Ämmäkoski

• A fishing day begins at 12.00 and ends at 11.59. A day’s licence costs 50 euros. A total of 3 permits are available for sale per day, in addition to which the Warkaus Sport Fishing Association has 3 permits per day at its disposal. Furthermore, as the owner of the water area, the town has reserved the right to two permits per day.
• For the duration of the agreement, lake trout, lake salmon and grayling are fully protected in the rapids area; fishing for salmonids is carried out on a ‘catch and release’ basis, and the focus is on other fish species.
• Fishing is prohibited throughout the Ämmäkoski rapids area between 1 September and 30 November.
• Anglers may use one (1) rod with a single line. The rod must be held in the angler’s hand or within arm’s reach, no more than two metres away. The rod must not be left unattended whilst fishing. In rapids and fast-flowing areas, bottom fishing is prohibited.
• In the Ämmäkoski rapids area, only barbless hooks may be used. A rod may be fitted with a maximum of two single-shank hooks (spaced at least 50 cm apart). The maximum permitted hook size is #2/0, with a shank length of no more than 15 mm.
• Fishing in the rapids area must cease when the water temperature rises above 21°C. Should the rapids freeze over and the licence be cancelled, a refund will be issued via ostaluvat.fi.
• In rapids and fast-flowing areas, it is prohibited to use bait paste, silicone lures or natural bait such as maggots, worms, prawns or live bait fish. Fishing from a boat is not permitted. Nets, fish traps, longlines and other stationary fishing gear are also prohibited.
• Holders of a licence are obliged to keep a record and report details of fish caught and fish released. (Via WhatsApp to +358 44 7436274. Please include in your message the angler’s name, species of fish, estimated or measured length, and whether the fins are intact or clipped. A photo of the fish is optional).
• Anglers must have paid the state fisheries management fee.
• Anglers move about in the area at their own risk. The City of Varkaus accepts no liability for any damage occurring in the area.
• Wading is prohibited in the marked areas until 15 June.

Kämärin and Ämmäkoski fishing prohibition areas

View the map of the no-fishing zone as a PDF file

• Lake trout and lake salmon are fully protected in the rapids area; fishing is carried out on a ‘catch and release’ basis, and the focus is on other fish species.
• Zander: (Minimum size 42 cm) Limit: 3 fish per day.
• Rainbow trout: Limit of 3 fish per day.

Stocking activities at Ämmäkoski are carried out in collaboration with the City of Varkaus, the fisheries authority, the Varkaus recreational anglers’ association, the Haukivesi fisheries area and the shareholders’ associations of the mandatory stocking areas downstream of Varkaus. The aim of stocking is primarily to support the natural reproduction of lake trout, lake salmon and grayling. Rainbow trout are not stocked in the rapids area.

The rapids at Varkaus were harnessed for power generation in 1912, and a dam was built at the upper reaches of Ämmäkoski after 1916. Before that, Ämmäkoski was one of the most fish-rich rapids in the Saimaa water system. The dam played a key role in Varkaus’s industrialisation, but at the same time it degraded the natural environment of the rapids and prevented migratory fish from reaching the upper reaches. 

The natural state of the rapids was eroded by severe fluctuations in water flow. Due to water regulation, Ämmäkoski suffered from drought, except during flood periods, and the fish were not directed into the old fishways at the regulation dam and Kämärinkoski. Trout arrived to spawn, but the survival rate of the fry was low. 

In 2020, a large-scale river restoration project – exceptional even on a European scale – was launched, with the aim of restoring Ämmäkoski to a thriving state. The key solution was the construction of a new, natural bypass channel past the dam. The channel allows fish to move freely between Unnukka and Haukivesi and ensures a sufficient year-round flow throughout the entire rapids area. 

At the same time, the rapids’ structures were restored, spawning grounds were expanded through voluntary labour, and smaller side channels, such as Arpinkoski and Kattilakoski, were revitalised. Construction work began in 2022. Finland’s largest new natural bypass channel, 170 metres long and 10 metres wide, was opened that very autumn. Restoration work in the rapids area continued in the following years. 

The results have been significant. Fish are finding the new channel and using it actively. The bypass channel serves both as a migration route and as an important habitat for stream-dwelling species. According to initial monitoring studies, fry production in the rapids area has already tripled and fry numbers have increased many-fold. 

The Ämmäkoski restoration project was part of the Ministry of Agricultureand Forestry, which aims to improve the living conditions of migratory fish and restore the natural reproduction of migratory fish stocks in Finland’s rivers. In addition to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the WWF, the project was funded and supervised by the City of Varkaus, Stora Enso Oyj, the North Savo Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, and the project’s main implementer, Navitas Kehitys Oy. The project concluded at the end of 2025. 

The rapids area, its recovery and, in particular, the resumption of natural trout reproduction will continue to be closely monitored in the future. Following the completion of the restoration project, responsibility for monitoring has been transferred to the Haukivesi fisheries management area. 

