Gaula – Start of the 2026 salmon season

Following a season with plenty of medium-sized salmon (1.376 caught = 34,1% of the total annual catch) the previous year, many salmon enthusiasts were very confident about the expected run of large salmon in time for the start of the season on 1 June. These fantastic fish usually begin their ascent up the Norwegian rivers of the Trøndelag region early in the season. The weather conditions in the days leading up to the start of the season were promising, although snow had fallen unexpectedly in the higher catchment area shortly beforehand.

The spring flood had reached its peak flow of 449 m³/s on 24 May and had dropped promisingly to 172 m³/s by 31 May. Unfortunately, the Gaula then began to rise again shortly before the start of the season, had already reached 199 m³/s by midnight and rose to 208 m³/s by 3 am, before falling again. Nevertheless, the first salmon (95 cm long/8.7 kg/ 19 ¼ lb) was caught by Morten Hagen on the lower Gaula just ten minutes after midnight. Over the course of the first day of the season, with a water temperature already at 9°C, a total of 25 salmon weighing up to 12.5 kg/ 27 ½ lb were caught. Of these, 9 fish were caught in Gaulfossen and 3 fish in the lower NFC sections. By 1.50 am, Robin Svendsen had already landed a 9 kg/ 20 lb salmon there, and his fishing companion Kim Jørgensen a 10.5 kg/ 23 ¼ lb salmon, as well as another weighing 7.5 kg/ 16 ½ lb. Most of the salmon caught on the first day no longer had sea lice – meaning they had already been in the river for a few days.

Manfred Raguse with his first salmon of the 2026 season from the Bridge Pool (Rognes). The fish was landed on 6 June at 3.50 pm, measured 103 cm in length, weighed 11.3 kg and was carefully released.

In the first week, despite low snowfall in the catchment area, the water level fluctuated like a yo-yo between 79 and 233 m³/sec, influenced by the snowmelt. Although water levels and temperatures had allowed the salmon to ascend past Gaulfossen earlier, the first six salmon were not caught above Gaulfossen until 5 June. Here, the NFC stretches shone with an impressive 5 salmon weighing up to 16.7 kg/ 37 lb! On 6 June, too, with a further 11 salmon, it became clear that the salmon had now ascended in greater numbers to the middle reaches of the Gaula. Already in mid-June fish were caught as high up as Haltdalen.
By the evening of 15 June, a total of 230 salmon had been caught on the Gaula, with a total weight of 1,963 kg/ 4,328 lb and an average weight of 8.5 kg/ 18 ¾ lb; 95.2% of these were released. The strict restrictions in place since last season do not allow the removal of any salmon over 65 cm until further notice. The average weight of the five largest salmon this season is so far 15.8 kg /almost 35 lb – this is expected to rise further as the season progresses. The salmon were caught using the following tackle:

Fly 68.3% – Worm 18.3% – Wobbler 3.5% – Spinner 5.7% – Spinner 4.3%

The salmon appear to be in excellent condition again this season. The research nets in the outer Trondheim Fjord suggest a slight delay in the run, but the last two reports were promising, both for large salmon (over 7kg / 15 ½ lb) and for medium-sized salmon (4.5–7kg/ 10 – 15 ½ lb).
If you would like to fish the Gaula, please contact the International Flyfishers Club (IFC)/ M. Raguse by email at info@internationalflyfishersclub.com or by phone on +49-172-4266036. There are still a few places available and expert guidance can be provided. Beginners to fly fishing for salmon are also welcome. Flies and hire equipment are available.

You can see what to expect on the Gaula in a few videos: Manfred Raguse – YouTube

Kind regards, yours, Manfred Raguse and the team at the International Flyfishers Club.