access by means of crushed stone trails, duckboards and bridges across streams. Fishing is aided further by a total of nine piers. The Fishing Park is equipped with a picnic area, two ‘kota’ huts and fish-handling facilities. At the Paljakka Fishing Park it’s easy to try your hand at fishing – and just as easy to get hooked by it. The Fishing Park is ideal for groups, and with its easy accessibility a desirable destination for groups with special needs. Close to the fishing waters are a range of tourist services, such as a caravan park, cabins, a hotel restaurant and the Paljakka House information desk and café.
The waters of the Paljakka Fishing Park are fed by springs high in the Puolanka hills. The small Louhenjoki and Lehtojoki rivers, both rich in trout, intersect in the park. The small area contains a variety of ponds and streams suitable for fishing. Even beginners using a rod will be able to reach the middle of these ponds with ease. Trails and bridges around the ponds make it easy to find the fishes’ hiding places. The largest ponds are several metres deep and measure some 20–50 metres across. Both rivers are 3 to 6 metres wide.
Fish stock and maintenance
Plenty of fish have been stocked for angling purposes in the small area covered by the Fishing Park. The normal catch is a good-size rainbow trout. The rivers and the ponds are stocked regularly throughout the year with rainbow trout and large perch. The park also yields wild trout and grayling. The area has not been kept separate from the rest of the waterway system. The natural salmonoid stock reproducing elsewhere also thrive in the deep currents and coves of the Fishing Park. The best of the grayling caught in the Fishing Park weigh almost a kilo. Trout of the same size are also encountered from time to time.
The principles of the Fishing Park include releasing any wild grayling or trout after they have been caught. Any rainbow trout in excess of the bag limit must also be released.
For those anglers who prefer to find their own way, the Paljakka region offers several more demanding waters for brook fishing. The surrounding area contains a number of peaceful, scenic rivers teeming with the local trout strain, as well as rich pike waters and perch ponds. There are also lakes suitable for luring zander.
