Norway, the finest sea and game fishing in Europe

No country in the world can offer sea fishing in the same class as Northern Norway. The combinations of Gulf Stream and Arctic Ocean together with Norway's strict commercial fishing policy have actually created an increase in the big coastal cod and halibut populations! With strict commercial limits Norway leads the way in fisheries management. The coastal cod stocks have shown an incease in recent years.

Pristine rivers have excellent runs of Atlantic salmon during high summer, the Gaula being one excellent example. Sea trout fishing along the coast in Nordreisa is excellent, fishing from the shore or in self use boats.

Stunning scenery, generally sheltered fishing, a huge choice of species and the chance to beat your personal best in cod, halibut, coalfish and wolffish makes Norway (the north in particular) the number one sea fishing destination.

Many centres offer both sea and game fishing options, ideal for the serious or family angler.

The sea fishing gets better the further north one travels.. Huhe cod, halibut, wolf fish and coalfish. Cod in excess of 50 pounds are caught each season, halibut are common from 10 to 50 pounds but 200 to 400 pound halibut are landed usually late summer into autumn. Big coalfish arrive inshore from Trondheim to Tromso areas in late summer. Coalfish can exceed 30 pounds.

The Trondelag area, access via Trondheim, provides excellent salmon fishing, The Gaula in particular is renown for big Atlantic salmon from June into August. Winsnes Fly Fishing Lodge provides excellent salmon fishing on top beats with accommodation and meals included. There are partial or fully guided options. Hitra is a top sea fishing destination but also provides trout, char and salmon fishing close by.

ENJOY OFF PEAK BARGAIN TRIPS.. Skjervoy offers huge discounts in March, April and September with excellent fishing potential. Target those big Cod, Halibut and Coalfish, a 7 night 6 days fishing trip with direct flights, transfers, cottage and Arvor boat.. from £625 pp.

SEA TROUT & SALMON... Storslett. Stay at the Reisafjord Hotel, full board and enjoy excellent fly and lure fishing for sea trout and the potential of salmon. Self use boat hire is available to explore this sheltered fjord, shore fishing is also excellent. Wideroe Airlines fly direct from Tromso and its just a 3 minute taxi ride to the hotel. Sample cost based on two travelling, 4 nights, full board and a self use boat included for 2 days...from £506 pp .. B&B 4 nights / 2 days boat hire from £398 pp..Flights extra.

Weather

Can change by the day.. Winters are cold, often dry with occasional heavy snowfall. Spring is generally cold, crisp and bright. Summer comes almost overnight in mid May and stays until September. The warmest months are June, July and August where in the far north of Norway, above the Arctic Circle the sun never sets. Temperatures in summer can range from 8 to 28 degrees celcius. In winter below zero temperatures are often recorded.

Visit www.yr.no. for up to date weather information.

Clothing

In spring, thermals are essential; dress as warm as you can. In summer, wear layered clothing so you can remove some as the temperature rises. A warm jacket is advised when travelling on the water.

Seasons

Skippered fishing from February into November. Self-use boats are best from May to September. Fishing in Mid Norway is best from mid June to early October as the big cod shoals progressively move south in spring/early summer.

In Northern Norway the potentially offers almost year round fishing due to the warming effect of the Gulf Stream. However occasional winter storms can occur so the safest season for self use boats is mid April to late September. Skippered fishing on Troms Explorer offers a much wider season. We target the huge Barents Sea Cod in late January to March, then the coastal cod, halibut, wolf fish through into September. September through to early November is when we concentrate on prolific and big halibut (fish over 400lbs have been caught on rod and line and halibut over 600lbs caught commercially), big cod and big coalfish. The wolffish move back into the fjord areas at this time too. Salmon fishing is from June until late August.

Travel;

Flights with SAS and Norwegian are reliable and good value. Some flights are direct, others via Oslo. It's generally a good days travel from your UK airport to your accommodation. You get 6 good days fishing in a weeks holiday.

Northern Norway

Fly-drive or flights and transfers via Bodø, Tromsø and Alta. The best connections are usually with SAS flights from Heathrow at 0720 hours, or Nowegian.no, but we can arrange for regional departures from most UK airports. You may have to budget for a night out and return in Oslo to ensure a smooth onward connection. Norwegian Airlines operate a twice weekly direct flight from Stansted to Trondheim or Gatwick to Tromso.  All flights to Bodo and Alta/Hammerfest are via Oslo.

TRANSFERS

Most fishing centres provide the option of private road transfers from the nearest airport. You may choose self drive car rental or take the public transfers either by fast ferry or bus depending on your chosen location. We can advise on the best option depending on your flight arrival time.

General

Passports are required for all holidays. Non full British passport holders should check for any visa requirements. If you are hiring a car you must have a valid driving licence and a credit card.

Never drink and drive and always observe the strict speed restrictions. Driving in Norway is easy on uncrowded and quiet roads that are well signposted. Some roads and tunnels have toll fees. Short ferry trips that save on drive time are good value. Have Norwegian Kroner to pay any fees. As with most of Europe you drive on the right!  Always heed local weather advice and make a note of emergency telephone numbers in your mobile phone. Always fish within mobile call range. Even without a signal it is always possible to dial the Norwegian emergency services 211 from your mobile.

Tackle Shops

Most areas have a small tackle store and garages/supermarkets generally sell pirks etc. Some fishing centres have a small tackle shop with the essentials.

Travel Insurance

Simply visit our website at www.anglers-world.co.uk and click on Travel Insurance. For further details see Terms and Conditions section. Clients should never travel without suitable travel insurance.

Catch And Release

We do take smaller cod, haddock and halibut for the table, but we release all big fish, they are the breeding stock of the future and are not the best eating. Tip… Catch and fillet your fish but leave overnight in the fridge to allow the fillets to relax, it tastes much better. You will catch a lot of fish, we advocate a catch and release system. Norwegian authorities allow 15 kilos of fillets per angler to be exported, but you should check the UK Government website of DEFRA for latest import rules. www.defra.org  Most salmon fisheries encourage catch and release where practical.

Car Rental Prices - Norway

Avis or other car rental company (Driving licence and credit credit card essential). Out of hours charges may apply depending on pickup time. Prices include all taxes, CDW insurance, unlimited mileage but excludes fuel. Prices vary from location to location. Please check at time of booking.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES °C

The Fish

Targeting Big Cod

In spring/early summer big shads produce well as the bigger cod are lazy. As the water warms in summer the big cod take pirks with zest. Drift over underwater reefs and structure, often you drift for 30 to 90 minutes at a time. Find the bait and you find the cod, sometimes you may be fishing 30 to 80 metres over 200 metres of depth.

Big Coalfish

Coalfish patrol the mid and upper levels. During the daylight hours of night-time in the north they drive the baitfish shoals to the surface.

The method is to drop your pirk down into the bait-fish and make a fast retrieve, the big coalies smash into the pirk with aggression so a lightly set drag is essential. Use smaller hooks than for cod and generally pirks in the 200 to 250 gram size. Red/black and silver are good colours.

Halibut

They can strike at any time, when winding up small cod and coalies, when pirking for cod or coalfish on the bottom and in mid depth. If you target them, use a coalie deadbait or large shad.

There are lots of known halibut areas and 100 kilo fish have been landed, with fish exceeding 300 kilos for commercial fishermen. If you hook into something huge that strips your spool, it's usually a monster halibut. It happens! Lots of good exciting halibut in the 8 - 60 lb class.  Strong terminal tackle is essential.