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Vesterålen, Fishing Report 10th May 2022

Sunday, was the last day for the gang from the West Coast that I (Erik) and Daniel guided. The weather forecast in Vesteralen showed weaker winds than before. We recharge for a full day and stock up on food, hot coffee, soup in a thermos and head off to new hunting grounds. The road there is fine and we put the first drifts on a calm sea. With us, we also have Håkan Sandin’s company. They braved the torrential rain and wind on Saturday by targeting Halibut inside the Jörnfjord, only minutes from the camp and were richly rewarded with a Halibut of 122 cm.

Already in the first drift of the day, both Daniels and Håkan’s boat have contact with Halibut. We continue fishing but nothing happens so we decide to try a detached base peak further out. A gray wall suddenly appears on the horizon and a real snowstorm pulls in. Just in time for it to reach us, Martin gets a heavy knock and drills up a really nice Cod. Bertil gets a bite shortly after but unfortunately, this fish came off.

The wind increases significantly in connection with the snowstorm and we have to re-plan. The intended places were no longer fishable, but with Friday’s successful fishing in the vicinity of the camp, we had a backup plan and set course there. The journey is going well, despite a lot of wind and snow whipping us in the face. Ski goggles and warm gloves are really worth their weight in gold on days like these when you have to drive a boat for a long time. Once there, we put the first drift in the area we now call “Tobisrännorna”. We do not have time to drive before Dennis yells and the line sprays out of the reel. The fight is intense, but with routine from the past, the fight goes gallantly and we land the first Halibut of the day. Again, it was a curlytail jig from Westin that did the trick in the color “Headlight”. We change the drift and drive 30-40 meters from the place where Dennis just got hit when Martin indicates contact. He routinely waits until he feels the weight of the rod before the counterattack comes and the rod folds almost twice when he pulls. The fish pulls away over the sandy bottom, and we have to catch up with the boat.

Crazy and very strong is probably the right description of this fish, which really offered Martin a fun fight in the shallow water. As the fish approaches the boat side, we all expect a larger fish, but are a little surprised when it measures 128 cm. A fantastic Halibut regardless and a wonderful experience for everyone on board.

Johan, who the other day caught a really nice Halibut, is again standing with a real rod bend, but this is a fish of different dimensions. The fish refuses to leave the bottom and shakes its head in between. The wind is pushing hard and the drift is hard. Since I am in the same area, I jump over in Daniel’s boat to be able to hold the boat while Daniel assists Johan in the drilling. The fight waves back and forth and we quickly agree that this is a real Halibut, without having seen it.

Once it releases the bottom and reaches the side of the boat, the landing goes gallantly and we can secure an incredibly beautiful, well-conditioned Halibut with a giant head. In the mouthpiece, the stinger hook sits securely and unsurprisingly, it was again a curlytail jig from Westin that delivered. Johan, who is completely exhausted, collapses on the floor in the stern, a little shocked by what just happened. It is only when he gets up and glances out over the railing that the roar of joy breaks out. The guesses hail in the span between 170-185 cm and when the ruler is laid out we get the answer .. 181 cm, 7 cm longer than the catcher himself.

We take some quick pictures and then let the Halibut swim at home. With a real paddle, she waves goodbye. In the drift after, we get a couple of smaller Cod, but when we crank these up, an echo appears on the plumb line that we completely missed. Fredrik drops the jig after hooking his Cod and is met by a mega bite just a few meters below the boat. It should be added that the water depth is now only 8.8 meters. The line explodes and on the sonar we see how the Halibut sails down to the bottom .. How big we never know.

We continue fishing in the afternoon, even though the whole gang is already very happy, there is still a chance for more dream fish. We keep trying, testing new places and in the last drives of the day we get the reward for our hard work. On a small spot in a sand bay, Daniel finds dense shoals of sandeel and there they have several hits, followers and land two Halibut of 115 cm and 125 cm to Robin and Johan.

We can sum up the gang’s last fishing day as absolutely fantastic and the area that really delivered recently is within 15 minutes from the camp and is very weather protected.

Now the weather is getting a little better during the last days and we keep our fingers crossed that the two boat teams that are left at the camp manage to lure more dream fish here on Vesterålen!

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If you, like many others, have ever dreamt about fishing the prolific waters of Vesterålen and would like to know more information on how you can join us, you can contact our sea fishing specialist, Paul Stevens, on 01603 407596 or email at paul@sportquestholidays.com.

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