SALLAN NARUSKARIVER SPECIAL
The Naruskajoki (in Finnish) — Salla's secret grayling river
The Naruskajoki barely registers in the marketing noise of Finland's big-name fishing rivers, and that's precisely why it's worth the trip. Naruska sits well off the main highways leading north — you have to make a real detour to reach these waters — but the journey pays itself back many times over. The river begins at Lake Naruskajärvi and, after 50 kilometres, merges with the Tenniöjoki and, from there, the Kemijoki near Savukoski. It's one of the few rivers in Lapland with its own recovering, self-sustaining wild fish population.
The Naruskajoki earns high praise from fishermen
Naruska was one of the first rivers in Lapland to be restored, after log-floating ended, as close to its natural state as possible, and its native fish population has kept improving ever since — every native species is reproducing in the Naruskajoki and its dozens of tributaries.
There's plenty for everyone to fish here. From the confluence of the lower Suoltijoki and the Naruskajoki begins a slow, pool-strewn stretch running some twenty kilometres, where fat grayling and whitefish wait as the reward. Further upstream, from Pikku-Siekakönkäs, begins a ten-kilometre stretch of rapids where the river runs 20–50 metres wide, full-bodied and varied — superb water for both fly and lure fishing. Tammi, on the upper river, is already a familiar sanctuary for many veterans, and around the village of Naruska, by anglers' accounts, are the finest grayling catches to be had. The final rapid, Suukoski, is a story of its own. In the pools below it live grayling of impressive size, some of which have been coaxed as far as the net. The rapids above Siekakönkäs, meanwhile, have been described as genuinely a joy to fish, and the surface feeding downstream from Tammi at Porttikoski has earned high praise from anglers.
Naruska's grayling is a respectable opponent. Fish over 44 centimetres have been pulled from this river, and the largest individuals have topped the 50-centimetre mark — though the very biggest may well have twisted free of the net and slipped back into the depths, living on for the next telling of the story. An experienced angler can succeed even with the bigger fish, but this is a demanding river, not least for its clarity — Naruska doesn't give up its secrets easily. Jänkäkoira knows these waters, and knows exactly how to take you to the place where a fat grayling's dorsal fin cuts the surface.
There's plenty for everyone to fish here. From the confluence of the lower Suoltijoki and the Naruskajoki begins a slow, pool-strewn stretch running some twenty kilometres, where fat grayling and whitefish wait as the reward. Further upstream, from Pikku-Siekakönkäs, begins a ten-kilometre stretch of rapids where the river runs 20–50 metres wide, full-bodied and varied — superb water for both fly and lure fishing. Tammi, on the upper river, is already a familiar sanctuary for many veterans, and around the village of Naruska, by anglers' accounts, are the finest grayling catches to be had. The final rapid, Suukoski, is a story of its own. In the pools below it live grayling of impressive size, some of which have been coaxed as far as the net. The rapids above Siekakönkäs, meanwhile, have been described as genuinely a joy to fish, and the surface feeding downstream from Tammi at Porttikoski has earned high praise from anglers.
Naruska's grayling is a respectable opponent. Fish over 44 centimetres have been pulled from this river, and the largest individuals have topped the 50-centimetre mark — though the very biggest may well have twisted free of the net and slipped back into the depths, living on for the next telling of the story. An experienced angler can succeed even with the bigger fish, but this is a demanding river, not least for its clarity — Naruska doesn't give up its secrets easily. Jänkäkoira knows these waters, and knows exactly how to take you to the place where a fat grayling's dorsal fin cuts the surface.
