Sea Fishing Norway

Norway offers sea fishing holiday in a class of its own - simply world class!

If sea fishing is running through your veins - Norway has it all. Stunning scenery, generally sheltered sea fishing, a huge choice of species and a chance to beat your personal best big cod, big halibut, coalfish or wolfish as well as many other species.

Anglers World holidays have spent years researching coastal sea fishing in Norway. To experience huge catches of quality fish this is the place to visit, the sea fishing simply gets better the further north you go.

APRIL 2010 - NEW RECORD MONSTER COD LANDED -  41 KILOS NEW ROD A NORWAY SEA FISHING RECORD! CALL 01246 221717 TO BOOK SPRING 2012

The combination of the gulf stream and the Arctic ocean, together with Norway's strict commercial sea fishing policy has resulted in an increase of big coastal cod and halibut populations.

Our clients frequently report 30 40 50lb cod each season and 60 to 70lb cod are caught occasionally. Haddock can also weigh into double figures, huge halibut exceeding 300lb are also reported in these waters, usually in late summer into early autumn. Big coalfish also arrive inshore from Trondheim to Tromso areas in late summer these can exceed 30lb

In Norway you can catch all year round, March to October is the best time if you like long hours of daylight and warmer weather. Choose late May to mid September if you can cope with cold weather 0 to –8C. March and April can produce some monster cod though not as prolific in numbers. The bigger halibut tend to show in September/October. Specimen coalfish to 30lbs usually show July to September. Take a medium class spinning rod with fixed spool reel loaded with 30lb braid and a selection of lures for sea trout salmon and coalfish.

To get the best out of your sea fishing trip to Norway it is essential to use a boat, self use or skippered. You don’t have to travel far, most marks around 30 to 70 metres deep produce great sea fishing action. We find 300 - 400 gramme pirks and 10 ounce shads ideal for cod and halibut. Green and blue chrome popular colours. Large shads are effective for cod and halibut in colder water conditions. Casting 150 gramme to 200 gramme pirks account for quality coalfish. 50lb braid with a 70lb mono leader to 20lb class rods is the correct tackle here.

Ask us about escorted sea fishing trips in Norway with Dave Lewis.

Anglers World holidays offer escorted trips with Dave Lewis – available from April 2011 7 nights 6 days sea fishing call now 01246 221717 for booking details.

Sea Fishing Norway Destinations & Accommodation

SKJERVOY (via Tromso) is our No.1 destination for your sea fishing adventure in Norway. Fantastic catch rates, a huge choice of species and great facilities. Skjervoy is a unique sea fishing centre in Norway, suitable for families and partners. The friendly town is located nearby, only a 10 minute walk or a short trip across the large sheltered harbour. The town has two bars, restaurants, cafes, two supermarkets, tackle shops and gift shops. See Skjervoy fiskcamp page for details.

Skjervoy offers huge holiday discounts in March/April and September with excellent sea fishing. 7 night 6 days fishing trip from £345pp 4 travelling with cottage and arvor boat. Flights to Norway and transfers are extra. CALL 01246 221717 TO CHECK AVAILABILITY

SKJERVOY April 19th large apartment and 2 arvor boats 7 nights only £415 pp flights transfers extra. Based on 6 anglers in a group. CALL 01246 221717 TO CHECK AVAILABILITY

LAUKLINES (via Tromso) is an excellent north Norway sea fishing centre in the sheltered Kattfjord just over half an hour from Tromso. Ideally situated for short transfer times and boasts great sea fishing for big cod, halibut, coalfish, haddock and wolfish. Prime fishing waters are a short trip out in comfortable and well equipped boats. There are 6 traditional cottages overlooking the dock and fjord, each offering self catering accommodation with 1 to 3 bedrooms, bathroom, kitchen, lounge. All linen and electricity included. See Lauklines fiskecamp page for details.

SPAKENES (via Tromso) is a small fishing centre overlooking the Lyngen alps. excellent sea fishing for big cod, coalfish, haddock and halibut. Standard boats with 40hp outboards or arvor boats available. 3 cottages beside the fjord 2 have 2 bedrooms - perfect for 2 to 4 persons. One cottage has 3 bedrooms and sleeps up to 6. All are well furnished for a self catering sea fishing holiday and share a summerhouse. See Spakenes fiskcamp page for details.

MALANGEN BRYGGER is an excellent sheltered sea fishing location just 65 kms south of Tromso. Accommodation comprises 2 storey houses each with 3 bedrooms close to the waters edge. See Malangen-Brygger page for details.

LYNGEN HAVFISKE & TURSENTER is located in the sheltered Nordlenangen fjord. Excellent accommodation in 7 well furnished cottages right on the water. Each has 3 bedrooms and caters well for up to 6 anglers. See Lyngentur page for details.

ARNOY KVÆNANGEN FJORD Lauksletta House is a delightful country house overlooking a sheltered fjord on the stunning island of Arnoy. Adjoining the main house a comfortably furnished apartment offering complete self catering for up to 4 persons. Lauksletta House is the main base for private groups (ideal for groups of 6 to 8 anglers) for skippered sea fishing on the Troms Explorer. See Arnoy Kvænangen Fjord page for details.

With such abundance and sizes that other locations can only dream about, we are confident your sea fishing Norway adventure will be one to remember.

Self boat use regulations

Anglers under 30 years of age operating a boat over 21 feet long and/or with an engine capacity of 50hp must have a certificate or participate in a local induction course upon arrival. Life jackets supplied. During spring and autumn floatation suits are advised. Safety: fish in pairs and take your mobile telephone with lodge emergency numbers.

SOUTH NORWAY OFFER - SOTRA RORBUSENTER, NR BERGEN  

Fishing around Bergen is good from early summer through to September. There is a good variety of fish and plenty of them but don't expect to catch the biggest fish here - it is more about variety although big cod are sometimes caught, especially early in the season.

Sotra Rorbusenter is a well-sheltered holiday and fishing centre 35km from Bergen. Direct flights are available from Gatwick to Bergen with Norwegian.no. Transfers by taxi.

Comfortably furnished, well-equipped apartments sleeping up to 8 anglers. There is a range of self-drive boats available and skippered fishing can be arranged.

High season prices based on 4 persons sharing an apartment and 18ft 30hp boat from £299 per person (flights and transfers extra).

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.

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. Sea 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, wolfish 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 wolfish 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 Bodo, Tromso 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.

AVERAGE TEMPERATURES °C

The Fish

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.

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. For more information on cod fishing in Norway click here.

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.