Species guide
Brown trout fishing
Salmo trutta
The most widespread freshwater fish in Norway, and the one most of us caught first.
- Size
- Typically 20-40 cm in streams and small waters. Over a kilo is big in most places. The large trout of big lakes such as Mjøsa, Tyrifjorden and Randsfjorden are a different fish again, and can reach 10-15 kg.
- Where it lives
- Almost the whole country, from lowland streams to mountain lakes above 1400 m.
- Best time
- First light and dusk, from ice-out to September.
How to tell it apart
Brownish to olive back with black and red spots, often haloed in a lighter ring. An adipose fin between the dorsal fin and the tail, as on all salmonids. The tail is square or slightly notched, against the salmon’s clearly forked one. Colour varies enormously with the water: almost black in bog water, silver-bright in clear mountain lakes.
Where it holds
Prefers current over stony bottoms, and is sparse in slow lowland rivers. In lakes you find it along edges, at inlets and outlets, around large rocks and on shallows where food collects. In hot summers it moves towards cooler, oxygen-rich water at inlets and in deeper parts.
The season
Ice-out to May
Cold water and sluggish fish. Fish slowly and deep, and in the middle of the day when the water is warmest. Inlets where meltwater drags food in are often the only place anything happens.
May to June
The best period in many places. The insects arrive, the fish feed up after winter, and they hold shallow. The day is long, so first light and dusk stretch into one long, good period.
July to August
Warm water pushes fish deeper and makes them more nocturnal. Fish early morning and late evening, and look to inlets, deeper edges and shade. In the mountains, though, this is the high season.
September to October
Trout feed hard before spawning and can be very aggressive. At the same time they are protected during the spawning season in many places, and spawning fish should be left alone. Check the rules for the water before you go.
See the season month by month for every species, in the lowlands and in the mountains.
Gear
Light rod 5-15 g
A rod of about 6 feet in casting weight 5-15 g covers most of it. Reel size 1000-2500, 0.20-0.25 mm monofilament or thin braid. Enough for any normal trout, and light enough that the small ones are fun too.
Lure guideClass 4-6
Class 5 is the most versatile for Norwegian trout. Floating line, leader around 9 feet in 0.16-0.20 mm. Class 4 if you fish small streams and light flies, class 6 if it is windy or the fish are big.
Fly guideWorm under a float
Underrated for trout, and the simplest route to a fish for beginners. Hook 8-12, worm, and a float that holds the bait just above the bottom. Where bait is allowed, and remember that bait fishing can be banned in the closed season.
GearBaits and lures
- Silver spinner size 1-3
- The first choice in clear water. Mepps Aglia and Blue Fox Vibrax are the classics.
- Small spoon 7-12 g
- Casts further than the spinner and runs deeper. Silver in clear water, copper and gold when it is stained.
- Sinking plug 5-7 cm
- Rapala Countdown and the like, when you have to get down in current or fish a set depth.
- Nymph size 12-16
- Below the surface most of the time. Hare’s Ear and Pheasant Tail cover most of it.
- Dry fly size 12-16
- When it rises. Hatch imitations in the evening, ants and hoppers in late summer.
Spawning and diet
Spawning
September to October, exceptionally as late as December or January. The female digs a pit in the gravel of running water, lays her eggs there, and covers them with gravel from upstream. The eggs lie in the gravel through winter and hatch in late winter or spring.
Diet
Young trout live on insects drifting with the current. Larger trout take more fish, and the big lake trout live largely on smelt.
Rules
Applies to all inland fish
- There is no longer a national minimum size for inland fish. Minimum and maximum sizes, daily bag limits and closed seasons are set locally, and two waters in the same municipality can have different rules.
- You need a fishing card from the rights holder wherever one is sold. The card is an agreement with the landowner, not a state fee.
- Children under 16 fish free with rod and hand line from 1 January to 20 August, except in watercourses with anadromous salmonids. This follows from section 18 of the Norwegian salmon and inland fish act.
- The state fishing fee does not apply to inland fish. It covers only salmon, sea trout and sea char.
- Releasing fish or moving live fish between waters is prohibited. Spreading species to new watercourses is one of the biggest threats to Norwegian fish stocks.
Specific to brown trout
- Trout are protected during the spawning season in many watercourses, typically from mid-September into the winter. The closed season is set locally and varies a great deal.
- Several large-trout watercourses have both a minimum and a maximum size, where big fish must be released because they are the spawning stock the population lives on.
All of the above is advisory. The rules are set locally and do change, so always confirm with the rights holder or an official source before you fish.
Waters holding brown trout
Municipalities
Common questions
When is the best time to fish for brown trout?
- First light and dusk right through the season, and May to June is the best period in many places. In summer warm water pushes fish deeper and makes them more nocturnal, while in the mountains that is exactly when it fishes best. In autumn trout feed hard before spawning, but that is also when they are protected in many places.When fish bite, hour by hour
Which lure is best for brown trout?
- A silver spinner in size 1 to 3 is the first choice in clear water, and a small spoon of 7 to 12 grams when you need to cast further or get deeper. Move towards copper and gold when the water is stained. Colour matters less than most people think; contrast against the background and how the lure moves usually matter more.Pick a colour for your conditions
Is there a minimum size for brown trout?
- Not nationally, which is why the question has to be asked water by water. The figure sits in three places: on the fishing card you buy, in the regional regulation from the county governor, and often on the sign at the water. Measure from the snout to the tip of the tail. A fish under the limit goes back with wet hands, without being laid on the ground first.How to release a fish
Sources