Northern Norway: Salmon Fishing on the Legendary Lakselva

No fish has had more written about it than the Atlantic Salmon. A fish that has captured the hearts of fishers for generations. The 1st records of anglers targeting Atlantic Salmon dates back to the early 1800’s.

By TOM LESLIE Photography by TOM LESLIE and STEPHAN GIAN DOMBAJ

Fly fishing for salmon started in Scotland on the banks of famous rivers such as Tweed, Dee, Tay and Spey. The latter is the home to Spey casting. These names are now well known throughout the fishing world.

I have devoted every spare moment in pursuit of the slow pull of an Atlantic salmon taking my fly. The tug is the drug after all.

From here, salmon fishing has spread widely throughout Europe and North America. Anywhere these magnificent fish swim you will most likely find wader clad fishermen waving their fly rods about in hope that the king of fish will take their offering. The Atlantic Salmon has the ability to get under your skin and has won over the hearts of many. It has cost others their marriage as it is the true love of their life. Unless you are a salmon junkie, it is difficult to explain the draw of these fish.

Maybe it is out of respect of the epic migration they undertake, traveling thousands of miles to feed before returning to their home river to spawn. Or maybe it is the way we fish for them; swinging long lines down and across using double-handed rods with classically dressed flies with names that capture your imagination. Everyone’s attraction is different with these fish and there isn’t a right or wrong answer.

It was the love of salmon fishing that made me move from the chalkstream littered lands of Hampshire, in the south of England to the more rugged Scottish Borders where the mighty Tweed flows. Like any true addict, I have devoted every spare moment in pursuit of the slow pull of an Atlantic salmon taking my fly. The tug is the drug after all. I even went one step further and opened a tackle shop, ‘Fin and Game’, which is located a good cast away from the famous Junction pool.

Sadly, even in my short fishing career, I have witnessed a decline in fish numbers. There are still fish to be caught and red-letter days are still possible, but they are happening less frequently than in years gone by. The average size has also been declining. Gone are the days of 40 and 30lb’ers regularly being caught in Scotland. Now 20lb’ers are noteworthy fish with the odd 30lb fish being caught. As with any fisherman, large fish have always intrigued me and captured my imagination.

Each year, pictures from a handful of rivers in Northern Norway, of 40 and 50lb salmon caught on the fly appear. These are the ultimate target. These images give you renewed hope that the next fish that takes your fly could be the fish of a lifetime.

With this in mind, you should be able to understand my excitement when my good friend and fishing buddy, Stephan Dombaj – founder of Fly Fishing Nation, rang me and asked if I would like to join him to fish on the stunning waters of the Lakselv in Northern Norway, famous for its giant salmon. Without checking my diary, I said I was in – this was too good to miss out on. A true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fish over some of the biggest salmon in the world. Flights were booked, and the preparation began.

The Lakselv runs through Finmark in Northern Norway. Compared to its neighbour, the Alta, it is relatively unknown. However, good things don’t stay quiet for long and this fabulous river has increased in popularity over the last few years as people have heard of what rewards lie within its fast-flowing waters. It has shown itself to be one of the top rivers worldwide, when it comes to large salmon. Every season it gives up several fish over 40lbs, some over 50lbs and tales of fish much bigger hooked and lost. Enough to get any fisherman’s heart racing.

We were fortunate to be able to call Oldero Fly Fishing Lodge, run by Henrik Andersen, our home for the week. Between Stephan and I, we have stayed in one or two fishing lodges. We both agreed that others came close, but none bettered Oldero. The lodge is located on an Island in the river and is only 100 meters from the river and offers breath-taking views of the surrounding landscape. 8 guests comfortably stay in the lodge which has a wonderfully private feel about it.

Everyone at the lodge made sure we had everything we needed during our stay. We were in our element - 1st class food, free flowing beer, a fly shop so we could stock up on the local musthave patterns and exceptional fishing on the door step.

If, like us, you are searching for a new personal best, then Norway might just be the place for you.

Oldero has access to 6 private beats up and down the river meaning, whatever the conditions, there will be suitable water to fish. Private fishing isn’t always a given in Norway, which is what makes Oldero such a special place. The beats are fished by 2 rods in rotation, with only 3 beats being fished at a time meaning the water isn’t overfished and gives it a chance to rest.

I should say here that fishing in Norway isn’t a numbers game, but it offers the chance of a true fish of a lifetime. If you are looking to catch lots of fish, then Russia or Iceland maybe more your thing. If, like us, you are searching for a new personal best, then Norway might just be the place for you.

We arrived late on the 20th August, we were greeted by Mads, the camp manager and one of the guides, taken to the lodge and shown our rooms. We were to start fishing the next day, so we decided to call it a night. Excitement prevented me from sleeping that night and I was already showered and dressed by the time my alarm went off.

