11/09/2026
I DIDN’T expect this: I was looking for zander in deep water, but they were holding at just TWO metres.
This time, I chose a small, unfamiliar lake, roughly 1 x 1.5 kilometres in size.
A little "frog pond": murky water, reed-covered shores, and the opposite bank visible from almost anywhere on the lake. Fish appeared on the sonar practically everywhere, but that didn’t mean they were easy to catch.
At first, I caught a few pike holding at a depth of 4-5 metres. Out of habit, I searched for zander even deeper, at around 5-6 metres.
But after several hours, I realised that my original logic had been completely wrong. The active zander had moved into shallow water and were holding at just 2-3 metres. As soon as I figured this out, the fish started coming one after another.
It took me around five or six hours to understand this new lake: testing different depths, watching how the fish reacted to the lure, taking the wind into account, and finally stopping looking for zander where they were “supposed” to be.
Once again, it confirmed something I have believed for a long time: you don’t need to head for a huge body of water like Lake Saimaa or Lake Päijänne to enjoy good fishing.
If you don’t know the spots, you can spend an entire day simply searching. A smaller lake is easier to explore and understand. Eventually, you stop catching fish by chance and start catching them because you have worked out where they are and what they are doing.
We’ll help you choose the right lake for your fishing trip in Finland!
www.suomi-fishing.com