Namsen River

The Namsen runs about two hundred kilometres through Namdalen to the sea at Namsos and has been called the queen of Norwegian salmon rivers since British anglers came in the nineteenth century and built lodges along it. Its size and volume produced a technique found almost nowhere else: harling, in which lures are trailed behind a rowing boat allowed to drift slowly downstream across the pools, worked by a boatman who knows the water. Large fish are the river's reputation, with salmon over twenty kilos recorded historically and good specimens still taken. Fishing is organised by beat with licences sold through landowners and associations, and the season runs from June, with catch limits and release rules that change year to year.

What's there

• The harling boats - rowing boats drifting the pools with trailed lures.
• The old lodges - fishing houses built by nineteenth-century anglers.
• The river valley - Namdalen's farmland and forest along the water.
• The salmon runs - fish moving upstream through the summer season.

When to go

June to August for the fishing season, which is set annually and can be shortened by conservation measures; early summer usually brings the larger fish. Outside the season the valley is quiet and the river simply scenic.

Good to know

Fishing requires a licence bought in advance for a specific beat, and good water is expensive and booked months ahead. Rules on catch and release, disinfection of equipment and reporting are strict and enforced. Salmon numbers vary sharply year to year, and seasons have been closed at short notice.

Nearby

Namsos town is at the river mouth; Grong and the inner Namdalen valley lie upstream.

Key facts