Our first visit at Lauklines Kystferie in northern Norway, a hidden gem for a sport fisher!
When we arrive in Tromsø, a friendly local man greets us welcome. We load our stuff in a spacious taxi and start driving towards our destination, Lauklines Kystferie. On the way we stop by a supermarket where we stock up food for our stay. The drive lasts about 40 minutes. When we arrive at Lauklines, we are checked in and greeted welcome at the reception. We are also shown around at the camp and get to see all facilities that we might need during our stay, including fileting room, freezing room and tackle shop.
Our cabin is spaceous and has three bedrooms. Already before we left home, we had decided how we were going to divide the rooms, as we knew there are six beds in the cabin; one room with three beds, another one with two beds and a third single room. I got the smaller single room with the bigger bed.
After we have settled in the cabin, we meet up with one of the fishing guides to get our rental boat. We are told everything about safety on board and how the chart plotter and echosounders work. We fill out some forms and sign a contract and together with the guide we go out to see the boat. It is the first time for us, so we also ask for some advice for good fishing spots on the charts, to keep in mind for the next day. The reception also has a well-equipped tackle shop, from where I end up buying a new shad – might be the lucky one-who knows!
On the next morning, the alarm is set at 5:00 to make sure we get the most out of the fantastic weather they promised for the day. When the alarm goes off it feels like I just went to sleep a few minutes ago, can it really be time to get up? After a few minutes of confusion, I manage to get myself up from the bed. I open the curtains and suddenly the sun is present in my room and within seconds I am awake. I can smell fresh brewed coffee from the kitchen. It is going to be a good day.
After we had our morning coffee on the terrace by the fjord, we get ready to head out to the sea. As it is a bright and warm day, we feel like the life wests will be enough to keep us warm and safe. We were offered flotation suits too during arrival, but will save them for a colder day. The day looks fantastic weather wise, but in the north of Norway weather can change very quickly we were told. That’s why we check the weather forecasts and tides for the day one last time.
Finally, we are out at sea surrounded by countless beautiful islands, which all have complicated Norwegian names. We pass one distinctly shaped island called “Haaja” and see very spectacular mountain peaks. We are in awe for a while, but the fishing gets our attention again. We have many possibilities to try and the entire day ahead of us, we just need to decide what to target and if we go out to the open sea or stay closer to land. Dinner will be ensured either way.
During the day we try all the spots which we were told about by the guides. First, we go for the peaks for cod and coalfish and catch plenty of nice fish up to 10 – 15 kilos. Then we go for the shallow sandy areas and spend some hours halibut fishing. Halibut fishing requires some patience, but in the end, we manage to catch a nice halibut. We start heading back to camp at midnight. The sun is still brightly shining and if we did not have a clock it would be hard to believe it is midnight. On the way back we try the deep drop off for redfish and after a lot of winding we get to meet these red beauties.
Once back at Lauklines, we clean the boat at the jetty. It is nicer to have a fresh start on the next day. The fish that we did not fillet on board, we take to the fileting room. The fileting room is of high standard and clearly regularly well cleaned. We take a few filets for the evening, and rest we store in the freezing room in which we have one big freezer for ourselves. The leftovers are put back in the boat (covered from birds and other wildlife) and we will take it out again the next day to throw it in the sea, where it will be reintroduced to the circle of life.
My jacket got wet during the day, so I hang it in the little storing room outside the cabin. It will be dry and ready for the next morning. Even if we are quite tired at this point, dinner must still be served. Today is my turn, it is going to be butter fried fresh halibut with bread and a fresh salad. When we are done with dinner, we are all ready to go to bed. Another day of fishing is waiting for us tomorrow.
