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fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Packrafting in the wilderness

By Erik Plankton

September 6^th, 2018

video diary

Here is a 2,5 minute video of the trip.

getting there

Last year we did a similar trip to the west side of Kaldoaivi, check it out here. Now it was time to explore the eastern parts and add something new to the mix: a packraft as a mode of transportation and fishing platform. We did the Helsinki - Ivalo flight plus rental car combo again and we were at the trail head in Sevettijärvi in the late afternoon. Weather was normal - raining.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

on the trail

Since the Opukasjärvi hut burned down last winter, our goal was to reach the Iisakkijärvi hut on the first day. It was a 16km walk from the trail head with a 30kg pack. Due to the extremely hot and dry summer all the smaller stream crossings were very easy and there are bridges and a boat ferry across the bigger ones so getting there was a simple matter of walking.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Iisakkijärvi hut

We arrived around 11pm at the hut. There was a tent outside with people already sleeping and two persons in the hut. After a quick meal I pitched my tent outside and the guys slept in the cabin.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing

The following morning it was still raining and the forecast predicted it would continue for at least until the day after so we decided to stay put and fish the lake.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

first grayling

After a couple of pikes Antti got the first proper grayling and we had it for lunch.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

cabin life

It was nice to hang out at the hut and dry our gear while going for a couple of fishing sessions during the day. Later in the evening more people arrived so we all set our sleeping quarters outside for the night.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

off to base camp

We had scouted the maps and other resources for a good spot to set up camp for a longer period. We decided on lake Tsokkisjärvi. It was pretty easy to find a nice place.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

first cast

After setting up camp and getting water from the stream we went fishing. The guys didn't even make it to the shoreline before I landed a nice one on my first cast. We thought this was going to be an awesome lake... but we were wrong.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

dinner

Smaller fish like grayling are easiest to prepare by just cutting them to pieces that fit the pan (after gutting them). You don't loose any meat as you would when making a fillet. Another advantage is that you don't need to bring a filleting knife along. A small thin plastic cutting board comes in handy. Doesn't take up space in your bag and and weighs under a 100 grams.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

raft fishing

The cold northerly wind started to ease off and the sky was getting clearer. We set up the rafts and took them out to the lake. It soon came evident that we had picked the wrong lake. You could see the bottom everywhere you went, which meant that there was no more than a couple of meters of water. Didn't catch any fish, but paddling was fun none the less.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

I like eating

This time I tried something new: vegetarian meals from TentMeals. They don't have the ordinary aluminium foil lined pouch you can eat out of. So they pack down much smaller, but on the other hand you need a pot or plate to eat out off. I didn't bring a plate on this trip at all and ate all meals directly from the MSR titanium pot. Works great especially up north, where you always have water around to wash up. The portions are really big and you get around 800 kcal from the 200 g serving. I really enjoyed the taste and texture.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

recipe: PERCH on bread

Get a nice perch
Prepare it
Enjoy!

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Summer of 69° North

We woke up to the sun shining on a calm lake. When doing recon of the area from aerial images we had marked out a pool that looked deeper than average and promising in all ways. We paddled and carried the rafts and then had a little walk. It took two hours to reach the pool in beautiful weather and surroundings.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

GRAYLING BONANZA

We started casting with Bete Lottos as simultaneously as we reached the pool. I got a bite on all of the first five casts, with two fish hooked, but eventually lost. Antti and AV both had a fish on at the same time and pulled in nice graylings. After a change of tactics I had mine in the bag and dinner secured. Best fishing for me in a very long time.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

MONSTER PIKE

One of hooked fish didn't feel like a grayling. It was pulling like a train on Antti's ultralight rod and reel. It took around ten minutes to get the first glimpse of the big ass pike. After a few unsuccessful attempts to grab the big one ashore without a net it finally surrendered. 104 cm measured. New record fish for Antti!

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

the good life

Difficult to imagine what would be better than a nice sunny evening by the fire with fresh self caught fish for dinner. Well maybe a cold beer.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

moving camp and gear talk

Since our base camp lake was so shallow and uneventful, we decided to move to Launikotajärvi lake by the Silisjoki river. It was only a short walk, so we had good time to dry out the tents and refreshen sleeping bags. As a part (or more like an super additional bonus) of the Blackburn Ranger Program I was offered Big Agnes gear. I have now accumulated around 20 nights using the tent, pad and bag and I am honestly very impressed with the real life comfort and usability of them, combined to light weight. I will do a more detailed review of the stuff later on.

Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL 1 - 1,13 kg - super sturdy in winds, roomy for a big guy and gear, totally waterproof in heavy rain, intuitive setup, good internal pockets for small items. I have used a MSR Carbon Reflex 1, which is a true minimalist ultralight tent at 790 grams, for the past two years on bike packing trips, but I do not dare to take it to the open tundra. So for 300 grams extra you get a free standing shelter with a more space and peace of mind in high winds and rain.

Sleeping pad: Q-Core SLX - 25"x78" 22oz - 63,5 x 198 cm 635g - rated to 32F / 0°C this is a great three season pad for all kinds of adventures. The most comfortable pad I have slept on. I have had two of my friends test it for a night and they both say the same. Compatible with the Pumphouse Ultra drybag / pad inflation pump. It fills the pad in about 5 scoops of air and you are done.

Sleeping bag: Flume UL 30° - 1lb 8oz - 680g - what can I say... a bag that is roomy enough for me and has a superbly comfortable hood with an oversized anti-draft collar at under 700g rocks my boat big time. Stayed warm on the nights when the temperature dropped close fo freezing and the bag did not mind being in the damp tent when it was raining for a couple of days.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Silisjoki

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

by the river

We found a great place to setup camp right by the water. We didn't have permits for the river so we could only fish the lake without results. Took a three hour hike in the evening to check out the scenery and rapids.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

jacuzzi

There was a natural pool with a permanent shower available.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

down

Once again we packed camp and hopped aboard our trusty vessels. The plan was to paddle down Silisjoki and carry the boats around the bigger rapids. It is way too risky to paddle the river without notes and knowledge of the drops and rocks. If you attach your pack lengthwise to the raft you can carry the whole package on your back for shorter distances. This doesn't work well if it is windy.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

hill top beach party

To avoid a section of bigger rapids we took a straight line across the bend of the river. This route included a nice little climb while carrying the rafts. The top of the hill was sandy like a beach with great views.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

to opukasjärvi

Paddle - carry - paddle - repeat. The last 3km of the river to Opukasjärvi is more or less a constant whitewater section. So we took out and packed the rafts and walked to the next camp by the Näätämö river.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

last camp

It started raining heavily right after dinner. After a brief hiatus on the tent the sky cleared up and we got a nice fire going. We had one more day left, but we decided to head back to the car and a sauna. The last 10km was on a good trail. The packs where only around 22kg now, so we managed a constant 15 minutes to the kilometer which meant 10 km in 2,5 hours.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Sevettijärvi

After a nice reindeer burger at the Sevetin Baari (highly recommended) we rented a small cabin from Sevetinharju (sleeps 4, electricity, basic stove, fridge at 40€ per night). You can book the sauna for 10€ / hour. It was so nice to wash all the sweat and grime away and take a plunge in the lake. One of the best saunas ever. After the sauna we heard stories of monster trout in the lake so we just had to take the rowboat out for the evening. Saw the best sunset of the entire trip and got stuck on a sand bar in the middle of the lake, but that's a whole different story :)

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

NORWAy

Since we had the extra day to spend before our flight we took the car and drove to Kirkenes. Instant mountain and fjord envy as soon as you cross the border to Norway.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

back home

After a couple hour drive back to Ivalo with a mandatory stop at PaPaNa Bar it was time to sort out the gear for the flight and return the rental car. There was a handsome reindeer lounging about in the airport parking lot. Great trip once again, thanks to Antti and A-V for the experience.

fishing and hiking in kaldoaivi

Footnotes

Packrafting, fishing and hiking in Kaldoaivi Wilderness Area, Finland

FootNotes

Packrafting, fishing and hiking in Kaldoaivi Wilderness Area, Finland

© 2026 Erik Plankton

Call of the river

Paddling Ivalojoki with the Gumotex Palava

Seeking solitude

On a familiar route

Paddling the Ivalojoki river

Luxury camping with a canoe

Sailing to Iceland

Aboard a Swan 65 s/y Vahine

RAILS TO TRAILS

Arctic bikepacking in Finland - film and gear check

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