Stephan and I were to fish together and had drawn to fish the home pool for the first morning. The river was much higher than the normal for this time of the year but, unlike it would be at home, was running crystal clear. Chris and Mads, the excellent guides, assured us we would only need floating lines and sink tips despite the high water as the fish are aggressive and will happily come up for the fly.

It didn’t take long for us to prove their theory right. On my 1st run down the home pool, the swing of my Monkey bottle tube fly was rudely interrupted by a lively salmon fresh from the sea. I was into my 1st Norwegian Salmon on the first morning of our trip and on my 25th birthday – life was good! It wasn’t the monster we both had hoped it would be, but a beautiful 7lb’er covered in sea lice.

What a great way to start. That was all the action for the morning but that afternoon we were to fish the stripping pool. A long, deep channel that held a lot of fish – and some big ones! Stephan soon connected with an angry 24lb hen fish that took a liking to his one-inch red Frances and led him a merry dance downstream before it was slipped into the net. This fish equalled his personal best.

What a fantastic first day. We both caught fantastic fish in stunning surroundings. We decided to call it a day and retire to the lodge where we enjoyed a cold beer in front of the fire. Another fantastic meal was served using local ingredients and we turned in for the night.

The next day, we found ourselves back on the top beat. We started at the top of the beat, fishing all the likely spots. Despite seeing a good number of fish, we didn’t connect. We worked our way down to the stripping pool again. The previous day’s events were still fresh in our mind. Stephan went through the pool first. As he was half way down he lifted into, what was obviously, a very good fish.

The rod was bent double and the reel was screaming. I ran back to the car to get the camera equipment and the net. It became apparent quite quickly that this was a true monster and the reason why we had come to Laksleva. It took line with ease and each time it took more line we wondered how big it really was. No one wanted to tempt fate and say anything before it was safely in the net. 45 minutes passed before it slipped into the net. She was a huge! A beautiful, coloured hen fish – the biggest salmon either of us had ever seen.

A true Lakselv monster. She took the scales of the Mclean weigh net down to 42.5lbs! We carefully photographed her and returned her without taking her out of the water. With a flick of her tail, she was off to continue on her journey up river and to spawn. Hopefully to pass on her genes so that others can experience this for themselves in the future. For once, Stephan was speechless. A man who has caught most things that swim up to epic proportions was reduced to a nervous wreck by a salmon. That is the power of these majestic fish. Whatever species you choose to target – salmon will always lure you back.

It was now my turn; I went back into the pool just above where Stephan had hooked his fish. I was still buzzing from witnessing the epic catch minutes earlier when I too was into a fish. I hadn’t even gotten all of my line out. Instantly I knew I was into the biggest fish I had ever hooked. I started thinking about how big it could be. After an eventful fight, where the fish wrapped the line around a tree, charged at Stephan - sending him swimming and killed a camera in the process and then breaking the net, Stephan managed to tail a cock fish in its spawning colors. It weighted 26.5lbs – small compared to Stephan’s fish but still a great fish and a new personal best for myself. After a few quick photos he too was returned to the river.

So, in two casts, we both had caught personal best salmon with a total weight of 69lbs. Lakselv really is a magical place where dreams become a reality. To top off the experience it was all experienced with a great fried in beautiful surrounds. I think we are both still smiling.

We caught more fish as the week went on, but nothing could possibly top that morning. To put it into perspective – Stephan’s fish wasn’t even the biggest fish of the week. Chris, guided by ‘Big Fish Chris’ had a 46lb hen the next day out of the same pool and we know there were bigger fish in there! Lakselv and Oldero were generous to us all that week. The average size of fish was 25lbs! I had never seen a 25lber before that week. It was a truly fantastic experience and one I will treasure forever. If you ever get the chance to cast a line on the Lakselv’s magical waters – drop everything and go! You won’t regret it.

Norweigan salmon are not exempt from the threats that Scottish Salmon experience. There are many factors that are impacting the survival of salmon throughout Europe. These include predation, global warming, fish farming, commercial netting, changing environments and more. There is no one factor causing the decline, most likely it will be a range of factors all impacting stocks. We are not able to control all of the factors but those we can we should do our best to limit their effects. Salmon have been around for thousands of years and with proper management they can be around for thousands of years to come.

Recent talks are of an open net fish farm opening in the fjord at the mouth of the Lakselv. The impact that fish farms have on wild fish stocks is widely known. The negative effects are generally caused by the increased levels of sea lice associated with large numbers of fish in a small area. These can have devastating effects on the smolts as they head to sea to begin their migration.

Unique gene pools of wild fish can also be impacted by cross breeding with escapee farmed fish. I hope you agree with me, that as humans, we have already done enough damage to this planet and the creatures that inhabit it. Surely, we have a duty to protect what we currently have so that future generations can enjoy it. Wouldn’t it be a crying shame if no one was able to enjoy the magic of Lakselv in the future because someone thought it was a good idea to put a fish farm where we all know it will cause damage to a fantastic natural resource?