Ämmäkoski is a rare and valuable habitat for several migratory fish species, of which the Saimaa lake salmon and lake trout are particularly critically endangered. The Saimaa lake salmon is even more endangered than the Saimaa ringed seal: only a few individuals remain in the wild, and the survival of the species depends entirely on human conservation efforts. The lake trout has also suffered a severe decline due to the damming of watercourses and changes to its habitat. 

Lake salmon and lake trout are migratory fish that are born in rivers, grow up in lakes and return as adults to their birthplace to spawn. They require clean, flowing waters and gravel beds to reproduce. As fry, they spend several years in rapids before migrating to the lake. Their life cycle also involves returning to the same home rapids to spawn, which makes every running watercourse unique and irreplaceable. 

The restoration of Ämmäkoski has restored the opportunity for migratory fish to ascend to spawn and has also provided new habitats for other riverine species, such as whitefish and stone loach. Follow-up studies show that the numbers of trout fry, in particular, have increased significantly, and biodiversity in the rapids area has improved. 

Over the centuries, Ämmäkoski has served as a transport route, a royal fishing ground and a source of power for industry. Its location in the narrows of the Saimaa waterway made the Varkaus region a key transport hub and a transit point for traders even in pre-industrial times. The difficult-to-navigate rapids became natural stopping and refuelling points for travellers, as boats had to be hauled overland past the rapids. 

The fish-rich waters and rapids attracted fishermen to Varkaus long before any permanent settlement was established. Ämmäkoski was once one of the most fish-rich rapids in the Saimaa water system and was renowned for its salmon, which were rarely found in the surrounding waters. Its reputation even reached the Swedish court, and in the 16th century a crown fishery under the authority of Olavinlinna Castle was established in Varkaus.

Gustav Vasa declared that the wilderness belonged to ‘God, the King and the Swedish Crown’. The Crown strictly regulated fishing rights. Salmon were stocked in the rapids and special salmon-rearing pools were constructed. 

The power of the rapids laid the foundations for the birth of industry in Varkaus. The first mills were built on the banks of the Ämmäkoski and Huruskoski (now Voimakanava) as early as the 18th century. Industry in Varkaus is considered to have begun in 1815, when Baron Gustaf Wrede received permission from the Senate to establish an ironworks. The reasons for locating the ironworks there included the rapids and the nearby deposits of lake ore and forest resources. 

During the time of the Varkaus ironworks, half of the fishing grounds belonged to the works. In the latter half of the 19th century, Paul Wahl & Co had its own fisherman in Varkaus, who caught salmon from Ämmäkoski for the factory management’s dining tables. Kalapirtti, one of Varkaus’s oldest buildings, served as a base for this work.

In the 19th century, salmon fishing was only permitted with a special licence, which was obtained by paying an annual fee into the workers’ sickness benefit fund. Permits were granted to factory officials as well as visiting anglers from both Finland and abroad. Ämmäkoski was also an internationally renowned fishing destination, visited in the 19th century particularly by English sport fishermen. Even with a special permit, only a rod and line could be used; the use of other fishing gear was permitted only for the factory’s own fishermen. The catch consisted mainly of salmon and whitefish, as well as some pike, ide, bream, perch and roach.

The rapids area has served the developing industry and changed along with it. The rapids were harnessed for energy production, and a dam was built at the upper reaches of Ämmäkoski in the early 20th century. The current large dam dates from 1972. The dam hampered the reproduction of migratory fish and their passage to the upper reaches, and due to strict water regulation, the rapids suffered from drought, except during periods of flooding.

Over the decades, attempts have been made to facilitate fish passage and improve living conditions in the rapids area. Fish passes were built at the Ämmäkoski regulation dam and at Kämärinkoski, but the fish did not use them. A new era dawned in 2022, when Finland’s largest natural bypass channel was completed at Ämmäkoski, allowing fish to migrate past the dam. The rapids, which had been blocked for over a hundred years, now flow freely, and the endangered Saimaa lake salmon is once again spawning in its former home waters. 

Following industrialisation, the rapids area and its islands were owned by A. Ahlström Oy. Until 2022, the fishing rights for the rapids area were leased to the Warkauden Urheilukalastajat ry fishing club. The water area is now owned by the City of Varkaus.

The rapids landscape now forms a unique recreational and nature area. Read more about the Kämärin outdoor and recreational area.

• In the rapids area, there is a shelter with fire pits, as well as tables and benches for a picnic.
• Restaurants, accommodation and shops in the Old Varkaus area are located about 300 metres away on Päiviönsaari.
• Public toilets are available at the Varkaus swimming pool in Ilopisara (please note the summer opening hours).
• The beautiful island of Kämärin is situated between Ämmäkoski and the historic Taipale canal area.
• Parking is available in the Navitas Taitotalot car park on the Ämmäkoski side at Wredenkatu 1–3.

Monitoring of the Ämmäkoski trout population in Varkaus, 2019–2024
. Working Report 3/2025 (Reetta Väätäinen, Jukka Syrjänen and Kimmo Sivonen)

Monitoring of the brown trout population at Ämmäkoski, Varkaus, 2019–2025
Working Report 7/2026 (Reetta Väätäinen, Jukka Syrjänen & Kimmo Sivonen)