With 450 productive salmon rivers, Norway is the world's foremost spawning ground for Atlantic wild salmon. It is estimated that around 30% of the total Atlantic salmon stocks are running Norwegian rivers every year and around 140,000 - 160,000 salmon are reported caught by anglers every season. A good number of fish caught are in the 15 - 25kg range.
Over recent years, salmon fishing stocks in Norway have proved remarkably resilient. A lot of effort is being put into conservation and stock management, dealing with fish farming problems, introducing bag limits and catch-and-release programmes.
Fly-fishing is probably the favoured technique in most Norwegian rivers, but other types of fishing are still common. Spinning is quite normal and sensible too, when the river conditions demand it.
When to Fish
The salmon, sea-trout and arctic char season in Norway normally runs from 1 June - 31 August. The main salmon runs are normally from mid-summer (20 June - 20 July). Good grilse runs take place in July. Fishing in August can also be very rewarding as salmon start settling down to spawn and good numbers of big cock salmon also arrive in August. In most rivers sea-trout start to appear at the end of July or in early August and fishing normally continues to the end of the season.
Where to Fish
Norway is roughly divided into three main salmon fishing areas, Arctic Norway, Central Norway and Western/Southern Norway. The best fishing
is in the first two regions, so these are the ones featured by Project Travel.
Arctic Norway: Above the Arctic Circle the landscape is incredibly varied with jagged alpine peaks, birch covered hillsides and vast rolling plateaus. The land is a mix of rivers, lakes and waterfalls, wide valleys, extensive forests and mighty mountain plains. The fjords penetrate their way deep in-land, their waters appearing dark and grey in bad weather but deep blue and inviting in calmer conditions. Project Travel offers packages on the Beiar River.
Central Norway: This is a region with open coastal plains and mountains with high, snowy peaks. Long valleys stretching to the wide Trondheim fjord divide the region. Pine covered hillsides lead down to rolling fields and well-tendered farms. The region has been knows for generations as Norway's food store. Featured rivers in this area are the Namsen, considered to be one of the best salmon rivers in the world, the Gaula and Stjørdal.
While you are free to catch-and-release or to keep your catches, there are bag limits on most rivers. If you prefer to keep your catch an arrangement can often made to allow you to bring your fish home; be it frozen, smoked or cured in the special Norwegian way. If your catch is made later in the week it may be possible to exchange it for one of a similar size already smoked and packed for you to take home.
