Kynäkoski Rapids
The Kynäkoski Rapids are an attractive series of small rapids where the angler stands a fair chance of catching trout and large pike. If you really want to have a stretch of water all to yourself, treasuring ‘your own private rapids’, Kynäkoski will offer you an inexpensive opportunity for such an experience. My own experience is mainly of trout fishing along the lower sections of the rapids, where I’ve spent most of my fishing hours.
I’ve visited the upper sections as well of course, to fetch water from the spring there. Over the many years I’ve visited Kynäkoski I think I can safely say I’ve always caught fish there, even at low water levels. I think the upper stretches are best suited to fly fishing for pike; when the water levels drop far enough there’s not enough flow, and these green monsters prefer to hold in slick water over deep holes. I’ve only rarely hooked trout in the upper sections ─ I think the pike might have something to do with it. Of course, our best fishing sessions have been after the rapids have had a chance to rest for a few days.
I can’t help thinking of a trip we made a few years ago, after restoration work on the rapids. Once we’d arrived at the lean-to and walked down to the waterline we could see trout everywhere, feeding along current edges and at riffle heads. There were fish all over the place, and that kind of hatch is definitively not something you see every day in these latitudes. Thinking of trout, the best part of the season for us has been June, when schools of bleak run up to the rapids to spawn. Fishing can be challenging at times with the high water levels of early summer, but even then it is possible to find fish holding close to the banks. Basic tinsel-based streamers have worked well in early summer. You can fish such patterns by just letting them drift freely, or else fish them downstream by vigorously stripping the line, or just letting the streamer hang in the current. Other commonly used streamer patterns have also worked well, in addition to many tiny wet fly patterns. We have even been able to break the 60cm barrier using some ridiculously gaudy attractor patterns. These rapids turn a bit calmer over the course of the summer, and dry-fly fishing improves with the lowering water levels. That’s the time when caddis imitations and other small dry-fly patterns are worth a try. The Kynäkoski Rapids are in all a peaceful, small-scale fishing destination, and I always feel the urge to renew the relationship I formed some years ago, at least once every summer. Fishing here can be truly challenging at times, but you can normally find fish by making accurate casts. Moving along the bank with the lean-to is easy, but the opposite bank is really difficult to wade.
Our tips: When wading, watch closely where you step as the fish may be holding right next to your feet. Rig up two rods: one for robust streamer fishing with a minimum leader diameter of 0.28mm, the other with a light line and a thin leader for small wet and dry flies. Then, shoulder your rucksack, complete with camera, and enjoy the rapids all to yourself. Here you don’t have to worry about leaving your rods and rucksacks unattended. Vary your fishing techniques and take your time in covering the entire water area. If you feel the trout aren’t biting, try a large and flashy fly tied on a leader, one that can withstand sharp pike teeth.
Jyrki Holopainen and Aku Kaasalainen, Ruukki
