About
The Scandinavian countries have two things in common when it comes to fly
fishing. All have part of each country that border an ocean and all of the northern
parts of the countries are above the Arctic Circle. When the Kola Peninsula of
Russia is included in the discussion fishing is different because all of the Kola
Peninsula is above the Arctic Circle. The location and type of ocean as well as the
location of the Arctic Circle affects the fishing in each country. The majority of
Finland, Sweden and Norway are below the Arctic Circle. The species of fish
varies from south to north in each country. It also varies depending upon the
distance from the ocean. All of the countries and the Kola Peninsula have Brown
Trout, Sea Trout, Arctic Char, Grayling and Atlantic Salmon and the region
probably has the best Sea Trout and Atlantic Salmon fishing in the world.
Whether that is in Norway or the Kola Peninsula of Russia is open for debate. The
entire region has the most Sea Trout and Atlantic Salmon water. There is also
good trout and grayling fishing in all countries. In addition to the native fish
Rainbow, Brook and Lake Trout have been introduced in Sweden, Norway and
Finland.
The fishing in Finland changes from south
to north. In the southern part of the
country the coastal rivers all have Sea
Trout and Atlantic Salmon but most of the
fishing in this region of the country and
they are considered abundant. In the
middle of the country is the lakes region
with some Brown Trout and lake salmon.
The Kevo River in the Lapland area of
There are also some areas in the middle
Finland is typical for this region.
and eastern parts of the country with fair
populations of grayling. It takes some searching to find trout and grayling water
in this middle part of the country. It is in the northern part of the country where
trout fishing is probably the best. This are is above the Arctic Circle and is known
as Lapland. This area has Arctic Tundra and is sparsely populated. It is also the
area that has more trout species than any other part of the country. There are
Atlantic Salmon, Sea Trout, Brown Trout, Grayling, Arctic Char, Whitefish and Lake
Trout. All of the Sea Trout in Finland come from the Baltic Sea and do not move
great distances in the ocean.
On the east side of the Baltic Sea is Sweden. It has fishing that is very similar to
Finland. The coastal parts of the country have Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout and
the northern area. There are Grayling and Brown Trout in much of the water
from mid-country to the north but fishing for trout around Stockholm is not that
good. It is best to drive a couple of hours north to find good trout rivers. There is
a state fishing license in Sweden
but there are also permits required
from the landowners or fishing
association that holds fishing rights
to specific rivers or lakes. The
northern part of the country does
have Arctic Char but this region is
isolated and difficult to reach.
There are several fishing guides
that can arrange helicopter fishing
trips to the alpine area. This is a
mountainous area with many
Arctic Char can be found in all of the Scandinavian
streams with Brown Trout, Arctic
Char and Grayling. Grayling tend to countries. They are difficult to reach everywhere.
be more common in the lower stretches of the rivers in the alpine region. Below
the northern alpine part of the country is a forested area where the rivers flow
into the Gulf of Bothnia. The runs for both of these fish are in the summer with
July being the best month.
Norway is bordered by the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean. The landlocked
side of the country is adjacent to Sweden. Grayling and Brown Trout are common
in all of the rivers and in the northern part of the country there are Atlantic
Salmon and Sea Trout. There are also Arctic Char in the north. Most of the
guided fishing is for Atlantic Salmon but it is possible to find guides for Brown
Trout and Grayling. All of the fishing is accessible with local plane service and
relatively short drives. One of the best Salmon rivers in the country and in Europe
is the Gaula. It has historically produced over 10,000 salmon each season. There
is trout fishing not far from Oslo but it does take a little searching to find trout
water in this part of the country. Central Norway that is known as the land of
1,000 lakes has some of the best trout fishing. There are seven National Parks in
this region and many rivers and streams with Arctic Char, Grayling and Brown
Trout. As mentioned the northern region is Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout
country. There are many guides available for fishing this area.
The Kola Peninsula of Russia is probably the best Atlantic Salmon region in the
world. The peninsula has over eight river systems and most of them produce
Atlantic Salmon. There are other fish on the peninsula with Arctic Char, Grayling,
Brown Trout and Sea Trout in many of the rivers. But people don't go to the Kola
for these fish. It is an Atlantic Salmon destination and it is difficult to reach and
expensive to fish. The Kola River is the largest river on the peninsula and is the
river that gave the peninsula its name. There are several rivers known for large
salmon. The Yokanga and Kitza are known for big salmon and the Ponoi River has
a reputation for producing many fish. This area is the Atlantic Salmon fishing
capital of the world.