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BOAT FISHING IN NORWAY BOATFISHING IN NORWAY

Fishing for the giants of the deep in Norwegian waters might seem like a pipe dream for many sea anglers. However, David Guest discovered that this saltwater treasure trove is a lot more attainable than you might think.

VOYAGE TO VAERØY

Deep, bountiful waters; friendly, welcoming people; clean air and

breathtaking scenery – in simple terms, Norway is an outdoor-enthusiast’s paradise. Mainland Scandinavia’s westernmost country has an abundance to offer hunters, skiers and those who simply enjoy being at one with nature. And – as I found out on a recent excursion there – it’s a place that should top the bucket list of every self-respecting sea angler.

Through my day job – as editor of Total Sea Fishing’s sister magazine Tackle Trade World – I was lucky enough to be invited to northern Norway on a deep-sea fishing trip that would put my (admittedly limited) sea fishing skills to the ultimate test.

The trip, which was co-organised by Scandinavian brand Westin and angling-holiday company Nordic Sea Angling, would see me

breach the Arctic Circle by more than 200 kilometres and travel by car, plane and boat to the idyllic and remote island of Vaerøy in search of the monsters of the deep. The location is well known throughout Europe as a hotspot for catching huge cod, coalfish and halibut, and it was those giant flatfish in particular that I was hungry to tame.

“If the conditions are right, we stand the chance of catching a real monster,” teased my guide for the three days, Nordic Sea Angling founder Jimmy Andersson.

Swede Jimmy has been running his business successfully since 2009, providing guided trips to several locations across Scandinavia to help anglers catch their sea fishing dreams. The considerable early success of his venture has led to the tie-in with Westin, which is now sponsoring the company and supplying its high-quality sea fishing lures, rods and clothing for the trips it runs.

Jimmy explained that it’s not uncommon to catch halibut up to two metres in length and weighing in excess of 500lb. Now if this doesn’t get you excited as an angler, then nothing will.

But my excitement had to wait. I arrived in the small town of Lofoten, around 100 kilometres northeast of Vaerøy, late at night after a long day of

travelling. Bleary-eyed and buzzing with excitement, I endured a restless night, taunted by the thoughts of what lay beneath.

Calm Before The StormI awoke in one of the bedrooms of the small row of cabins that line the tranquil marina in Lofoten. The morning sun was peeking over distant mountains and painting a magnificent golden light on the water below. A glance out of the window brought me to my senses as I spotted the Nordic Sea Angling team preparing the boats for a day on the water.

On heading out onto the pier where the boats were docked, there was a

Two of three Norwegian halibut that were caught at once. David and Simon Sinclair are ecstatic!

Nordic Sea Angling’s Jimmy Andersson with the biggest halibut of the trip (around 40lb).

These purpose-built boats are perfect for four anglers.

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BOAT FISHING IN NORWAY BOATFISHING IN NORWAY

sense of great anticipation among my fellow travelling anglers – most of whom were employees of distributors and partners of Westin from across the globe. After some brief safety discussions and a team photo of the international crowd we hopped aboard our boats and prepared to hit the open water.

It would take a couple of hours to reach our fishing destination for the next three days, but the journey passed extremely quickly as we were

entertained by spectacular views of the last mountainous reaches of Norwegian land spreading out into the Norwegian Sea.

In my boat was Westin product manager Thomas Sanotra, the aforementioned Jimmy Andersson and fellow Brit Simon Sinclair, whose advertising agency works on behalf of Westin.

We reached the island of Vaerøy, where only 750 people live, and headed

out onto the open sea, with Jimmy furiously consulting his hi-tech fishfinder.

“Using a fishfinder is essential for this kind of fishing,” he explained.

“Of course, we know a lot of the spots where fish school and where big catches have come from in the past, but this water is so huge that you need all the right

equipment.” It’s a point that rings true –

going

on this kind of trip is something that would be very challenging off your own bat. It’s why companies like Nordic Sea Angling are enjoying such success. They provide everything you need, from equipment through to tips and guidance. It’s a way of experiencing an exotic and exciting type of fishing with minimal stress at a cost that is probably less than you might think.

