Ice fishing for Arctic char

Complete guide — gear, lures, season and tips.

Gear

Rod
Medium ice rod, 60 cm
13 Fishing Tickle Stick
Frabill Ice Hunter
Mainline
Mono 0.16–0.20 mm or braid 0.10 mm
Leader
Fluorocarbon 0.22 mm
Hook
Hook #6 to #2
Weight
Jigging spoon 10–30 g

Lures / bait

  • Jigging spoon tipped with maggot or a piece of fish (Kuusamo Räsänen, Lill-Räsken)
  • Mormyshka tipped with maggot
  • Balance jig (Rapala Jigging Rap W5/W7)
  • Small soft-plastic jig
Season
February–April (late winter, best just before ice-out)
Time of day
Mid-morning
Pro tip

Mountain char fishing is best in the last weeks before ice-out. Fish 8–25 m along drop-offs. Use a fish-finder to locate them.