A river flows through the heart of Savukoski that has, year after year, drawn fly fishers from across Finland. The wild Kairijoki is one of Eastern Lapland's most beloved fly- and lure-casting destinations, and the reason is clear: more than half its main channel is fast-flowing rapids and riffles, and beneath the surface swim grayling, trout, whitefish, and Arctic char. It's a smaller river than its big brother the Kemijoki, but in places it runs harder — persistence is rewarded, because there's a great deal to fish here.

Grayling is the undisputed king of the Kairi. The Kairijoki holds a thriving grayling population, and experienced visitors know it. Over the years, stories of trophy fish have piled up, the kind that stay with you a long time — one seasoned Kairi angler's personal-best grayling reached 48.5 centimetres, but the largest ever seen on this river was a 53-centimetre grayling landed by a four-year-old boy — with his father's help both landing it and letting it go. The river's dominant fish, a grayling with a fondness for a dry fly, holds in slow-moving pools as well as the heads and tailouts of rapids — a versatile river that lets the angler choose their own approach.

The place speaks to beginner and veteran alike. Beyond its dense stands of whitefish-holding cover, the Kairijoki offers plenty of open room for backcasting, making it a rare, fair choice even for those still refining their technique. Experienced anglers, meanwhile, value the river's sheer variety: it's a genuinely beautiful, richly varied river, one where even a seasoned purist can forget his own principles just staring at the water. Jänkäkoira guides you to the finest grayling grounds from the season's peak just after midsummer through to autumn's first chill — in the light of the nightless night, deep in Lappish wilderness, exactly where the grayling rises.