Just past midnight and within 20 minutes of opening the Namsen produced this beauty of 47lb (21.6kg) for Christopher Rosenkilde from Bergen.



Photo by : Aud Lidbom

The fish was taken from the "Music Box" pool near Overhalla of the Grande Gaard beat. Later in the morning (05.00hrs) Roald Arntsen from Trondheim landed a 41lb (18.6Kg) salmon from the same beat!

Full story: Pangstart i Namsen - Trønder-Avisa (Norwegian)

English: Salmon start on the Namsen - Trønder-Avisa

A 50lb (23Kg) salmon has been caught by Christian Rasmussen / Søren Rasmussen from the Grande Gaard beat Vold pool.



Blimey what a fish!

Colin

Lovely fish, but why oh why oh why do the Norwegian fishermen insist on kiling thie quarry.?

I just knew someone would have a pop!


BB - at least they were both male fish and no eggs were lost for the spawning beds.

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Save the softmouth trout

Ah so the Norwegian female salmon manage to reproduce without the males, cunning.
That is a relief and he was I thinking that all those big fish genes would be lost!

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Malcolm
<')\\\\\<<
Quot homines tot sententiae

Wow, what an opening day! I haven't been able to wet a line today as decorating and work has pretty much taken over my day.

As regards killing the fish, well we eat alot of fish over here. So I pose the question. Wild fish or farmed fish? Both have their pros and cons....

Personally, well I think that all the larger fish should be returned so that these beauties can carrying on the genes. Rather the smaller springers and grilse being dispatched. The large fish aren't as good eating anyway.

On my local river, the mandalselva, there's a one fish per person per day rule. Whether that be a sea trout or salmon. Salmon stocks have dropped dramatically within the last 4-5 years

When I first moved to Norway some 8yrs ago, the catches in my local river were about 12.2 tonn per season. Season lasting from 1st june to 15th sept. Now it's around 5.7 tonn. The season now ends 1st sept and the one fish rule enforced. Though the nets in the estuary and the net in the river is still allowed

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Life is like a box of choclates. Ya never know what ya gonna get.

Forrest Gump 1994

In total 46 salmon were caught on opening day on the Namsen (and Tribs) with an average weight of 18.8lbs. Eight salmon were over 30lbs in weight! Fantastic quality fish by anybody's standards. But relatively low in numbers which seems to be recent Norwegian trend - especially the declining numbers.

Compare this tally to 1 June 2008 on the Namsen which had a very good start.

271 fish caught
17 over 30lb
Avg weight 14.89lb

Of course fishing conditions could have been much better on the day in 2008.

I did hear the water was quite low yesterday.

BTW: I have heard that truly massive shoals of herring are out and about the Norwegian coast so feed may not be an issue!

Male fish are needed!.

and there's a theory that big fish propogate big fish.

And Eph, i'm not 'having a go' merely expressing sorrow that such magnificent fish were killed.

Yes I know; but everytime cb posts pictures of splendid Norwegian salmon someone always points out the fish is dead. Like the UK is a salmon conservation haven and we know best?

Not 'having a go' at all, I know you - just as I do - release almost all our salmon and sea trout.

The male fish comment is that spawning ground managers on the notable Norwegian rivers think that too many of these huge males cause so many problems, through fighting, on the redds that they don't mind them being taken.
Let's hope some sixties, perhaps a seventy too, slipped past the Namsen anglers yesterday as they played the small stuff!

There is also a theory that the same genes are carried in dwarf salmon - sexually mature parr that will never leave the redds - that always nip in to fertilize a portion of the eggs on most redds.


Both are splendid fish BTW. Should have said so yesterday.

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Save the softmouth trout

I do think over exploitation of returning (and precious) salmon is causing serious strains on salmon populations in many rivers of Norway. But as Ephemerella has pointed out we have a long history of the same behaviour over here. (but have come to our senses).

In Norway, they are only very slowly accepting catch & release as a conservation tool that keeps alive both the fish and the economic benefits of fishing in rural communities. They seem to want to shorten the seasons or close the rivers altogether instead.

Magnificent rivers like the Numedal are in serious decline (plummeting salmon catches) yet almost every fish caught is kept. Like this one below from May 2011:


44.5lb (20.24Kg)

Ikke langt unna rekord | op.no

It certainly has me scratching my head and wondering! We reap what we sow – but they mainly reap!

BTW: The Numedal does at least offer very good value day tickets in glorious surroundings and is relatively near Oslo. But if you go please put them back and set a good example! One day they might take heed.