Big salmon
The first tourists to Norway from Britain were upper class people out to catch salmon. Today about 145,000 salmon are caught in Norwegian rivers every year, and it is not just the wealthy British who compete at catching the big ones. If you are lucky, you will go back home with salmons weighing over 20 kilos.
Mighty rivers
There are many good rivers, spread out across the country. Try the awesome might of the Namsen, the dynamic, but regulated Suldal, the breathtaking Beiar, the powerful and spate-affected Gaula, the winding and leisurely Stjørdal, or any of the about 450 other productive salmon rivers in Norway.
The best time
Generally, the best time for salmon fishing is from mid-July to mid-August, but this
may vary locally. Local tourist information offices will be able to fill you in on the salmon fishing possibilities in your area. You need to pay a fee before fishing for salmon. This can be paid at the local post office and petrol station, or online at Inatur.
The health of Norwegian salmon rivers and fishing
The Norwegian rivers are largely of excellent health. Out of the 450 salmon rivers, only 22 rivers are infected with the Gyrodactylus salaris parasite. The local river associations have introduced rigid procedures to prevent the parasite entering any river, and all anglers are required to disinfect waders and fishing equipment before fishing.
|
Number of salmon caught on rod in Norwegian rivers in total (released fish not included) |
| Year |
Total number of salmon |
Number of salmon under 3 kilos |
Number of salmon 3-7 kilos |
Number of salmon over 7 kilos |
Total number of sea trout |
| 2000 |
189 433 |
135 772 |
40 764 |
12 897 |
115 721 |
| 2001 |
178 137 |
118 074 |
43 875 |
16 118 |
102 292 |
| 2002 |
118 812 |
70 584 |
33 696 |
14 532 |
104 674 |
| 2003 |
145 273 |
97 907 |
33 505 |
13 861 |
110 445 |
| 2004 |
96 578 |
60 872 |
26 003 |
9 703 |
94 659 |
| 2005 |
148 258 |
110 151 |
26 841 |
11 708 |
98 924 |
| 2006 |
141 838 |
94 301 |
38 459 |
9 078 |
81 435 |
| 2007 |
95 997 |
52 770 |
31 361 |
11 866 |
75 797 |
Last updated: 24 September 2008