Nordic cuisine is all the rage right now. But if you consider yourself a bona fide foodie, you'll go beyond the exclusive reservations at trendy Scandinavian restaurants and get your gourmet ingredients straight from the source, just as the locals have done it for generations.
As Nordic travel experts, we routinely send our staff out to our various destinations to test all the accommodations, transportion and activities we offer our travellers. One such inspection trip recently took place in the Kiruna area of Swedish Lapland, where some of our sales team got to try ice fishing.
What is it like to catch your own lunch? We lay it out for you below step by step.
Step 1: Go to a frozen lake
Getting there is half the fun. Following an experienced local tour guide, you'll get to drive (taking turns riding) on a snowmobile about 20 - 40 kilometres away to a prime ice fishing spot in the wild.
Step 2: Drill a hole
If you really wanted to score foodie points, you'd use a hand tool. But the winter temperatures in Lapland are a bit chilly, so you'll appreciate the speed and convenience of power tools. Your guide will tell you where to drill through the thick ice.
Step 3: Be patient
This is admittedly the most difficult step. But this downtime gives you ample opportunity to chat with your guide about Lapland and compare Arctic fashion tips with your fellow fishermen. Or even take a nap.
Step 4: Pull a fish up
Did you get a tug on your line? Reel it in and show off your catch! Don't expect good phone coverage out in the wilderness, so wait to post your new profile picture until you have Wi-Fi again in your cosy hotel.
Step 5: Eat your reward
Preferably do this after cleaning, filleting and cooking over a campfire. Were the fish not biting today? No worries, the guide will have other local foods to offer you, as well as some much-deserved hot coffee.
We may have skipped over a few essential steps (like baiting the hook) but the tour guide will make everything so easy that all you'll remember afterwards is the thrill of a wilderness experience and the sense of accomplishment.
Think you can catch a bigger fish than us?
You should consider adding ice fishing as an optional activity to one of our northern lights tours or classic Lapland holiday packages. Just ask your friendly Nordic Visitor travel consultant for details.
