The Organization of Norwegian River Owners (Norske Lakseelver) has described last season as “the worst ever” and is now calling on politicians to take the necessary measures. A total of 70,593 salmon were caught in Norway in 2023. That is 28 percent less than in the previous year. 18,826 of the salmon caught were released to ensure there were enough spawning fish in the rivers.
In Norway’s most important salmon region, Trøndelag, 15,800 Atlantic salmon were landed, 10,800 fewer than the year before. 41 percent of the salmon were released. In Møre og Romsdal salmon catches were almost halved. 5,700 salmon were landed, a decrease of 5,100 salmon compared to 2022. Here, 16 percent of the salmon were released. Salmon fishermen in Troms and Finnmark only caught 17,500 salmon in 2023, which is 4,600 fewer salmon than in 2022. Here, an astonishing 31 percent of salmon were released back into the rivers in 2023.
The famous Bridge Pool – this is where many fly fishermen caught their first or largest salmon.
The researchers point out that the aquaculture industry poses the greatest threat to wild salmon. In many places along the coast, salmon lice kill more than half of the young wild salmon (smolts) that leave the rivers and head for feeding grounds in the North Atlantic to take advantage of the better nutritional conditions in the salt water.
The organization of Norwegian river owners is committed to closed systems for salmon farms and is increasingly demanding this. Wild salmon is now on the international red list of threatened species. In light of the nature conservation agreement, Norske Lakseelver believes that new management measures must also be taken to protect wild salmon: “One of these measures will be to have better ongoing control over what wild salmon is caught and killed in the sea. Both, we, who manage wild salmon in the rivers, as well as the environmental authorities, must have access to these catch numbers in order to be able to adjust fishing in the rivers so that there are enough spawning fish left after the end of the fishing season.”
This demand is very right and as a long-standing member of this organization we support it. But unfortunately the balance of power in Norway is not very favorable for wild salmon. The strong farmed salmon industry will probably continue to focus on maximizing profits until the politicians it strongly influences take the right steps. This can take time and we are very skeptical.
The 2024 Gaula season starts in a few weeks, on June 1st – there are still a few rods available, even in prime weeks
After the Norwegian River Owners Association described last season as “the worst ever”, the coming season is awaited with particular excitement. In 2023, a total of 3,800 Atlantic salmon were caught in the Gaula. That was a decrease of 40 percent compared to the very good 2022 season. Nevertheless, of the over five hundred salmon rivers in Norway, the Gaula was again the river with the most salmon landed last year! 61 percent of the salmon caught in the Gaula were released again to ensure enough spawning fish.
Last season, Mortan Carlsen initially fished for 8 days in one beat in the lower Gaula without being able to land a fish. After fishing for 8 minutes at the Bridge Pool, a hard fight began with the first of three salmon up to 12.6kg (27 3/4 lb) that he was able to land in the Bridge Pool in three days.
The Gaula is correspondingly popular with fly salmon enthusiasts from all over the world and the important fisheries appear to be largely fully booked in 2024. This applies not only to the best weeks of the season, but also far beyond. There are only a few vacant rods left on the extensive NFC rotation beats in August. We would be happy to help you find a place there if you contact us as soon as possible. But there are still chances to get to the Gaula in prime time – to the Bridge Pool!
After Manfred Raguse was no longer able to fish his favorite pool, the Bridge Pool, for a few years because the NFC no longer has the lease, he was able to secure a long-term lease from 2023 thanks to his long-standing friendship with the riperian owners. This means there are once again opportunities to fish this dream pool even in the best weeks of the season. In addition to the Bridge Pool, Upper Pool and Skomakerhølen can also be fished, for the sake of simplicity we call it the Bridge Pool Beat. Bridge Pool and Skomakerhølen are one-bank only and we can fish both sides of the Upper Pool. While the Bridge Pool is most productive in medium and high water, Upper Pool and Skomakerhølen offer the best opportunities in low water. However, the salmon are always concentrated in the upper part of the Bridge Pool when the water is low and you can expect a bite there at any time!
Manfred Raguse will be fishing himself at times and would like to give a maximum of three fishermen the opportunity to fish for a share of the cost. With over 50 seasons of experience as a fly fisherman on the Gaula, Manfred is happy to help even less experienced fishermen achieve success. A guide is not required; rental equipment and catchy flies can be purchased cheaply on site. Sometimes Manfred is fishing other rivers or Gaula beats – during these times the entire Bridge Pool Beat is available exclusively.
Manfred Raguse with a June salmon measuring 98 cm – caught in the Bridge Pool in the 2023 season.
