About a hundred kilometres long, River Vantaanjoki starts at the city of Riihimäki, flows through six municipalities and empties into the Gulf of Finland in the Helsinki Old Town. City of Helsinki was originally founded on the mouth of the Vantaa River in 1550. River Vantaa consists of two tributaries, River Vantaa and River Keravanjoki
River Vantaanjoki is brown coloured by nature, but its waters are still rich of fish and even quite clear in the summertime from around its middle section through to the headwaters. On the Käräjäkoski Rapids in Riihimäki, located in the headwaters of the river, fishing is almost like fishing on a brook. When moving downstream, the width and discharge of the river increase while fishing sites become longer and wider.
Around its middle section, between Hyvinkää and Nurmijärvi, the river is home to several fishing sites in very verdant and grove-like natural surroundings. These sites are peaceful and you can spend all day fishing on the river without seeing any other anglers. There are campfire sites freely available to everyone at the fishing sites.
The lower section of River Vantaanjoki flows near major population centres, between Vantaa and Helsinki. Regardless of the urban surroundings, you can still feel close to nature here, although you’ll also often find other anglers at these sites due to the location. River Vantaanjoki is within easy reach of the Helsinki Metropolitan area; the distances are short and downstream fishing sites are also easily accessible by public transport.
The river is among the most significant sea trout rivers emptying into the Gulf of Finland. The improved quality of water and rapids restoration projects have created good conditions for fishing and growing stocks of fish. Salmon and sea trout have begun to reproduce naturally and migratory fish can now rise up the main river channel all the way to the headwaters. Furthermore, the water system is home to special fishing areas restocked with highly valued species.
The most popular fishing sites in River Vantaanjoki include the Nukarinkoski, Myllykoski, Vantaankoski, Pitkäkoski and Vanhankaupunginkoski Rapids. Vantaankoski is one of the most popular fishing spots in Vantaanjoki and southern Finland. The area comprises Vantaankoski, flowing below the highway Kehä III, its backwater and Mustakoski. The popularity of the area is based on the abundance of rainbow trout. The largest tributary of River Vantaanjoki is River Keravanjoki, which is about 65 km long. The Kirkonkylänkoski and Tikkurilankoski Rapids in the lower section of the river have been equipped with fish ladders, which enable salmon and sea trout to rise upriver all the way to the Haarajoki River dam in Järvenpää. In near future Haarajoki River dam will be demolished and the migratory fish of the River Vantaanjoki have even more habitat and better conditions to migrate from sea to the spawning grounds.
More than 6,000 fishing licences are sold for the River Vantaanjoki water system every year, while the total haul of fish exceeds 20,000 kilos. The most sought-after catch is sea trout, while the most common target species are rainbow trout, pike and perch. You may also catch species such as salmon, grayling and various cyprinids.
The mouth of the Vantaanjoki river is a good spot for fishing for whitefish, trout and salmon with a rod, when the migratory fish rise to spawn in the river. However, please note that from 1 September to 30 November, whitefish, trout and salmon are protected and may not be fished from the river.
| Type: | Rivers |
| Length: | 101 km |
Fish Species: Asp, Bream, Grayling, Ide, Perch, Pike, Rainbow trout, Roach, Rudd, Salmon, Sea trout, Whitefish