Soon Jimmy signalled that a large school of what he suspected to be cod and coalfish was below. We were fishing with Westin Crazy Daisy lures – 270mm soft lures with 400g weighted heads that sink like stones – which were essential to reach the required depths.

The rest of our setups comprised Westin W8 boat rods, Strike Pro Strike Wire (120lb breaking strain) and Maxel Transformer jigging multiplier reels with quick-set drags. It’s then down to the simple task of dropping the lure over the edge and letting it dive 70 metres to the sea bed.

“As you feel it hit the bottom, switch the

drag and start to reel in at a fairly quick and

steady pace,”

TOP TIPS

01 Make sure that you dress appropriately.

Even in the summer here, due to the extreme latitude, the temperature can fluctuate a lot between day and night. You need to ensure that you have plenty of layers on as you go through different periods of the day. Gloves, hats, thermal underwear and a flotation suit are also strongly recommended, as are a good pair of comfortable sunglasses. Footwear is also important to get right – studded boots will be slippery and damage boat decks, so you’re best off in warm wellies or walking boots. I wore Simms wading boots with grippy Vibram rubber soles.

02 Be prepared to pay for extra luggage on

the journey home. Nordic Sea Angling, like many fishing-tourism companies, has an arrangement with local commercial fishermen, allowing its customers to take a certain amount of fish. There is nothing better than fresh fish from these waters, so you’ll be gutted if you’re offered the chance to bring some home but haven’t budgeted to get it transported!

03 Norway is one of Europe’s strongest

economies and, as such, things are very expensive in the country. If you want to drink alcohol during your trip – in moderation, of course – I advise taking your own. The average pint of beer in Norway costs anywhere between £9 and £12 – I didn’t dare to enquire about the cost of spirits!

instructed Jimmy.“The lure is designed to

have an action that mimics a fleeing baitfish as it ascends. It should come through the centre of the school of fish and…”

Jimmy was interrupted by a cry of excitement from Simon – he was into a fish on his very first retrieve! He battled with the current and the angry monster on the end of his line for several minutes while I looked on in awe.

Just as he got a good-sized cod to the surface, my own rod bent over and the surprise almost dragged me over the side with it.

After a fight that seemed a lot longer to me than it probably was, a coalfish of decent size emerged through the surface of the choppy waters. I was ecstatic – it was bigger than a lot of freshwater fish I’ve ever caught back in the UK – but my pleasure was instantly wiped out by Thomas, who cried: “Ah, you caught the baby!” It was clear that I would have to do a lot to impress my Scandinavian hosts!

Fish FrenzyI’m not exaggerating when I say that between the four of us we were catching a fish once every two or three minutes. The action was intense and my underworked arm could barely take the punishment – but the best was yet to come.

After catching coalfish of various sizes and a handful of small cod, I hooked into something that fought like nothing I’d ever felt before.

“This could be a halibut,” said Thomas, and my heartbeat intensified.

The pattern of the fight was definitely different but I brought it to the surface with relative ease. Eventually we could all see why. To the hilarity of my companions, the halibut was no bigger than a dinner plate – not the monster I was hoping for!

TOP TIPS CONTINUED…

04 Take precautions if you’re prone

to seasickness. I don’t normally suffer with it too badly and I was lucky that on three out of four days on my trip the sea was calm. I was very glad to have some tablets with me on the day when the water was rough, though. Don’t let something that’s so easily treated spoil your trip!

05 Listen to your guides. No matter

what level of experience you are at as an angler, the guys who spend almost every day of the year on these waters know what works and what doesn’t and what the best patterns are. If you think that they’re doing something wrong, just take a step back and think about their level of experience in this situation versus yours. They’re going to do everything they can to give you the best experience possible – they want a tip!

However, even though the fish was small, you could see the raw power that these creatures possess and the way they utilise their shape to work the current to aid themselves.

The hours passed rapidly and before I knew it I was back at the lodge in Vaerøy enjoying a warming and refreshing sit in the sauna that was on site.

