Lake Pyhäjärvi – the mother of all zander lakes, the Tampere Region, Finland

Lake Pyhäjärvi, spreading out to the south of Tampere, is a central lake and its waters are a mixture of the brown humus-rich waters from the Lake Näsijärvi water route, the bright waters of the Lake Längelmävesi and Hauho route and the muddy shades of the Lake Vanajavesi route.

The deepest spots of Lake Pyhäjärvi lie between Tampere and Nokia. The area is maintained through substantial restocking with brown trout and rainbow trout. You can go after salmonoids in places such as the deeps close to Pyynikki islands and Saunasaari Island. It is also possible to catch a salmonoid by casting from the shores in Ratinanvuolle Strait, Viinikanlahti Bay and Hatanpää Point, located downstream from the Tammerkoski rapids fishing site.

Pyynikki boat landing site.

The Rajasalmi area and River Nokianvirta make for great fishing grounds where big perch and zander thrive. The Rajasalmi bay areas are also of interest to pike anglers.

The shallow waters in the towns of Lempäälä and Vesilahti provide the best pike-fishing areas on Lake Pyhäjärvi. The bays, sounds and shallows in the Toutonen, Alhoselkä and Vakkalanselkä areas are the realm of big pike. Lake Hulausjärvi and Näppilänsalmi Sound flowing into the lake from the Toutonen area provide a great pike spot in the spring and autumn.

In late autumn, pike hunt small fry in the rushes.

Zander from sounds and edges of deeps

Zander is the most sought-after game species on Lake Pyhäjärvi. The lake is renowned for its big zander and the largest specimens caught in recent years have been in the range of 10 kilos. Catching big zander is not easy and the typical size of zander caught in lure-fishing is in the range of 1–2 kilos even on Lake Pyhäjärvi.

Popular sites for fishing zander and perch include Hahkalanvuolle Strait in Lempäälä, Kierimonsalmi Sound between the Toutonen and Vakkalanselkä areas, Aniansalmi Sound, Kaivanto Canal flowing between Sorvanselkä and Saviselkä, as well as River Nokianvirta. The sound areas are up to 10–20 metres deep and, in addition to horizontal jigging with soft plastics, vertical jigging for zander using conical weighted lures and soft plastics is also popular.

In the summer, anglers go after zander at the mouths of bays and edges of mid-lake shallows. In late autumn, zander thrive in the deeps of Vakkalanselkä and Sorvanselkä.

Hahkalanvuolle Strait and other fast-flowing sounds provide great fishing grounds.

The sounds of Lake Pyhäjärvi have strong currents, as a result of which their winter ice cover is weak. Nevertheless, the lake is a splendid ice-fishing site and, in addition to big perch, people have also caught zander in its waters in recent years. Whitefish can be pursued with ice-fishing tackle in late winter.

There are plenty of roach, bream and other cyprinids in the lush waters of southern Lake Pyhäjärvi. In addition, tench and asp are also found in this area. Asp weighing 5–6 kilos are caught every year from the Kuokkalankoski Rapids in Lempäälä.

Fishing is prohibited on Hahkalanvuolle Strait and in the areas surrounding Luodonsaari Island from 1st May to 15th June to ensure zander reproduction.

A big perch is feeding at the flank of shoals in the Toutonen area.

ZANDERLAND - Lakes - Pyhäjärvi		Tampere Region - Finland


Lake Pyhäjärvi

Video	Map



The muddy Lake Pyhäjärvi is ranked among the best zander lakes in Finland and it is also renowned for its big perch. Stocks of pike are especially strong around the Lempäälä and Vesilahti areas. The Tampere side of Lake Pyhäjärvi is a good area for salmonoids.