Week 30, conditions stabilizing.

This week was mainly about welcoming returning guests back to the lodge, with many familiar faces once again making their way to Olderø. For some, it was more than just another visit — there were a few scores to settle after last year’s trip!

The river was continuing in the right direction from the previous week, and with only a few showers in the forecast, optimism was high as we looked ahead to another promising week on the Lakselv.

It didn’t take long for Jeppe, a first-time guest from Denmark, to make the most of these promising conditions. Fishing in the upper part of Zone 2, Jeppe was swinging his fly through water we knew was holding fish. Suddenly, a salmon came all the way up and confidently took the fly, setting the stage for an exciting battle.

The fish had most likely just arrived in the pool, as the fight was fairly straightforward, but Jeppe soon had a beautiful 85 cm salmon in the net — a great start to his first visit to Olderø. Similar things were happening elsewhere on the river, with several fresh grilse in the 62–67 cm range landed during the morning.

One of the revenge stories belonged to Blake, who had lost two big fish in Home Pool during his final session last time around. This year, he was back in the same area, fishing the top of Home Pool and hitching his flies across the surface. It didn’t take long before a fish came up and confidently took the fly — giving Blake another chance to settle the score.

And this time, Blake got his revenge. He managed to land the fish — a fresh-run male salmon weighing 6 kg. A well-deserved redemption after losing two big fish in the same pool the year before.

It was a very promising start to the week, and all the anglers were eagerly anticipating what the days ahead might bring. Especially Tom and his son Coleman were in for a very memorable couple of days.

First, it was Tom’s turn to shine. He landed two beautiful Atlantic salmon within a day — a 95 cm female and a 90 cm male. Both fish were caught in our Home Pool in the lower part of the river, which is a very welcome sight and a strong indication that the main run of salmon is now well underway.

Fantastic fish from Olderø homepool.

In the afternoon, it was Coleman’s turn to battle one of these Lakselv salmon. Now in the upper part of the river. This time, a 95 cm fish came up and took a big Sunray just under the surface, giving Coleman a great fight. After a memorable battle and a beautiful picture, the salmon was safely released back into the river like all other fish cought at Olderø. 

Another revenge story belonged to Martin, our guest from Argentina, who had already lost two fish earlier in the week. Fishing the upper part of Zone 1, Martin finally found what he had travelled halfway around the world to experience — a Lakselv salmon was now at the end of his line. What a fish it was — a magnificent 100 cm male salmon that took Martin 300–400 metres downstream before the guide could finally safely slip the net underneath it and bring the fish to shore. A hard-fought and well-deserved revenge for Martin.

A great way to end a great week, with all anglers having their chances. Some won, some lost, but overall it was a fantastic week on the river. The outlook for next week looks promising, with a little rain in the forecast, and we’ll see how it unfolds.