The smile I was wearing was almost as big as the pain in my arms. We’d had a fantastic day, catching more than 80 fish, the majority of which were safely released – the rest would be served for dinner in the evening.

“This is some place,” I thought to myself, but my best day was to come.

Coal Is The GoalDespite the triumph of the previous day, there was a feeling of slight disappointment among the camp. No-one had caught a real monster and the only halibut was my pint-sized one.

But a new day brings new hope and we headed out to a different spot on the other side of the island of Vaerøy for the second day.

We were sticking with the Crazy Daisy lures that had brought so much success the day before and it wasn’t long before I was in, and this time it was serious.

I’m not sure whether it was tiredness or mild seasickness, but I really struggled with that fish.

David’s biggest fish of the trip – a 36lb

coalfish that involved an epic battle to land.

David’s first-ever halibut. Not a monster but it fought well!

Another coalfish falls to the Westin

Crazy Daisy lure.

The Westin Crazy Daisy – a devastating

lure for cod, halibut and coalfish.

A fishfinder is absolutely essential in

this large expanse of

water.

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BOAT FISHING IN NORWAY

Every time I seemed to gain a few metres, it kicked and dove another two or three further down.

I summoned all my strength and determination and eventually got the fish close to the surface.

“Woah, a big coalfish I think,” Thomas declared as he leant over the side to assist with the catch. As it surfaced I almost dropped the rod; it was huge – definitely the biggest fish of my modest angling career. Once aboard, Jimmy was inclined to weigh it, revealing: “It’s 36lb – a really nice fish!”

A combination of elation, exhaustion and disbelief almost prevented me from lifting the fish for a photo, but I think my smile said it all. It was a catch I’ll never forget.

Three Is The Magic NumberIt was day three and with halibut catches still scarce, Jimmy was willing to try something a little different with our approach.

He located an area of deeper water then advised that we drift over with our lures bouncing up and down just a few feet off the bottom.

We headed to the location with anticipations high – I just wanted to see a good-sized halibut in the boat; I didn’t care who caught it.

Thankfully our prayers were answered and Jimmy hooked into something

decent. He fought it for a long time as it pulled him up and down the deck of the boat, but eventually he brought it to the surface – at last it was a halibut! It was probably only 25lb to 30lb but it was an impressive sight. He held it up with pride as I photographed it before returning to my rod with a new sense of determination.

The day started to wear thin and we were fishing hard in an attempt to coax another ‘flat’ monster into the boat. Suddenly Simon hooked into something.

Norwegian Fishing ‘Light’If the big monsters elude you then you can always gear up with light spinning gear and tackle the equally impressive plaice that surround the cabins in Lofoten.

With a simple multi-hook rig and some fresh shrimps, our party enjoyed a huge haul of good-sized plaice that fought well and tasted superb.

Norway truly is a sea fishing Utopia – one to be experienced, enjoyed and preserved.

FURTHER INFORMATIONTrips can be booked throughwww.sportquestholidays.com.Prices start at £1,199 per person.

Jimmy moved over to him with the gaff but his rod suddenly screamed off too. I stood looking from left to right as both men fought what surely must have been halibut. Thankfully I wasn’t too distracted as my rod took off next. All three of us were into fish and we were all certain they were halibut – what a rush! The next 15 minutes or so were complete carnage as we tried to avoid crossing lines and getting tangled.

Jimmy got his to the boat first, closely followed by Simon. I brought mine to the surface and almost let my guard down to admire the awesome-looking fish. Just as I did, it made a break for it and kicked down, with line screaming

from my reel. “I am not losing this fish!” I thought. I battled on and eventually tired out the monstrous creature – okay so it was just shy of 30lb but it felt like a real achievement and was the crowning glory of this fantastic trip.

We all posed for photos and there was plenty of whooping and high-fives as we celebrated what we had come for. What a fish and what a place to catch it – I’m sold on Norwegian sea angling.

The ‘Days of Thunder’ colour variation of the lure is surprisingly effective!

In a quieter moment near Lofoten, Simon and David pose with a pair of plaice.