Hi

I am planning a 10 day trout and grayling fishing trip to finnmarksvidda this year. I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me advice on when the "prime" time to fish would be? Unfortunately I can only get the last two weeks in June off or the last two weeks in August off work. However if July would be considerably better then I might have another word with my boss!

Any advice would be gratefully received as I have spent many hours researching the internet without much success.

Drop a mail to Arjan Maat in Belgium. info@pro-flyshop.com.
He's an expert on this. Tell him I sent you.
Tight LInes,
J.J.

Your best bet will be tom get in touch with the tourist office in the area you pla to visit. Here is a link that might help you get started.....
Porsangerfjord Travel

i have a Norwegian colleague who goes to Finnmaark each summer for the one week trip his good lady allows him each year - he goes in August.

Hi HT,
A couple of pals and myself did some research on this a few months ago after a thread was posted on here by docsalmo (I'm sure that was the fella) who consequently put me in touch with Niklas from altafishing.com | Mountain fishing
The trip sounds great but 2 of our 4 didn't fancy the camping so we're off somewhere else instead, but I'll definitely be going in 2013.
He advised us that "week 28" would be a good time and I assume he means something like mid to end of July.
Hope this helps,
Del.

Contact "wiggy" on forum he lives in Norway(albeit at the opposite end) may be able to help

Pete

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New rainbow PB 22 lbs Bangour 23/10/2011

I'm pretty green when it comes to Nord Norge (North of Norway). Though I've got a trip booked for the middle of august. Me and two other fishing mates are flying to Kirkenes and hiring a car. We're then going to drive to Pasvikelva and fish around that area.

The goal is big brown trout and sea going char.

Good luck with your trip

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Have a word with Holger Buricke
He has been a guide in that part of the world for a few years, either sea angling or nature trips.
BUT his favourite kind of fishing is dry fly fishing for trout/char.
From what he told me, the fishing is very good, to say the least.
He is on Facebook...

I have posted about my Finnmarksvidda adventure in this topic

Finnmarksvidda (Norway) August 2011

I have been 1 timein Finnmarksvidda, so I do not consider myself "an expert"

The best period would be July. June is possible but is rather "early". August is also possible but that is already "late" in the season...

The winter lasts until May. That is when the snow and the ice start to melt. It is possible to catch trout and grayling in June but they will be skinny because they have just started to eat again after the winter. Perhaps in the end of June they are already a bit fatter and rounder. Try to find a river that holds char. Char favor colder conditions.

I was there in August and that was already "late". The water levels had already dropped quite a bit. But the fishing was Excellent (with capital E)! Large grayling and trout, but no char.

Finnmarksvidda is not very accessible. You need to know where you go and every place has its own rules. The general rule was/is that you can fish with a license within 6 km of public roads. If you want to further then you need a guide. Some places are only accessible with a guide. This lack of freedom is in contradiction with the traditional Norwegian "allemannsretten", but Finnmarksvidda is part of Lapland (Samen Country) and it seems that they are allowed to have special rules...

Please, don't go alone. At least 2 people. Consider a guide. Coverage for mobile phone is very good. If you have no signal at the river, then you have to go to a higher point on one of the nearby hills.

I have fished with several flies:
- czech nymps = no success
- other nymphs (pheasant tail) = some fish
- dry flies (sedges, klinkhammers) = good but small fish
- super puppan = no success
- streamers (stickleback imitations) = lots and lots of 50+ grayling and several trout

I have included a pattern of my most successful streamer. I got 95% of all my fish on it.


(sorry, I could not focus the camera on the fly, but set it full screen and have a good look at the initial image)

Now, you say that you want to go in June. I have heard that June is top period for sea trout in Alta bay. You could consider that for 2 or 3 days. Stay close to the river mouth. When conditions are good, then you can have 10-20 sea trout per day! So I have been told.

I have fished on Varanger (Vestre Jakobs Elva, Skall Elva and Komag Elva) for salmon and sea run char in July and August. Beginning of July is to early for Skall Elva and Komag Elva - both of which have an Artic Climate.

I have also fished the Teno Joki (Tana) in July and August - in June the ice is just beginning to break off the river, although for springers it is probably the best time.

Taking into consideration the distance you have to travel I personally would recommend mid July - mid August. The temps at night may drop down to around zero but at least it kills off the mozzies . Did I mention mozzies , they are so big rumour has it that the Sami's dry them and use them for bar stools, so don't bother with any fancy repellent go for the real mens stuff - deet, deet and guess what more deet, then of course there are the midges - little darlings they just love bathing in repellent, and exploring your nostrils, ears and any other orifices which just happen to be exposed ...

... then there is the process of going to "the loo"; in the absence of a WC ('not many of them up there) we tend to go around the corner and hide behind a bush, well DON'T. Look for the most exposed position and do it in the open where the wind can blow freely around your #++#. Being embarrassed is by far the better option to having hundreds if not thousands of mozzies dive bombing your exposed "bot" and other extremities , not to mention what the midges can get up to, whilst attempting to take a dump ...

... but despite these minor disadvantages the "land of the midnight sun" has to be experienced if you have never been there before; sitting on the banks of a river, watching the grayling gulping down flies whilst waiting for the next batch of salmon to come over the brink & enter the pool, with a fire going to keep off the mozzies, passing a bottle of malt around between mates at 2am in the morning and the sun is shining, is truly one of those things you have to do before you join the happy fishing grounds ....

... mind you if there is no wind and the mozzies are out you will wish you were already in the happy fishing grounds.

Enjoy it, its a priceless experience

(PS I just noticed that "docsalmo" listed his successful flies - although I go to the area primarily for salmon and sea run char I do take a dry fly rod and have a crack at the big grayling - my most successful fly for grayling is undoubtedly the cdc&elk hair sedge by Hans Weilenmann with it I have caught many grayling over 50cm.)

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