The 2023 Norway salmon fishing season once again brings much excitement and hopefully the chance of a few big salmon. There were reasonable snow levels through the winter leading to the opening, and a cold drizzly spring has meant that the snow pack has stayed in the mountains. This will hopefully provide good water through the spring and mid-summer weeks. Test fishing in fjords around Trondheim in May showed that there were slightly more fish around than this time last year, and of those there was a higher proportion of large salmon as opposed to medium fish. With all this we are very positive about the season ahead.

The Gaula

Current recorded catch for 2023: 506
Largest Fish: 22 kg (48.5 lbs)
Average size: 8.0 kg (17.64 lbs)

The first few days of the Gaula season were very productive but the first full week of the season saw catches slow up a little. The good news is that more salmon are turning up in the Trondheim fjord everyday and some warmer weather should increase the flows and encouraging more fish to enter the system. This weekend will also have spring tides which should help push fish into the rivers too. In the week and a half of the season there have been 2 fish over 40 lbs and 19 of salmon over 30 lbs too. We hope that these big salmon continue to appear through the season.

Winsnes Lodge

Total Catch in 2022: 154
Total catch in 2023: 0
Largest Fish: –
Average size: –

The opening weeks at Winsnes are rarely made available until just prior to the season when conditions are more predictable, so as yet there have just been a handful of fishing trips made on the beats. Conditions however are looking fantastic and we can’t wait to see what the first full group arriving this weekend manage to find. From what we have seen so far we are expecting a number of big fish to come from the Gaula this season.

Norwegian Fly Fisher’s Club

Total Catch in 2022: 340
Total Catch in 2023: 11
Largest Fish: 12.5 kg (27.56 lbs)
Average size: 9.4 kg (20.72 lbs)

Like much of the Gaula, we are expecting good things from the NFC water this season. In the first few days NFC landed fish on beats both above and below the Gaulfoss. This past week saw a number of wonderful salmon landed including a pristine 25lb bar of silver for Mike Corner-Jones on the Lodge Pool. Mike was fishing a Frodin Green and yellow 10cm tube at the end of the Guideline 3D S1/S3/S5 shooting head and a long leader. With a lodge average in excess of 20lb we do not think it will be long until a one of the huge Gaula salmon makes an appearance.

Last Minute Availability
Week 25 (18 to 25 June): 2 rods available. £3,390 per person
Week 31 (30 July to 5 August): 3 rods available. £1,860 per person
Week 32 (5 to 13 August): 3 rods available. £1,830 per person

The Orkla

Current recorded catch for 2023: 345
Largest Fish: 17.5 kg (38.58 lbs)
Average size: 8.3 kg (18.3 lbs)

The Orkla tends to experience very similar conditions to the Gaula, the opening days were very similar with a great kick-off then things slowing up somewhat. That said, with warmer weather and the prospect of increased snow melt and spring tides we are expecting great things over the coming days and weeks. The opening week and a half of the season there have been 9 of salmon over 30 lbs too. We hope that these big salmon continue to appear through the season.

Our opening report from Gjaeret Lodge on the middle river came in yesterday;

The first few days were excellent, then there has been a tail off, but runs of new fish into the fjord bound for the river are increasing substantially now. The water is a bit low now but with the warm weather this will melt the snow still piled up in the mountains. The river average weight is still over 8kg. Looking at fish counter I would expect an upswing within the coming days. Hopefully to be taken advantage of by the first Aardvark McLeod group!

The Lakselv

Current recorded catch for 2023: 2
Largest Fish: 8.4 kg (18.52 lbs)
Average size: 7.2 kg (15.87 lbs)

Oldero Lodge

Total Catch in 2022: 112
Total Catch in 2023: –
Largest Fish: –
Average size: –

The fishing on the Lakselv and at Oldero Lodge always is a bit slower to get going due to being far up in the north of Norway. The lodge is set to open with its first group on the 18th June, and with the main spring flood through the system we are hopeful that the first groups at Oldero will experience some wonderful fishing. The lodge team arrived on Sunday evening and provided a brief update:

We have been looking on all beats and all looks good, saw a 9-10 kg fresh salmon earlier on our beat in the very top of the river, definitely a running fish… River looks good and clear.

Last Minute Availability
30 July to 6 August (Week 31) – 1 rod available prime time

The Namsen

Current recorded catch for 2023: 441
Largest Fish: 20 kg (44.09 lbs)
Average size: 7.1 kg (15.65 lbs)

The Namsen lies just north of Trondheim and has a rich history for big salmon. It is a much bigger river than the likes of the Gaula and Orkla so whilst fly fishing is not always the primary method there are some lovely beats suited for fly fishing. The 2023 season has kicked off fantastically with many of the lower beats recorded some giant salmon. The opening days of the season there have been 4 fish over 40 lbs and 8 of salmon over 30 lbs too, three of these fish were taken on fly. We hope that these big salmon continue to appear through the season.

Namsentunet Lodge

Total Catch in 2023: 13
Largest Fish: 12.5 kg (27.56 lbs)
Average size: 6.82 kg (15.04 lbs)

The fishing at Namsentunet has now kicked off with 13 fish landed in the first full week of the season with seven fish taken on fly. With the prime weeks of the season to come we have high expectations.

For more information about salmon fishing in Norway please contact Alex Jardine or call our office on +44(0)1980 847389.