Ice Fishing On Lake Kymijärvi

I went shopping in a nearby mall. I dropped by the lake to take a few photographs. There was some guy preparing to ice fish on the lake. I did not venture on the lake any further than a 5-10 metres of the shore. Had the ice broken in such shallow water, it would've been extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing but not deadly. The ice fisher is equipped with ice claws hanging on a string around his neck so that he can claw his way back onto the ice if it breaks. A whistle for calling for help is also part of an ice fishers equipment.

Possibly figuring out the best place to drill a hole.

Making preparations.

Now he's drilling. That small building to the right of the fisherman is a sauna. It is co-owned by the owners of three adjacent houses on the lake shore. There is also a tennis court next to it. I know because one of the houses was for sale a couple of years ago. That particular house having a total area of about 160 m², built in 1987 if I recall correctly, and located on top of a cliff overlooking the lake - basking in the sun all day as it is on the northern shore - would set one back less than €300,000. For a city having a population of more than 100,000 and only an hour's drive away from the Helsinki metropolitan area , Lahti is pretty cheap when it comes to housing.

Now the drilling is done and the ice fisher goes to get his gear.

A channel on the southern shore. As I was walking back to my car, I took this picture. The red building on the other side is the local school in the middle of Karisto, a district about 10 years old.