Norway Didn’t Fish Like We Hoped It Would

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:01][music] >> Hi, welcome back to the weekly roundup.

[00:00:08]Ben the empty angler. I didn't do one last week because if you've been following along, I was in Norway and I was going to do one and I thought, "You know what? I'll just save it till I'm back." So, here we are. Newhaven's West Beach again, down here for a bit of scenery.

[00:00:21]Um right, what's been going on?

[00:00:23]Norway, Sandland Brygge for a week. If you followed the reports either on my YouTube community post or Facebook, you would have seen the outcomes, but I wanted to break it down a little bit more and just verbally explain some bits. So, six of us last year for context, we went to Sandland Brygge in July, had an absolutely stunk in trip, really, really good fun, lovely trip, plenty of fish, lots of laughs and of course Norway is stunning. If you've never been to Norway, it is a stunning, stunning country, but we go there for the fishing. The views and stuff, you know, that's second for me. Go there for the fishing. And while we was there last year, we thought about next year and a week had opened up in April just gone and we said, "You know what? We'll give it a go." We asked if there was going to be snow and they said it'll be 50/50.

[00:01:11]So, that was okay. Obviously, if you're new, obviously empty angler, double amputee, you know, and if you're new, you know, if you're not new, you will be well aware of that fact.

[00:01:19]Snow and me do not really get on. Me and icy conditions, obviously, two fake legs, it is a death trap, but nevertheless, you know, we plow through.

[00:01:28]Um 50/50 chance of snow and the fishing is between seasons at that time of year, which was always our biggest concern.

[00:01:36]So, they have the big cod scree run out there in the winter and they have a 6-weeks period where they go out there for the big, you know, where you've got a chance of a big cod, you know, big being 50, 60, 70, 80 lb and they've even had a 100 lb cod there, you know, so what that's the scree season, but that was over and the fish were on their way out and the summer fish, the spring and summer fish, hadn't yet really come in. And that was always our biggest concern.

[00:02:04]But speaking to the guys in our camp the week before, they was having some really good fishing. People were messaging me obviously on my page and said, "Oh, we're out there now and we're having a few 30-lb cod and we've had a few halibut." Um so, we was hopeful going out there that we would find some fish.

[00:02:21]And I'll be honest with you, the reality Yeah. Oh, before I go any further, I know fishing is fishing. I know that.

[00:02:29]I've been I know it's not my first rodeo. I know that it can change overnight. It can fishing can change on a tide, you know, and I know that. And I'm not I'm not championing. I'm not moaning about it in terms of like, "Oh, it was going to be brilliant." Cuz I know that's just fishing.

[00:02:44]But it doesn't make it any harder to swallow when you go all that way and have a trip like we had. It was dire.

[00:02:52]And I'm not just saying like it was like slow. It was for the most part dire. We had three what I would call standout fish over the week between six of us.

[00:03:03]Um six out of the two boats, two lots of three. We had three standout fish. We had two 60-lb halibut, which came to Jake on the second day, and Gary uh and Gary also had a 30 I think it was a 33-lb cod. Now, they're fish that I would say are worth going out there for.

[00:03:21]Uh other than that, it was an absolute struggle. There was a few 20s caught.

[00:03:27]But that's not a It's not a showstopping fish for Norway. We've I've I've had them here at Newhaven, right literally out there just behind me. We've had them to 20 lb back when there was cod here.

[00:03:38]Um you know, you're looking for something 30-lb plus in the cod region, and then you want a nice halibut, which a 60-lb halibut is a lovely fish. Um but with in terms of the halibut, you know, mine and Jake's rods were side by side, 10 ft apart, and the halibut went to Jake's bite, not mine or Dino's cuz Dino was fishing in front of us as well. So, it's just the luck of the draw the way that goes. We're all fishing the same rig, same area. It's just the way it goes sometimes. But, it was generally really, really difficult. Marks have been passed down to us with promises of there were loads of 30s there. We're chucking 30s back for fun. Going along, no readings on the sounder. A couple of other boats from the camp on the same marks.

[00:04:18]Nothing, nothing, nothing. They had just simply moved off. Across the camp as a whole, there was a few nicer fish caught. There was a 44-lb cod caught um and then a couple of other 30s with a few halibut about 30-40 lb.

[00:04:32]But, it was it was hard. It was a long way to go for the fishing that we had and myself and Ian, another guy who was with us, we both said if we had the chance to jump on a flight midway and come home, we would have taken it and gone. Fishing back home was kicking off while we was away. A friend of mine who shall remain nameless, um he went off a little bit and he had some terrific bass fishing and he had bass to 14 lb and lots of nice fish like that. And then he came in a bit closer and had lots of smaller ones, you know.