Anyone who is used to fishing as part of a large rotation will of course find less variation in this small stretch in comparison. But if you can fish one of the best pools in the Gaula, a holding pool like the Bridge Pool, every day without having to travel long distances, you can maximize your chances. You might find more time to observe and get to know the water, rest more often and therefore the pool gets more often rested, which always has a positive effect on salmon fishing. At the Bridge Pool, the Gaula narrows impressively after steep rapids above and continues its path below this through more powerful rapids. All fish have to rest here after they have overcome it and if you offer them the fly at the right time, they will take it without hesitation. That’s why many fly fishermen caught their first or their largest salmon here. Because of the structure of the pool, you can be sure that once the fish has been hooked, there will be an incredibly exciting fight to master until the fish is landed.
A short stretch that, like the Bridge Pool, has an exciting upper part, a very attractive middle section and a fascinating tail out, offers everything a salmon fly fisherman could wish for. By spending much more time at a pool, he naturally gets the chance to get to know it better than is possible in a rotation in which he can only fish each pool for a few hours for two or three times during a week.
It is possible to stay in a fairly comfortable apartment within walking distance of the Bridge Pool and there is self-catering country house accommodation approximately 6km away. From this country house, moose can be observed very frequently. Alternatively, you can stay at Støren Hotel with breakfast or full board.
The lower bridge pool on a June evening. Here you can often see new fish coming into the pool…
Mikael Frödin fishes the middle section of the Bridge Pool.
The prospects for the coming season are promising. Since medium-sized salmon clearly dominated the catch statistics on the Gaula last season, we can assume that this annual class was very strong and produced a higher proportion of surviving individuals, a significant proportion of which spent another year on the feeding grounds at sea and will spawn in the coming season. We therefore expect a high proportion of large salmon in the coming season, so it will probably be a large salmon season. Since the proportion of grilse in last year’s catch was only a third lower than the proportion of medium-sized salmon, the two-sea-winter fish (4.5 – 7kg/ 10 – 15 lb) from this class returning this year will hopefully also be quite numerous.
At dusk, Mikael Frödin approaches the middle part of the Bridge Pool.
David just before landing a fish in Rakhølen.
Since no further large amounts of snow have fallen in the Gaula catchment area until Easter and the long-term weather forecasts do not predict any serious snowfall, we can look forward to an early start even in the middle reaches of the Gaula. This is particularly welcome because salmon are expected to cross Trondheims Fjord and enter the rivers earlier this year. This reduces the risk that they will be caught in large numbers by the fjord nets (Kilenøter) because these are only allowed to start in July. Last year it was completely different as large parts of the salmon runs, which started unusually late, due to unfavorable weather conditions, were caught by the fjord nets.
The Bridge Pool at lower water levels.
Manfred Raguse fishes the Bridge Pool when the water level is very high. The pool often changes its appearance significantly as the water level changes – the Gaula is one of the last rivers that was not sacrificed to generate electricity.
For the Gaula in general and the Bridge Pool Beat in particular, this means that the salmon will probably reach the middle beats of the river earlier and, provided the water temperatures are not too cold, will hardly be prevented from doing so by the Gaulfossen. This gives us a chance to start the season successfully early on. The later part of the season will then be significantly influenced by the rainfall during the season – we will see.
The middle section of the Bridge Pool – after a rain shower that caused a strong color.
View of the Upper Pool.
If you perhaps haven’t been able to book a vacant rod on the Gaula this season, but are interested in fishing a prime time week at the Bridge Pool Beat, or for very little money in August, either at the Bridge Pool Beat, or at the NFC stretches, get in touch with us immediately by email: info@internationalflyfishersclub.com or by phone: 0049-172-4266036. You can also visit us in our Hamburg office by appointment until the last week of May to discuss all options in person.
It is possible to fish the Bridge Pool Beat from Euro 1,190 per week, per rod, including self-catering accommodation in a country house. The NFC Beats can be fished from 16,500 NOK / approx. 1,470 Euros per week, per rod in August, including self-catering accommodation (double room).
Rods are currently still available at the Bridge Pool Beat in the following weeks:
Week 23 (01.- 09.06.2024) Week 25 (16.-23.06.2024)
Week 27 (30.06. -07.07.2024) Week 29 (14.-21.07.2024)
Week 31 (28.07.-04.08.2024) Week 32 (04.-11.08.2024)
Sebastian Letelier – takes a break in hope that the rain will stopp.
He only has a few hours in the morning to fish the Bridge Pool and catches his first fish (93cm/ 8kg) after 5 weeks in northern Sweden without landing any fish.
