Not long ago, the most famous Norwegian
salmon rivers might have been listed as a "big eight"
but two, the Vosso and the Laerdal, have seen their stocks
severely reduced. The Laerdal has been hit by the parasite
Gyrodactylus Salaris, and the Vosso has suffered through
fish farming in the Hardanger Fjord. The most prolific,
overall, is the Tana but total catch figures are distorted
by net-caught fish. It's a broad river and a lot of the
rod fishing is harling - trailing lures from boats - so
fly-fishing enthusiasts may prefer today to think of a "big
five". These are:
Gaula: this is has the
highest of the Trondheim region catches.
Orkla: lower catches
than Gaula but improving.
Stjordal: less productive
than its two big sisters in the Trondheim region but a producer
of big salmon nevertheless.
Namsen: another broad
river, historically popular with the British, often fished
from boats.
Alta: the pick of the
crop for big fish - some would argue it's the world's greatest
salmon river. It's unbelievably exclusive. The Dukes of
Roxburgh and Westminster have July fishing weeks.
A mention should also be made of the River
Aroy where the world record fly-caught salmon -
a 68lb fish - was caught on a Dusty Miller fly by Nicholas
Denissoff in 1923. Denissoff had caught a 76lb Aroy fish
on a prawn two years earlier.
Recommended flies:
Temple Dog, Green Highlander, Sunray Shadow,
Silver Doctor, Snaelda, Thunder and Lightning.
The fishing season on most rivers extends
from June 1 to August 31.
