Last updated on February 7th, 2024.
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If you’re after Atlantic salmon on the fly, chances are high you’ll end up fishing in Norway some day.
During my trip to Norway last year I was fortunate enough to fish a couple of great salmon rivers. My journey started at Grindal Salmon Lodge, a beautiful place close to Trondheim where fly fishermen from around the world come to test their skills and indulge in the rich tradition of fly fishing for Atlantic salmon. My goal during my week in Norway was to experience different styles of salmon fishing. So after a few beautiful days (despite the flood) at Grindal where my brother in law and myself where taken care of in with excellent food and hospitality, I drove on to the Eira river that flows into the mighty Eresfjord which is part of Romsdalsfjord, Norway tenth biggest fjord.
My journey over from the magical Orkla valley took me through beautiful forests and along the sparsly populated coasts of Central Norway before arriving at Eira almost at dawn. The valley was covered with clouds that had brought rain from across the Atlantic that’s only a few miles away from where I was staying for the night. When you look up Eira River salmon fishing, you’ll come across Siramoen, a beautiful old lodge located a little closer to the sea than the stretch I was about to fish. My beat is managed by a local fishing club run by Ole Johnny Jensen. He was kind enough to host me for a night so I could take a shot at catching an Eira Salmon.
The Beauty of Simplicity
Since I arrived late at night, there was no time left to fish and I decided to make myself comfortable in the cabin that sits right be the river. It can accomodate several fishermen and consists of two buildings. The main one features a kitchen, a living room with a stove and two bedrooms with multiple beds. Next door is another small cabin (on the right in the photo above) with a bathroom and another small bedroom.
Eira Salmon Fishing: Short River, Big Fish
The beat I fished streches from Osen (where the river Eira flows out of the Eikesdalen lake) all the way down past he cabin that you can rent from the local fishing club. It features a wide variety of pools and riffles, some faster flowing, some slower with a number of great holding pools amogst them that produce big fish every season. I started fishing right in front of the cabin where a big riffle gives way to a number of longer pools that fished great and produced a classic swing.
The Eira valley is surrounded by stunning mountains that were covered in clouds most of the time during my stay at Eira. I was impressed by the lush landscape and pristine river condition. Like most rivers in the Northern hemisphere, the salmon population on the Eira has suffered in recent years and decades. The golden days of salmon fishing like the British noblemen must have experieced them more than a century ago, are gone. With that in mind, there still is a good chance of catching an Atlantic in the Eira and other rivers draining into the mighty Langfjorden in Central Norway.
Since I only had a day to fish I focused on the runs that Johnny had recommened to me as the most promising ones. The fishing with the clouds hanging low around the big mountains was fantastic and several times I was feeling like my swing was just right but I didn’t connect. You know how it is in salmon fishing though, you gotta enjoy just being out there and swinging your fly on a big double-handed rod even when you don’t get a take (which is the standard in Atlantic salmon fly fishing).
Eira River Salmon Fishing
I am sure I’ll be back at Eira for another shot at a beautiful chromer. It wasn’t for me this time but youngster Kristian Askjem Grung managed to catch this beautiful summer salmon only a day after I had left which goes to show you should always give it a try at least.
