Fishing in Norway. All tips and answers!

Where to fish?

The choice will be made based on the decision of what is more important - fishing + something to see or just trophy fishing. The further north you go in Norway, the more trophy fishing will be, but the weather will be more severe and less predictable; the further south - the more attractions, the weather is more stable, but fishing is easier.
Southern Norway – a combination of relaxation with a visit to the capital, Oslo, sea fishing on the south coast or freshwater fishing north of Oslo. Fishing is more regarded as one of the types of activities, but not the purpose of the trip.
Fjords Region (Southwest Coast) – good catch + opportunity to visit Stavanger, Bergen and Ålesund and the majestic Sognefjord, Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord.
Northern Norway (Troms, Finnmark, Bodø, Lofoten, Vesterålen) - the land of real men's trophy fishing in the Atlantic. Important! The weather in this region is changeable, a couple of days can be lost due to a storm (especially in March-April and October).
Trondelag region (Central Norway) - a great combination of good weather in the south and decent fishing in the north of Norway.

Type of fishing and catches

There are 2 main types of fishing in Norway: in the sea along the coast (cod, saithe, lure, menek, flounder, mackerel, ling, monkfish and halibut are caught here) and in the fjords (cod, saithe, haddock, mackerel, sea bass). During sea fishing, the fish are larger, but the conditions are more severe; the fjord is more protected, but the fishing is more modest. Llicense no need for sea or fjord fishing!

Boats, boats, schooners

A self-driving motorboat is the most popular choice. Rights or licenses are not required except for powerful boats. The payment for the used fuel takes place on the last day of the stay. At the beginning of the stay, a security deposit is taken on average 300-400 euros per boat.
An echo sounder and GPS are very important additions for comfortable and reliable fishing.
Boats and schooners - great option for companies from 4 to 15 people with local skippers. Advantage: not so much dependent on the weather, you can go to the open sea for a longer time (6-10 hours), fish a large area, but not for the whole time of fishing, as this is an expensive pleasure (minimum 1500 euros per day).
We advise at the very beginning of the fishing program to take introductory fishing with a skipper on a boat or schooner - an English-speaking guide gets into the boat of tourists and drives through the water area, showing the best fishing spots and talking about the features of fishing.
We advise you to book a boat for the entire duration of your stay, so as not to waste time.
The average length of stay at the fishing base is 8 days / 7 nights (a week), i.e. 6 full days of fishing.

Tackle

As a rule, fishing equipment can be borrowed from rent. Basic lures and tackle can be bought from the guide or from the nearest fishing shop. Serious anglers are advised to bring their own equipment. Not always the level of rented equipment (rod, reel, fishing line) justifies the hopes.
The average cost of a rented kit is 100 euros / week + independent purchase of consumables (jigs, lures, carabiners, swivels).

Clothes for fishing

Clothing must be waterproof and preferably easy to wash. Headgear is essential. Shoes - warm and windproof, preferably sneakers or high boots. Rubber boots are unlikely to come in handy. It is possible to rent a fishing float suit (approximately 100 euros/week).

Road

Road: by car or air arrival at one of the airports in Norway and then rent a car (most often fishing bases are located in isolation, not in the city, but in nature). It is possible to order a transfer from the airport, but in this case meals should be organized at the fishing base or there should be a supermarket within walking distance. To drive a car in Norway, a regular driver's license is suitable, but in order to arrange a rental, you also need a plastic card (except for electronic cards). If you have a car, you will not lose a single day even in bad weather.  You can go for a walk, a lake or a river. Norway has a lot to see.

Meals at the fishing base

Two important points: ready or not ready to cook their own food (if you have a rented car).
Fishing bases in Norway are mostly self-service, not restaurant-based.
If you are not ready for the self-service option, then the options are:
Pre-order for groups over 10 people
A restaurant is not a common option for having a restaurant on the territory of a fishing base, but there are 🙂.

Accommodation at the fishing base

For beginner anglers, we would advise you to choose a complex of cottages, ryrby (traditional Norwegian houses on stilts) in a complex or apartments in a fishing base with infrastructure. For those who like to retire - a detached cottage.

An approximate calculation of the cost of fishing

Apartment for 2 bedrooms = 925 euros / week
Bed linen = 25 EUR/person
Final cleaning = 85 euros
Boat rental 21-25'/30hp = 575 euros + local fuel
GPS = 150 euros
Echo sounder = 80 euros
Fishing with an English-speaking guide = 760 euros / 5 hours
Tackle rental (sea class spinning + multiplier), week, deposit 500 NOK = 188 EUR/person
Bergen airport taxi - base, car 1-3 people (self-payment), one way = 190 euros / car