Pro Pilkki 2 tips for beginners

These get you started. You will have to find the fishing spots and the best lures yourself.

Getting started

Start with a light rod and a small lure. For a bigger fish you need a bigger lure and a stronger rod, but small fish will not take a big lure.
Fish stay at depth changes, for example at the edges of banks and deeps. A flat bottom is usually quieter, so look at the depth map before you start drilling.
Keep the lure near the bottom at first. In mid-water fish feed less often and at the surface even less often, but it varies by species and month.
If the fish do not bite, change the spot or the depth first and only then the lure. Schools move, so a good spot does not stay good.
Pike drive smaller fish away from their vicinity. If a spot suddenly goes quiet, the reason may be a pike. Some schools also avoid the sound of drilling and move to a calmer spot.
It is worth watching where the computer players fish and reading the competition result lists. They show which species wins a competition.

A vertical lure is a safe all-round choice, although most species have their own favourite.
For bigger fish it is worth trying a horizontal lure. It works for both big individuals and large species.
The biggest predators strike the spoons and charr spoons. Fleas and other small lures suit small fish.
Fish do not like the same colours on every map. Feel free to try different colours.
You will find all the game's lures with their names and pictures at the bottom of this page.
If you are hunting only record fish, leave out the lures for small fish, even if bites come less often. Every small fish takes time.

When the fish are feeding well, a fly maggot suits a vertical lure and a flea. Hide the tip of the hook inside the maggot.
If the bite fades, change the fly maggot to a blood worm. With it the tip of the hook may be left showing.
Shrimp and Powerbait suit spoons. They are used mainly with noble fish, but pike and burbot can take them too. You can try shrimp on a charr spoon.
Minnow fish is meant for burbot fishing. Start with the head, then change to the middle section and finally the tail.

The small red auger (4 inches) makes a hole quickly. It is enough on maps where big fish seldom come.
The big green auger (6 inches) suits weight competitions and maps where big fish are on offer.
The Light flea rod (1) is sensitive and suits fleas, light vertical lures and small horizontal lures. The Standard rod (2) is an all-round rod that copes with most lures, and is therefore often used as the starting rod.
The Strong rod (3) is stiff and does not suit fleas. The Heavy rod (4) is flexible and meant for big fish and heavy lures. With these it is worth switching to the bigger auger.

Early winter is the time of first ice. The bite can then be good at moments.
In midwinter there is little light and the bite weakens in most species, but for some this is the best time. Most competitions are played precisely then.
In late winter perch and roach usually feed better, and many other species also pick up. Rainbow trout go quiet as spawning approaches.
In winter fish feed most in daylight, but some species also take a lure at dawn and dusk. In spring the bite concentrates in the morning and evening. At night you can ice fish only on maps where burbot can be caught.

With the left mouse button held down the rod follows the lure, and the movement is ordinary wiggling. With the right button you move the whole rod and can lift the lure long and slowly, which can wake a passive fish. Too much wiggling scares the fish away.
In a short competition it is worth taking a little risk, because one big fish may be enough to win. In a long competition consistency and experience decide, so seek a place where there is a lot of fish.