Atlantic Salmon fishing in Norway

The Orkla is located in central Norway and is one of the most beautiful and prolific salmon rivers in the country, flowing roughly south / north to Orkanger and into the Trondheim fjord. Situated 2 kms upriver from Meldal, the fishing is 35 kms from the river mouth and is classed as a middle beat, the fishable length of the Orkla being nearly 80k rising 400 metres over this distance. Similar to the Spey, in Scotland, it is fast flowing and mostly quite shallow with miles of stunning fly water.
In Norway the start date for salmon in most rivers is June 1, finishing at the end of August. It is in May and June when the first big salmon run, and our average weight of early season fish is often well over 20 lbs.

The early season big fish weeks are not for the faint hearted - 14/15ft rods are required with high quality reels, plenty of backing and strong leaders of 25-30 lb plus breaking strain. Runs increase steadily through July, with fresh fish continuing to enter the system in late August. Generally grilse and sea trout start to appear from mid July. The productive weeks seem to be late July/Aug. Orkla has a regulated flow and therefore even in extreme conditions always has water, and at a fishable temperature. Floating lines work well throughout the season, although sometimes a sink tip helps and a sinking line may occasionally be required in June.
     
In the 4 years that Wild and Exotic have been representing this beat on the Orkla over 20 30 lb + salmon have been landed. Even in good grilse years the average weight for the river does not drop below 5 kg. Our beats are conjoined, roughly 2.2k in length, mostly double bank and accessed by good roads/tracks. There are seven huts, the main one with bunks for late/early morning fishing. There are also another 4 pools of approx 1.5 km single bank fishing included, which are kept outside of any rotation system. Your host and leaseholder, Anthony Luke, has a lifetime's salmon fishing experience including many seasons guiding in Norway and Iceland, and will be assisting rods during their visit. Our new lodge is close by the main beats having 5 guest rooms, upstairs and downstairs bathrooms, and a state of the art kitchen area. It is very comfortable and only a short walk to the river.
                       For a taste of the experience please click on the photo below to watch a short film clip

The River & Beats: In terms of size the Orkla is smaller than the nearby river Gaula but larger than the Stjordal. It is a big river, & seems larger than the Spey with a greater volume early season. The 1500 ft drop over the fishable length produces heavy flow hence weighty & powerful fish. H/R & K/R beats are conjoined, roughly 2.2k in length, mostly double bank and accessed by good roads/tracks. There are seven huts, the main one with bunks for late/early morning fishing. We also rent another 4 pools, single bank, of which some are better in high water, some in low. These stretches amount to roughly 1.5 k and are kept outside of any rotation system, i.e. Free beats. This works very well if any guest might wish to have a few casts for an hour or so before breakfast... With unlimited fishing hours pacing oneself is key to success. Wading is pretty easy almost everywhere.

The Fishing: Your host and leaseholder Anthony Luke has a lifetime’s salmon fishing experience with many of those years guiding in Norway and Iceland.  Anthony acquired the water three years ago and now knows the beat intimately and will be assisting rods during their week. The early season big fish weeks are not for the faint hearted – 14/15ft rods are required with high quality reels, plenty of backing and strong leaders of 25-30 lb plus breaking strain.  It is very likely that guests will encounter large fish , the average at this time being a staggering 22 lbs, and it is always a great shame when they break or tackle fails.

June fishing has improved a lot since the embargo on netting in the Trondheim Fjord was put in place. In 2010 the D N have urther restricted the fjord netsmen. Bag limits have also been imposed on the river fishermen, which is a good thing.  Runs of fish increase steadily through July & fresh fish are still entering the system in late August. Generally grilse & sea trout start to appear from mid July. Our most productive weeks seem to be late July/Aug. Our most productive weeks seem to be late July/August.  August has also produced our biggest fish of  2 over 16 & several 15 kg fish. Orkla, unlike Gaula, has a regulated flow & therefore even in extreme conditions always has water and at a fishable temperature.            

Throughout the season, in our experience, floating lines work well, sometimes a sink tip helps – & occasionally a sinking line might be required (mostly in June). Effective fly patterns that work well early season are Norwegian tubes such as the Brooks Sunray Shadow & Temple Dog patterns, Green Highlander, Willie Gunn and Gaula Gold to name a few. Wild and Exotic recommends - blue, black and silver.  As the summer progresses similar patterns tied on doubles & trebles down to size 14 are effective.

The beats have produced an average of 124 fish over the 4 years. 2007 was poor, but with few fishermen and little knowledge of the water, this was understandable.  2008 was excellent with 143 – 31 of which were “Storlaks” averaging 20 lbs. In 2009 we landed fewer fish, although  more fish passed through the counter and the average was a little higher. 2010 was a record for us with 168 landed fish, tho’ the upstream count was less than ’09. The rod effort per day stat. in 2010 was .4464  We are one of the few Fly Only beats on Orkla.

The Accommodation: We moved to a new lodge for the 2010 season, which is close to the river and has 5 guest rooms, upstairs and downstairs bathrooms and a much larger kitchen area. The lodge, which is very comfortable and only a short walk to the home beats, has been well received by all of our guests. The lodge is normally let with the fishing on a weekly basis.

Transport: Flights to Trondheim are direct from Stansted otherwise via Oslo, Bergen or Stavanger.  Hire cars are readily available and the journey from Vaernes airport to the lodge is 1½ hrs. There will also be one car on site. Flights & cars are not included in the price.

Please contact Wild and Exotic for latest availability on 01439 748401 or by email to adrian@wildandexotic.co.uk