Halibut & Cod Fishing | Vesterålen | North Norway

The destination of Vesterålen in Norway is located on the Eidsfjorden which is a deep long fjord with depths as deep as 200mtrs and has many plateaus, peaks and structures that will hold big Cod and Coalfish all year round. This has also been a great area for Redfish and huge Ling. We have some fishing spots that are out in the open ocean and are the perfect areas for very large Cod and Ling even during the summer months

The great advantage of Vesterålen is that you have many sheltered fjords all very close to the cabins. If the wind is strong then you can simply find a very sheltered bay/fjord where you will still find big Halibut and Cod along with many other species. The best fishing grounds are normally found out in the ocean or close to mountains that protrude from the ocean floor. However, if you do not fancy fishing the open ocean there are hundreds of sheltered bays and long open fjords to try and temp one of Norway’s monster fishes.

Some of the best Halibut grounds are around 30 minutes to a 1-hour boat drive away. However, there are always very large Halibut caught 5 minutes from the cabins. The further away spots tend to be known holding areas for big Ling as well as many other fish are always worth a long journey. Speak to the onsite guides if you wish to travel to what they call ‘Jurrasic park’ this is an area known to hold huge Cod and Ling and can only be visited if there are at least two boats wanting to travel out there.

The main attraction to Vesterålen will be the species fishing you will find on offer, it is one of the best places for a wide variety of species as the pressure on these fish is very low so the stocks of fish just keep getting better and bigger. This destination produces large Halibut and Cod along with many other species like Angler fish and Plaice. However, if you are after big Coalfish then this may not be the destination for you. This is also an area well known for its amazing Ling fishing with some very large specimens caught here each year. In the early part of the season, March and April, the Skrei Cod pack themselves around this Island but for the rest of the year, the Cod fishing is average for Norway standards.

This depends on the species you wish to target. For example, if you visited Vesterålen wanting to purely concentrate on the Ling then you may only catch a couple of fish a day but these may be over 60lb. This may sound low but when you consider that some of these fish can be in excess of 60lb then it is more appealing. The Cod fishing is very good and once the shoals are located you should expect constant action all day and the same with the Coalfish. However, the Coalfish shoals at Havoysund are not full of big ones but the average size to expect will be around 10lb.

The main style of fishing will be from self-drive boats using a combination of pirks, rubber shads and bait. The exact method will depend on the species you are trying to target. The best way to target the Cod is with large shads or pirks fished near the bottom. The Ling fishing is done with bait fished on the bottom, baits as fillets of coalfish or mackerel. Halibut fishing is normally with either shads or a dead coalfish.

All our guides speak perfect English along with many other languages

The great advantage of Vesterålen is that there are always 2 full-time guides on hand to help the most or less experienced anglers. They will even jump on your boat for a day guiding you and showing you all the hot spots. They are always on hand to help out with any questions about fishing marks and are always keen to help out as much as they can to ensure you have a great experience.

There is no skill level required for the fishing as the guides will help you with everything. A little knowledge of boat handling would be an advantage but not necessary as the guides will help with instructions.

The boats are located a minute walk away from the cabins down a fairly steep bridge on to the dock. The rest of the holiday is certainly not physically demanding.

The start of the season March/April sees a huge influx of the Skrei Cod, these are around for about 6 weeks then move back to the Barents Sea. Once the temperature starts to rise in April/May the Coalfish start to move in and along with these will come the Halibut. The Halibut will then stay around until late October. The best 2 months for the Halibut are August and September.

There are several airports in the UK which we can book your flights from. The main airport is London Heathrow but we can use Manchester and Edinburgh. You will then fly to Evenes, once you have arrived at Evenes and collected bags make your way out of the terminal building where the Fly Bus will then transfer you to Sortland. (Fly Bus transfer approx. 2hrs) When you have arrived at Sortland our guides will be waiting to transfer you the rest of the way. (Transfer approx. 50minutes)

Vesterålen fishing camp is fully kitted out for anglers. The cabins themselves are spacious with fully equipped kitchens with all the mod cons. Also, downstairs there is a living area with sofas and a table with chairs for eating around. Each cabin has a wall-mounted widescreen TV. Downstairs is the main bathroom with a walk-in shower, sink and toilet. Most of the cabins have underfloor heating in the bathrooms. Upstairs you will find two twin bedrooms with single beds, these rooms are compact but practical. There is clean bedding when you arrive along with a face flannel and a towel and these can be replaced at the reception in the hotel.

As this is a self-catered holiday you will be cooking for yourself so what you eat will depend on what you cook. There is a large local supermarket where you can purchase all the normal food items to make your week as easy as possible.

You can hire top of the range fishing equipment at the time of booking your holiday. They supply Westin boat fishing rods and a variety of top-end multipliers. There are also a small number of lighter rods for Plaice fishing. Onsite there is a fully stocked tackle shop that supplies everything you will need for your entire weeks fishing. The prices on the tackle are very similar to UK prices and normally have everything in stock

There is WiFi available all around the cabins free of charge plus the telephone signal is very good whilst out fishing and you will often be able to pick up some type of internet connection whilst out at sea to keep in touch with your friends and family.

This holiday is mainly aimed at the amazing fishing on offer and as this destination is so remote there are not that many other activities to be done apart from walks and the amazing wildlife.

We the complete package including all flights and transfers. To view all available weeks and prices click the ‘Dates & Prices’ tab above.

Alternatively, if you wish to arrange all your own travel we can book just the lodge and fishing for you. If you wish to book or have any questions please feel free to call our offices on 01603 407596.