Week 29, Rainy, river starts to drop

This week was once again a fantastic mix of new faces and familiar friends, creating a great atmosphere here at the lodge. With everyone eager to get out on the river, we were looking forward to another exciting week on the Lakselv.

The river was still recovering from the heavy rains of the previous week, but it was gradually getting back into shape. By the beginning of the week, the water had dropped to around 30 cubic metres per second, giving us much more favourable fishing conditions.

It didn’t take long for Chris to hook into the fish he had travelled to Lakselv hoping to encounter. Fishing the upper part of Zone 1 with his Sunray, a deep-lying fish came up and grabbed the fly, giving Chris an excellent fight. The beautiful female salmon measured 93 cm and weighed 8.3 kg — a fantastic start to the week and a memorable moment for Chris and his son Harry.

Just a couple of hours later, the Lakselv magic continued. Harry hooked a fish in the same area using a similar setup. This fish showed even more strength, taking him on a long run downstream before finally being landed around 300 metres further down the river. Another beautiful, fat female salmon, measuring 88 cm and weighing 8.5 kg. What a start to the week for father and son!

And the good times kept rolling after lunch. Ernie, an 80-year-old first-time guest at Olderø, was fishing the same area where Chris had caught his salmon that morning. After just a few casts, he hooked into the fish of a lifetime.

After a great battle, an absolutely stunning female salmon was brought to the net, measuring 103 cm and weighing 13.7 kg. At 80 years old, Ernie had just landed the biggest salmon of his fishing career — a truly special and well-earned moment.

It was beautiful to see a young angler enjoy such a special morning, followed by a well-seasoned angler experiencing the fish of a lifetime that same afternoon. This is what salmon fishing is all about — stories, family, friendship and good times together on the river, shared across generations.

After such a fantastic start to the week, we were expecting big things in the days ahead. Unfortunately, the bigger salmon had other plans. Chris had another chance at a fish in the 10–12 kg range, only to lose it right beside the net.

Our repeater Nadim also had a serious encounter with a very big salmon. After hooking the fish, everything looked promising until it decided to take a powerful run straight out into the current. The pressure and strength of the fish proved too much, and the hook was straightened. One of those moments that hurts at the time, but will certainly become part of the stories from another week on the Lakselv.

Similar stories followed over the next few days, with several good fish hooked but ultimately lost. It was clear that there were some very good salmon in the river, but unfortunately they were not always willing to cooperate all the way to the net.

In between the bigger fish getting away, the grilse run slowly started to build, and we managed to land a good number of fresh, newly arrived grilse. This gave the group some good action towards the end of the week and a great way to finish.

By the end of the week, the river had stabilised around 20 cubic metres per second and was looking more and more promising for the weeks ahead. With fresh grilse continuing to arrive and the bigger salmon still showing themselves, there is plenty to look forward to.

Another week of great fishing, big fish, lost fish, new friendships and plenty of stories — exactly what salmon fishing at Olderø is all about.