We are incredibly lucky here at Northern Norway to enjoy sea angling that seems to be getting better and better each year. What’s more, there is something exciting too about being able to fish year round.

Cod bonanza

We call Norhern Norway  “The Cod Capital of the World” and it’s for a good reason. In May last year huge shoals of cod averaging around 3-10 kg (6-22 lb) were feeding on sand eels over the shallow sandy areas outside the fjord. On the fish finder, we could see cod stacked from the surface all the way to the bottom.

These cod remain in coastal waters all year round, but the star of the show is the big spawning cod from the Barents Sea (we call them skrei) that reach our area in winter.  We start fishing for them in March. As the season progress they seem to get bigger and bigger. By late March we are often averaging 200-300 fish per trip with an average of 10 fish over 20 kg (44 lb) and up to 33.3 kg (73 lb).

This area also offers good fishing for wolf fish, haddock, tusk and redfish, as well as for some enormous flatfish. In the autumn we enjoy light tackle fishing for plaice that weigh on average nearly 2 kg (4.4 lb). The biggest that we have caught so far is 3.26 kg (7 lb).

Coalfish and halibut

Another highlight of our year is the arrival of the coalfish, usually during May and June. The big ones are great fighters – we catch them on soft shads at about 50 metres. Most of the coalfish are 3-10 kg (6-22 lb). Summer is also the time to catch halibut, although the biggest often turn up in the autumn. However, last year July produced some exceptional specimens with the best of the month pulling the scales down to 162.5 kg (357 lb). As always, soft bait shads and small coalfish were the most effective baits.

Fishing tackle

If you are thinking of coming to Norway, you probably already own most of the tackle that you will need. A good all-round set up consists of a 6-8 ft 20-30 lb class boat rod coupled with a conventional multiplier reel holding at least 300 metres of 0.30 mm braid. Depending on brand this will be rated around 50 lb. Sometimes we use heavy spinning rods matched to 6,000 size fixed spool reels when we are fishing soft bait shads. For mackerel, plaice, dab etc we go lighter again.

In your tackle box you’ll need 200-500 g pirks, 100-400 g soft bait shads, gummimakks, single hooks size 1-10/0, treble hooks size 3/0-8/0, 50-400 g leads, 0.50 mm – 1.2 mm leader material and good quality swivels, split rings and other terminal tackle. We have strong fighting fish that will wreck poor quality tackle.

Marcus Åhlund is our experienced guide/skipper based here at Lauklines and  has an intimate knowledge of the angling opportunities in this part of Northern Norway. Marcus can be contacted at post@articfishingadventures.no. See more information about him at www.arcticfishingadventures.no.