[00:05:02]Um and lots of smooth hounds about. So, the fishing and as well, the weather was perfect. So, during while we was away, the weather was absolutely flat calm. Multiple days fishing. Uh and now we've come home and the weather's gone the wrong way again.

[00:05:16]Um and while we was out there, of course, Arctic Circle is the Arctic Circle. Snow storms, we had winds and rain and sunshine all in the space of a couple of hours. Um it was really, really hard going, but we spoke to the camp owner end of the trip, Steiner and Stina as well. Both of them husband and wife own the camp. And we had a good chat about the commercial fishing pressure out there.

[00:05:41]And it doesn't paint a very good picture. I'll be honest with you. And I you know, these places have got to sell tickets. I get that. It's a business. I know that. Um, so they're not going to sit there and go, "Yeah, it's dire.

[00:05:51]Don't bother booking cuz it's no good."

[00:05:53]They've got to paint a better, you know, a rosy picture cuz otherwise they're not going to fill the spaces up. And as of our time leaving for next year, they'd only had two weeks booked up out of the whole season for next year. I think people are starting to clock on. Uh, but they said that the commercial fishing out there has absolutely hammered it.

[00:06:11]Um, they're setting long lines with 3,000 hooks at a time. And then we drifted over with one bait, one hook, you know. Doesn't paint a very good, uh, outlook. And then 4 years ago, before they put some quotas on the halibut, there was no quota. One boat did 76 tons of halibut in one short season. 76 tons.

[00:06:31]And they take 7 years to get to legal size halibut. So, you know, that's one boat out of, I think it was 70 or 90 boats. So, it's just been I'll be honest with you, uh, it's been decimated, I think. And yes, there is still special fish to catch. Yes, you can still have good days. But I could see in his eyes, in his voice, they sort of saw that there's a little bit of writing on the wall out there, I think.

[00:06:55]And it's starting to really go downhill.

[00:06:58]Couple that with now the fish limits.

[00:07:00]Last year when we went, we had 23 kilos of take-home fish.

[00:07:05]This year it was, uh, then I think it went to 18.

[00:07:08]This year it's 15 kilos. And next year it's 10 kilos of take-home. So, the appeal of going out there to bring some nice fish home is now also going. You've got 10 kilos to bring home. So, if you get a decent cod or a decent halibut, your quota's gone in one fish for the best part. Yes, you can divide it between you. And you know, one of you can have a cod and a halibut and a bit of haddock and whatever else or wolf fish. Uh, but the amount you can bring home is also going. I've also heard stories to put another spin on it, that there were certain um, certain nations driving to Norway with freezer vans, going out there and going bang bang bang, loading the freezer vans up with insane amounts of fish, and driving it home back across the borders.

[00:07:54]So, you know, it's just been hammered, I think. And I'm not trying to make excuses. We had a bad session.

[00:08:01]I'm not making excuses, I'm painting a reality.

[00:08:04]And that is what we saw out there on the ground. So, that was our Norway trip in a nutshell.

[00:08:09]Rather have been at home, but I did have a great time with the guys, lots of laughs, you know. There's two commercial fishermen we go with. The rest are all pleasure anglers, including one Gary who carp fishes quite seriously. So, it was a really good dynamic, and Dino was an absolute hero. Cooked every night, bless him, with some cracking meals. But, we're back now.

[00:08:27]Looking through a window on the boat.

[00:08:28]I've got a lot of work being done on my house this week, so there is I could have gone today. It's normally winds today.

[00:08:33]But, um looking for some windows, but I will be doing some shore fishing. Some of those sessions I'm not going to film because of where I'm going and who I'm fishing with.

[00:08:42]Um but, we're looking for some bass and some big eels, hopefully. I will be doing a bit of mulletting this week as well, hopefully, if I can get there. Bit of shore fishing for mullet, something different. I haven't done that properly for a little while. I love a bit of mullet fishing, and I've cracked that code a long time ago in how to catch them. So, hopefully, I can show you a few bits on that. Other than that, bit of freshwater fishing as well. Oh, Easy Living's for sale.

[00:09:04]Bit of a shocker, this one. Easy Living, the boat before my current one, if those of you who will know that. Um Richard who bought it is pretty much gone straight out back for sale. So, he's got that up. I think he's got it up for 21 grand. He has done a lot of work on it since I sold it. He's had it serviced, valeted.

[00:09:21]Um It's got a new seat inside. It's had a new windlass fitted, or it's been serviced, or something along those lines. But, if you're in the market for a Quicksilver 640 Pilot House, Easy Living, well looked after by me and now, obviously, Richard. Um it's up for sale, 21 grand. I'm sure he'd have a listen to an offer if you've got one. Based at Brighton Marina. If you want to know anything more about that, let me know in the comments and I'll get you details over to you. Other than that, have a great week. I hope you catch some fish and I will see you all again soon.

[00:09:52]>> [music]