Week 26 "Irish Week"

This week we welcomed back a familiar group including some new friends to Olderø flyfishing lodge. Our repeating guests came with very high expectations due to the great fishing previous years in this week. Even though the conditions were getting better and better we all had to realize that this year we hd a late spring. Actually just a very normal start to the season compaired to the last two years where summer heat and salmons came early.

The river looked very nice and clear with tempretures of 6 to 10 degrees celsius and a steady run of water between 40 and 30 kubic. So still quit cold and big river. This offcourse affected our general approach of how to reach the fewer fish in the river. We used different tactics changeing between Skagit heads with heavy sink tips and more traditional scandi heads.

Our guests would discover that as last week there was still some "old" fish arround in our beats. So the exitement of off their fly getten taken in the strong current was short lived because it unfortunally most of the times was a kelt/størring on its way back to sea. All of these fish were fought quickly and handled with care by both angler and guides so they can continue their journey out of the river.

By the middle og the week Bill Connelly a new friend of the house was fishing with his brother in the top of zone 2. Here he would encounter a fish that was headed upstream rather then down. The fish was a 83 cm buck that gave Bill a very good run for his money and was safely released back into the river after a quick picture. 

The next days didnt have as much activity as we would have hoped. But on the last session of the week this all changed. Bill was again on the spot this time in our famous Homepool. It didnt take long for both Bill and his guide to realize that this was not a small fish. From the moment the fish took the fly the battle was on and Bill got all of his fighting skills tested. Eventually after a great fight the fish gave in and was securely nettet. The great salmon was an extraordinary conditioned female of 101 cm and 13.8 kg. The fish was offcourse released. An absolutly stunner of a fish and Bills personal best. First PB off the season and for sure not the last one. Also the first real big Lakselv fish in the books for this season.

Bill with his “tank” of a fish from Olderø homepool.

A great way to end the week and a very positive sign for the weeks to come.