Norway as a fishing destination really doesn’t need much of an introduction, for generations, Scandinavia has been a trout and salmon destination. But, with newer, budget airlines offering awesome flight prices, now is the time to start looking at Norway for your next fly fishing adventure. From sea trout along the coast to wild, native brown trout, to giant Atlantic Salmon, this country has everything.
Wild, Native Brown Trout
For most American anglers, the Brown Trout is sometimes a revered trophy. They have colonized countless miles of streams around the world, but their native range lies in Europe. The fish we were targeting were in small mountain streams with giant waterfalls and beaver dams creating deep tannic water. It felt like we were blue-lining for native brook trout in the Smoky Mountains, but in fact, we were casting to bite-size native brown trout. These fish have inhabited these streams and rivers for thousands of years and its truly something special for any angler to get their hook into one
The Scenery
No matter how the fishing is going, it’s impossible to ignore the beauty of the spots you will get to fish. We were landing brown trout above and below these falls. Most of Norway is mountainous home to bright blue glacial rivers and crystal clear small waters, it’s about as picturesque as fishing scenery can get.
The Salmon Fishing
As the giant Atlantic Salmon above illustrates, Norway has some of the healthiest and strongest returning runs of Atlantic Salmon on Earth. This fish was caught up at Oldero Lodge, which is situated on a private island in the middle of one of the legendary Norwegian salmon rivers. Since Norway is home to so many great rivers, it’s not hard to find an area with lower-cost access that still holds wild healthy Atlantic Salmon populations as they make their annual run upstream to their home waters. Check out this article on how the monster Salmon above was landed, here!
The Public Access
Once we figured out we would be traveling and fishing in Norway, we began researching how licensing works in the country and it almost works smoother than some US states. Norway has a fantastic fish management system, allowing regions to regulate themselves. Most regions require you to simply pay a small fee for access to the rivers in that area. The coast of Norway is 100% public access, requiring no license to fish, and similarly to many US states, all that is required is that you stay within the tidal zone while wading. To read more about getting a fishing license in Norway, check out this blog from Fishspot.no!
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