Fishing

The City of Uusikaupunki owns a total of approx. 25 km2 of water areas. Angling and ice fishing is permitted free of charge in the water areas owned by the City. You must pay a fisheries management fee for lure fishing with one rod. For trap fishing and trolling with more than one rod, you need to pay a fisheries management fee and obtain a fishing permit from the owner of the water area. In addition to the City, there are some fishing cooperatives operating in the Uusikaupunki area who sell fishing permits for their own water areas. 

Recreational fishing permits required for fishing in the water area owned by the City of Uusikaupunki 

Net fishing permit  (6 €/dhan buoy). One person can claim a maximum of 8 dhan buoys People over the age of 65 are entitled to one dhan buoy free of charge. One dhan buoy gives you the right to cast one 3 x 30 m net. 

The general fishing permit (6 €/person) entitles you to use the following gear:

• Longline (maximum 100 hooks/long line) 
• Fish-trap maximum 5 traps 
• Hook fishing 10 hooks (baited hook, hit hook) 
• Trolling and reel fishing for whitefish using more than one rod (€6/additional rod) 

Crab fishing only allowed for personal use 35 €/10 traps/person.

Fishing gear must be marked as required by the Fishing Act, including dhan buoys and the fisher's name and contact information. Dhan buoys must be attached to the marker float of the fishing gear or one attached to the outer end of the net line. With hit and baited hooks, please attach one dhan buoy per five hooks. 

Sale of permits 

In water areas owned by the City, you can angle and ice fish and use a simple herring rig for free without needing to get permission from the owner of the water area, as well as use a fishing lure (you must pay the fisheries management fee), regardless of where you live. In order to engage in other types of fishing, you will need to obtain a fishing license from the City and pay the fisheries management fee (18-64-year-olds). 

The permit price includes a paper version of the Uusikaupunki fishing area and the fishing regulations. In the summer, you can also obtain a map of the fishing area at the Pakkahuone marina or Santtioranta campsite. 

Net fishing permits and other permits for City-owned water areas are sold by: 

Uusikaupunki fishing regulations

In the water areas owned by the City of Uusikaupunki, the following special regulations apply together with the Fishing Act and Regulation and any provisions of the Kustavi-Uusikaupunki fisheries area. 

• Fish caught under a recreational fishing license may not be sold. 
• Residents of the City of Uusikaupunki as well as persons who own or rent a property in the area of ​​Uusikaupunki can claim a fishing permit for fixed gear (net, fyke net, fish-trap) to be used in the City's water area. 
• Fishing licenses are personal and they are valid for one calendar year at a time. 
• Commercial fishing and fishing guide permits are granted by the Uusikaupunki City government on separate application. 
• Organising fishing competitions requires a separate official decision, which is prepared by the urban planning unit. 
• The City's fishing areas are visible on the City's fishing map. The map displays some demarcated areas where trolling with several lures is possible and areas where only lure fishing is allowed (Ruokolanjärvi and Käätyjärvi lakes). 
• All fishing is prohibited in the port area, which is marked on the map. 
• With zander fishing, the smallest permitted knot spacing in nets is 45 mm. 

You can fish right in the middle of town 

Ruokolanjärvi (Fishing park Ruokolax) and Käätyjärvi lakes 

Ruokolanjärvi and Käätyjärvi are located right in the town centre. On both lakes, you may fish in the ways included in the general fishing right, meaning that you can angle or ice fish, and, provided that you pay the fisheries management fee, you can also cast a lure.  

There are four platforms on the shores of Ruokolanjärvi and a couple of rowing boats are freely available in the summer. Fishing events are sometimes organised at Ruokolanjärvi. 
Käätyjärvi lake is located next to Ruokolanjärvi and it is larger in area, but shallower than Ruokolanjärvi.

Map of meltwater spots 

With the help of local fishers, it has been possible to make a list of and mark a number of well-known meltwater spots on the map, mainly in the water area next to the centre of Uusikaupunki. The map only applies to good ice conditions, which do not occur every year in the archipelago. One should also be careful when close to open fairways, as ice may be weak even across large areas. Everyone must watch out for themselves when moving around on the ice. 

You can view the common meltwater spots in the City's internet map service. (Please note open fairways separately). 

Fisheries management fee

You must pay the fisheries management fee if you are between the ages of 18 and 64 and use lures, fishing gear or catch crabs. You do not have to pay the fisheries management fee if you angle, ice-fish, use a simple herring rig, or you are under 18 or over 65 years old. The fisheries management fee entitles you to fish with one lure in almost the entire country, although sometimes you will need to obtain an additional permit from the owner of the water area. The payment is personal and it must be paid even if you fish only in your own water areas. 

Payment and registration 

The fisheries management fee can be paid online, by phone, or at a service counter. Fishers who pay the fisheries management fee will be included in the fisheries management fee register. When registering, you are required to give your name, contact information and date of birth. The information is used in the management of fishing grounds and fish populations.  

Please take the receipt for the fisheries management fee with you when you go fishing. In order to prove age-based fishing rights, we recommend that you carry an identity card with you when fishing. The fisheries management fee applies to the whole of Finland, except Åland. 
 
Please find up-to-date information on the payment options for the Fisheries Management Fee and registration on the Eräluvat website of the Forestry Board (Metsähallitus). 

Commercial fishing permits 

You can obtain a temporary permit for commercial fishing in the water area owned by the City of Uusikaupunki. A prerequisite for obtaining a permit is that the applicant belongs to the class I group of commercial fishers in the register of commercial fishers maintained by the ELY Centre for Economic Development, as well as being registered as a resident in Uusikaupunki. Professional fishers must indicate the locations of their fyke nets on a map. The net markers of professional fishers are different from those of recreational fishers and they must display the FIN code of the fishing vessel. Professional fishers can obtain a licence for three years at a time. 

The 2023 application period for licences has expired.  

Commercial fishing permits  

• Net fishing 
• Fyke net fishing 
• Seine 
• Hook fishing  
• Fish-traps  

The City Government is responsible for granting permits for other types of fishing gear. 

The City Council approved the fishing rules for the water areas owned by the City of Uusikaupunki at its meeting on June 3, 2019 (§ 218).