All season openings are exciting. The longer the closed season is, the more excited we are just to get back to, in this case, the big, Norwegian rivers. As the clock nears midnight on May 31st, the first fly fishers are at the ready, river side, the long rods strung up with heavy sinking lines, short, stout leaders and big flies. Hoping for one of the big, silvery unicorns many of us have been dreaming about since last season – or maybe since the last trip to Norway, maybe years ago. But always just happy to cast a line, feel the force of the river on both the line and the legs as you wade.
And maybe, just maybe, the salmon opening is a bit more exciting than most, because the season is only three months in Norway – June, July and August. And of course the very real chance of a big, strong salmon. Cold, strong, fast currents dictate the tackle – 15’ rods casting heavy sinking lines and big flies. The potentially big salmon puts the tackle to the test as well. Conditions can change fast and so should the fly fisher accordingly. A 14’ and a 15’ rod with slow to fast sinking lines.
Tube flies more or less rule along the rivers as long as they are big, cold and coloured. Large, heavily dressed and with plenty of flash allows the salmon to spot the fly as it swims across the river. We of course have you covered as far as hooks go for your tube flies. The HR 430/431, HR440 and HR 450 are all designed specifically for tube flies and they’re strong enough to hold even the biggest salmon of your dreams.
As I’m writing this the season is three days old and across most of Norway, there’s plenty of water in the rivers. In some rivers there’s almost too much water to fish and considering the it’s cold too, it’s really hard work to hook a salmon, but it can be done and they’re guaranteed to be big and silvery.
There’s more to it than fish and fishing (although I think everyone agree that is the most important part, after all). The beautiful rivers, the campfire in the evening, the sound of the roaring river, maybe tying a few flies as you watch over the pools.
I hope hope those in Norway now are having a good opening and that the next weeks will provide some memorable moments for all Norwegian fly fishers and travellers as well.
