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Fishing

Hämeenlinna offers diverse fishing opportunities on its lakes and even close to the city centre.

In Hämeenlinna, you can enjoy diverse fishing opportunities across the city. The city owns a fishing area spanning over 600 hectares, and you can also choose from numerous fishing waters managed by local shareholders’ associations. Fishing opportunities are available both on the lakes and close to the city centre.

The city has built two accessible fishing piers so that as many people as possible can enjoy fishing and the lake scenery. The piers are also suitable for those with reduced mobility. In addition, the city centre area features several good and easily accessible angling spots.

Statutory fish stocking and small watercourse management

The city participates in statutory fish stocking and small watercourse management in cooperation with local fishing associations. The shores are kept open by, among other things, mowing reed beds and removing tall sweet-grass.

Minimum catch sizes and closed seasons

The Finnish Fisheries Association’s online service is an information source for anyone interested in fish and fishing. In the online service, you can find up-to-date information on minimum catch sizes and closed seasons.

The fisheries management fee is a mandatory basic fee for anglers, which must be paid if you are aged 18 to 69 and fish with a lure or traps, or catch crayfish. This means that when you fish with a spinning rod, nets, or a fyke net, for example, you always need to pay the fisheries management fee. An exception applies to anglers who reached the age of 65 by 31 December 2023.

The obligation to pay the fisheries management fee is based on age and is not waived by, for example, other permits, owning a shoreline, or retirement. By paying the fisheries management fee, you gain the right to fish with a lure using one rod and lure almost anywhere in Finland.

This fishing right does not apply to the rapids and streams of migratory fish waters, nor to sites where fishing is restricted or prohibited under other official regulations. All other types of fishing, such as fishing with multiple rods or trap fishing, always require a fishing permit from the water area owner in addition to the fisheries management fee. These special permits are required from everyone, even if they are not obliged to pay the fisheries management fee. Special permits are sold by the owners of the water areas.

The state fisheries management fee can be purchased, for example, from the Eräluvat.fi service of Metsähallitus, which also provides up-to-date permit prices.

Explore the fishing permit areas where the city is a shareholder.

The Hämeenlinna fishing area offers a recreational fishing route permit for the area between Lepaa and Viralanjärvi on Lake Vanajavesi. The route permit enables rod fishing across an extensive water area. This arrangement has been implemented in cooperation with local shareholders’ associations and other water area owners.

  • Alajärvi / Alajärvi Fishing Association
    Permit areas: Alajärvi (561 ha), Pyyttämö (28 ha), Vesajärvi (7 ha). Sales point for tags and permits: Kellokeskus Laine, Raatihuoneenkatu 13, Keskustalo, 13100 Hämeenlinna, tel. 03 612 7072. More information on permit prices and the fishing association
  • Aulangonjärvi / Aulangonjärvi Fishing Association
    Permit areas: Aulangonjärvi (82 ha), Vanajavesi (Luhtiala village 102 ha). Permits are purchased at ostaluvat.fi, where you can also find additional information and instructions.
  • Katumajärvi / Katumajärvi Fishing Association
    Permit areas: Katumajärvi (352 ha). Permits are purchased at ostaluvat.fi, where you can also find additional information and instructions.
  • Päijänne / Nyystölä Fishing Association (Padasjoki)
    Permit areas: Päijänne and small waters in Nyystölä. Permit types: Lure, fyke net, trap net, gill net, crayfishing permit. Explore the permits and prices in more detail.
  • Vanajavesi / Tyrväntö Fishing Association (Hattula)
    Permit areas: Lusinselkä (790 ha), Vanajanselkä (2,900 ha), Vanajavesi. Permit types: Lure, fyke net, trap net, gill net.
    From 15 May to 15 June, all fishing other than rod fishing and the use of fyke nets is prohibited to protect the pikeperch population. This prohibition does not apply to traps used for pikeperch roe collection, provided a permit has been granted for their use. The Kuhanselkä and Lusinselkä conservation area is closed to all fishing from 15 May to 15 June.
    Permits are purchased at ostaluvat.fi, where you can also find additional information and instructions.
  • Vanajavesi / Pappila Shareholders’ Association
    Permit areas: Pappila water area on Miemalanselkä. Permits are purchased at ostaluvat.fi, where you can also find additional information and instructions.
  • Vanaja Route Permit / Hämeenlinna Fisheries Area Route Permit
    Permit areas: Vanajavesi from Viralanjärvi to Lepaa. Also valid on Katumajärvi. Permit types: Lure (no limit on the number of lures), fly fishing. Explore the route permit, prices, and locations in more detail.
  • Vanajanselkä Fisheries Area
    Permit areas: The open waters of the area, Makkaranselkä, Rauttunselkä, Kärjenniemenselkä, Vanajanselkä, Lusinselkä, Kuhanselkä. The unified permit area of the Vanajanselkä fishing area covers nearly 10,000 ha. The permit allows the following fishing methods: casting and trolling, and fly fishing.

Fishing permits

Permits are mainly purchased from the ostaluvat.fi website.

Visit ostaluvat.fi