Ice-out, water temperature and spawning fall weeks apart between a lowland lake and a mountain lake an hour away, and local rules decide when a given water is open.
What drives the fishing season?
Ice-out starts the year, in April in the lowlands and well into June in the mountains, and trout and grayling feed best when the water is 10 to 16 degrees.
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, and grayling, perch and pike in spring. Many species feed hard just before or just after spawning, and are near impossible to fish for while they spawn. Whitefish are the exception: the spawning run gathers them and makes them easier to reach. Many waters are protected in exactly those weeks, and which weeks is a local matter.
Which fish bites when?
Most species peak in summer. Pike peak in September and October as well, and whitefish during the spawning run in October and November.
Lakes and rivers below the treeline, from Østlandet to Trøndelag.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brown trout | Ice fishingJan | Ice fishingFeb | Ice fishingMar | GoodApr | PeakMay | PeakJun | GoodJul | GoodAug | PeakspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules | SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules | SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules | Ice fishingDec |
| Large brown trout | SlowJan | SlowFeb | SlowMar | GoodApr | GoodMay | PeakJun | PeakJul | PeakAug | SlowspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules | SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules | SlowspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules | SlowDec |
| Grayling | SlowJan | SlowFeb | SlowMar | SlowApr | SlowspawningMay, spawning, check the local rules | GoodspawningJun, spawning, check the local rules | PeakJul | PeakAug | GoodSep | SlowOct | SlowNov | SlowDec |
| Arctic char | Ice fishingJan | Ice fishingFeb | Ice fishingMar | Ice fishingApr | PeakMay | GoodJun | SlowJul | SlowAug | GoodspawningSep, spawning, check the local rules | SlowspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules | SlowNov | Ice fishingDec |
| Perch | Goodthrough the iceJan | Goodthrough the iceFeb | Goodthrough the iceMar | SlowspawningApr, spawning, check the local rules | GoodspawningMay, spawning, check the local rules | GoodJun | PeakJul | PeakAug | GoodSep | GoodOct | SlowNov | Goodthrough the iceDec |
| Pike | Goodthrough the iceJan | Goodthrough the iceFeb | Goodthrough the iceMar | SlowspawningApr, spawning, check the local rules | PeakMay | PeakJun | SlowJul | GoodAug | PeakSep | PeakOct | GoodNov | Goodthrough the iceDec |
| Whitefish | Goodthrough the iceJan | Goodthrough the iceFeb | Goodthrough the iceMar | SlowApr | GoodMay | GoodJun | GoodJul | GoodAug | GoodSep | PeakspawningOct, spawning, check the local rules | PeakspawningNov, spawning, check the local rules | Goodthrough the iceDec |
| Atlantic salmon | SlowJan | SlowFeb | SlowMar | SlowApr | SlowMay | GoodJun | PeakJul | PeakAug | SlowSep | 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.
- Ice fishing: Fished through the ice, where the ice holds you.
- Spawning: the fish spawn, and many waters are protected then. Check the local rules.
- through the ice: Peak or Good in the winter months, Dec–Mar in the lowlands and Nov–Apr in the mountains. The fish are taken through the ice.
The table says how the fishing usually is, not whether a water is open. That is set locally, and is covered below.
What drives the year for each species?
Trout follow the water temperature, grayling spawn in spring, char feed all winter, and pike spawn right after the ice goes.
- 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.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in May, Jun and Sep. Good in Apr, Jul and Aug. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. Spawning in Sep, Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in Jun and Sep. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov and Dec. Spawning in Sep and Oct, check the local rules.
- Large brown trout
Large lake trout follow the baitfish. Summer is the peak, trolling in the lake and fishing in the river, and in autumn they run up the river to spawn.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Jun, Jul and Aug. Good in Apr and May. Spawning in Sep, Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Good in Jul and Aug. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov and Dec. Spawning in Sep and Oct, check the local rules.
- Grayling
Grayling spawn in spring, in May and June, so they are protected in many rivers exactly when trout fishing gets going. July and August are the peak, and the dry fly often works best in the middle of the day.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in Jun and Sep. Spawning in May and Jun, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in Sep. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov and Dec. Spawning in May and Jun, check the local rules.
- Arctic char
Char are the ice fisher’s fish. They feed all winter, move shallow right after ice-out, hold deep and sluggish through the summer heat, and spawn in autumn.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in May. Good in Jun and Sep. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr and Dec. Spawning in Sep and Oct, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jun. Good in Jul, Aug and Sep. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov and Dec. Spawning in Sep and Oct, check the local rules.
- Perch
Perch are the easiest fish to find all year. They spawn in spring, just after ice-out, shoal all summer, and are the ice fishing species once the lakes freeze.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in May, Jun, Sep and Oct. Good through the ice in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. Spawning in Apr and May, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in Jun and Sep. Good through the ice in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. Ice fishing in Apr and Nov. Spawning in Jun, check the local rules.
- Pike
Pike spawn early, right after the ice goes, and feed hard after spawning. Summer heat slows them, and September and October are the second peak of the year.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in May, Jun, Sep and Oct. Good in Aug and Nov. Good through the ice in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. Spawning in Apr, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Good in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep. Spawning in May, check the local rules.
- Whitefish
The autumn spawning run gathers whitefish on shallows and in rivers, and then they are easiest to reach. In summer they can be taken on a fly when they rise, and in winter on a jig through the ice.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Oct and Nov. Good in May, Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep. Good through the ice in Jan, Feb, Mar and Dec. Spawning in Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Oct. Good in Jun, Jul, Aug and Sep. Ice fishing in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Nov and Dec. Spawning in Oct, check the local rules.
- 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.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Jul and Aug. Good in Jun. Spawning in Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jul. Good in Jun and Aug. Spawning in Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Sea trout
Sea trout hold in the sea, where rod fishing is free. They are still protected in some places: in parts of the sea in spring, in the no-fishing zones of the Oslofjord all year, and in and around river mouths when they run up to spawn. Spring and autumn are the peaks.
- Lowland and south
- Peak in Mar, Apr, May and Sep. Good in Feb, Jun, Aug and Oct. Spawning in Sep, Oct and Nov, check the local rules.
- Mountain and north
- Peak in Jun, Jul and Aug. Good in May and Sep. Spawning in Sep and Oct, check the local rules.
Who decides when you can fish?
The licence, the landowner and Miljødirektoratet answer for when a water is open, and for salmon, sea trout and sea char the season is set river by river.
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, rod fishing is free for everyone, but it is not open everywhere. In the no-fishing zones of the Oslofjord all fishing is forbidden all year: in the inner Oslofjord inside a line from Horten to Jeløya in Moss, and in parts of the Færder and Ytre Hvaler national parks. Sea trout and salmon are also protected in parts of the sea, in spring or all year, and 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.
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, which the table reckons from December to March in the lowlands and from November to April in the mountains, and whitefish take a jig. At sea, rod fishing is free in winter too, but not everywhere: in the no-fishing zones of the Oslofjord all fishing is forbidden all year, and in the protected cod spawning grounds from 1 January to 30 April. NVE recommends 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.