When is the fishing season in Norway?

There is no single season. Inland fishing is often open all year, but many waters have their own closed period around spawning, and salmon and sea trout have seasons set river by river that change every year. In practice the main season runs from ice-out in April or May until the end of October in the lowlands, and from June to September in the mountains.

When is the best time to fish for trout?

The weeks right after ice-out, and again in September before spawning. May and June are the peak in the lowlands, July and August in the mountains. At midsummer trout hold deep during the day and feed most at first light and dusk.

Can I fish in winter?

Yes. Perch and char bite well through the ice all winter, and whitefish take a jig. At sea, fishing is open all year. The ice must be at least ten centimetres of core ice before you walk out, and the licence applies as usual.

When are fish protected?

Around spawning, but exactly when is set locally. Trout, char and whitefish spawn in autumn; grayling, perch and pike in spring. Salmon and sea trout are protected in and around river mouths when they run. The licence, the landowner and Miljødirektoratet are the only ones who answer for the water you are going to.

Guide

The fishing season in Norway

When is it worth going, and for what? Ice-out, water temperature and spawning run the year more than the calendar does, and they fall weeks apart between a lowland lake and a mountain lake an hour away.

What drives the season

Water temperature

Fish are cold-blooded: they feed when the water is at the right temperature and little otherwise. Trout and grayling want 10 to 16 degrees, pike and perch take more, char want less. A couple of degrees moves the fishing more than a week on the calendar does.

Ice-out

The year starts when the ice goes, and that is April in the lowlands and well into June in the mountains. The first weeks after ice-out are among the best of the year: the fish are hungry and holding shallow.

Spawning

Trout, char and whitefish spawn in autumn; grayling, perch and pike in spring. Fish feed hard just before and are near impossible to fish for during. Many waters are protected in exactly those weeks, and which weeks is a local matter.

Month by month

Lakes and rivers below the treeline, from Østlandet to Trøndelag.

When each species is worth fishing for, month by month: Lowland and south
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Brown trout	Through the iceJan	Through the iceFeb	Through the iceMar	GoodApr	PeakMay	PeakJun	GoodJul	GoodAug	PeakspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules	Through the iceDec
Large brown trout	SlowJan	SlowFeb	SlowMar	GoodApr	PeakMay	GoodJun	GoodJul	GoodAug	PeakspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules	SlowDec
Grayling	SlowJan	SlowFeb	SlowspawningMar, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningApr, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningMay, spawning, check the local rules	GoodJun	PeakJul	PeakAug	GoodSep	SlowOct	SlowNov	SlowDec
Arctic char	Through the iceJan	Through the iceFeb	Through the iceMar	Through the iceApr	GoodMay	GoodJun	SlowJul	SlowAug	GoodspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowNov	Through the iceDec
Perch	PeakJan	PeakFeb	GoodMar	SlowspawningApr, spawning, check the local rules	GoodspawningMay, spawning, check the local rules	GoodJun	GoodJul	PeakAug	PeakSep	GoodOct	SlowNov	GoodDec
Pike	GoodJan	GoodFeb	PeakMar	SlowspawningApr, spawning, check the local rules	PeakMay	GoodJun	SlowJul	GoodAug	PeakSep	PeakOct	GoodNov	GoodDec
Whitefish	GoodJan	GoodFeb	GoodMar	SlowApr	GoodMay	PeakJun	GoodJul	GoodAug	GoodSep	SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules	GoodDec
Atlantic salmon	SlowJan	SlowFeb	SlowMar	SlowApr	SlowMay	GoodJun	PeakJul	PeakAug	SlowspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules	SlowDec
Sea trout	SlowJan	GoodFeb	PeakMar	PeakApr	PeakMay	GoodJun	SlowJul	GoodAug	PeakspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules	GoodspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules	SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules	SlowDec

Peak: The best weeks of the year for this fish. Go now.
Good: Worth a trip. Fish are feeding.
Slow: Hard going: the fish are deep, spawning, or the season is generally over.
Through the ice: Fished through the ice, where the ice is safe.

The table says how the fishing usually is, not whether a water is open. That is set locally, and is covered below.

Species by species

Brown trout
Trout follow the water temperature. They wake around ice-out, peak when the insects arrive, go deep and nocturnal in the heat, and feed hard again in autumn before spawning.
Large brown trout
Large lake trout follow the baitfish. Trolling from ice-out in May is the classic, and then they run up the rivers towards autumn to spawn.
Grayling
Grayling spawn in spring, not autumn, so they are protected in many rivers exactly when trout fishing gets going. Summer is their time: dry fly on still evenings from July.
Arctic char
Char are the ice fisher’s fish. They feed all winter, hold deep and sluggish through the summer heat, and spawn in autumn.
Perch
Perch are the easiest fish to find all year. They spawn in May, shoal all summer, and are the ice fishing species once the lakes freeze.
Pike
Pike spawn early, right after the ice goes, and feed hard both before and after. Summer heat slows them, and then comes the best period of the year: September and October.
Whitefish
Whitefish take a fly when they rise to insects at midsummer, and a jig through the ice. They spawn late in autumn, often in November.
Atlantic salmon
The salmon season is set river by river and changes from year to year, as a rule somewhere between June and August. Check the river before you plan anything: this is the row least able to answer for you.
Sea trout
Sea trout hold in the sea, where fishing is free and open all year, but they are protected in and around river mouths when they run up to spawn. Spring and autumn are the peaks.

The rules

The season above is practical, not legal. Which weeks a given water is actually open is set locally and changes from year to year, and no single list is right for the whole country.

Salmon, sea trout and sea char: the season is set river by river. You pay the state fishing levy, buy a local licence, and report your catch.
Inland fish: often open all year, but many waters and rivers have their own closed period around spawning. The licence or the landowner says which.
At sea, fishing is free and open all year to everyone, but sea trout and salmon are protected in and around river mouths when they run.

Always check the water you are going to, on the day. The licence, the landowner and Miljødirektoratet are the only ones who answer for it.

Find a spot What time of day

Common questions

When is the fishing season in Norway?: There is no single season. Inland fishing is often open all year, but many waters have their own closed period around spawning, and salmon and sea trout have seasons set river by river that change every year. In practice the main season runs from ice-out in April or May until the end of October in the lowlands, and from June to September in the mountains.Month by month
When is the best time to fish for trout?: The weeks right after ice-out, and again in September before spawning. May and June are the peak in the lowlands, July and August in the mountains. At midsummer trout hold deep during the day and feed most at first light and dusk.The trout guide
Can I fish in winter?: Yes. Perch and char bite well through the ice all winter, and whitefish take a jig. At sea, fishing is open all year. The ice must be at least ten centimetres of core ice before you walk out, and the licence applies as usual.The ice fishing guide
When are fish protected?: Around spawning, but exactly when is set locally. Trout, char and whitefish spawn in autumn; grayling, perch and pike in spring. Salmon and sea trout are protected in and around river mouths when they run. The licence, the landowner and Miljødirektoratet are the only ones who answer for the water you are going to.