Kris Kent and friends Charles and Paul head to Norway in search of grayling
The major benefits of the growth of the ‘low fare’ airlines is that it has significantly reduced the cost of international travel and opened up access to new destinations. This has been a boon for the travelling angler, like myself. In the last decade I have had the opportunity to fish in Slovenia, Bosnia, Poland, Finland, Sweden and Norway. With plans afoot to visit the Pyrenees, Croatia and perhaps Montenegro in the near future. In these countries I have had the opportunity to catch grayling, as well as brown trout, rainbow trout, marble trout and whitefish and to fish with some wonderful anglers, hosts and guides.
Three years ago a few like-minded friends decided to visit Norway. We had a fabulous time but my companions were disappointed they didn’t catch more brown trout. On the Trysil the grayling fishing was wonderful with lots of grayling in the 8” to 14” class caught but the brownies were thin on the ground, at least for us. So when it was suggested we visit Norway in 2016 I was tasked with finding a river with a better brown trout population. Posts by Markus Hoffman on Facebook prompted me to look up Rena Fiskecamp on the internet. What I found sounded right up my fishing buddies' street. On the excellent website there were lots of pictures of people holding large brown trout, with the accompanying grin, as well as the opportunity to catch larger grayling. In fact I discovered that the Rena holds the Norwegian record for the largest grayling. We would all be happy. Rena Fiskecamp provides accommodation, guiding and driftboat trips and there is a café and fly shop onsite. Everything you could need. So I booked accommodation for the three of us and we arranged flights and hire car. Everything was in place.
Gatwick was busy the morning of our departure and we struggled to find somewhere to have breakfast before our flight boarded. Eventually we found a restaurant with a free table and we chatted excitedly about the week ahead as we wolfed down some bacon and eggs.
Charles and Paul enjoying breakfast
The weather was not auspicious when we arrived at Oslo Gardemoen Airport. Heavy, low cloud with lots of standing water on the runway. Paul managed to get the hire car to aquaplane as he charged along the motorway heading north and east towards Østerdalen. It took us about two hours, with a brief stop at the town of Rena to stock up on food and beer for the week, to reach the small hamlet of Deset and Rena Fiskecamp. Deset is a small community of farmsteads and houses strung out along the Fv607. There is a church, school and old people’s home but not much else. What was the grocery store was converted into Rena Fiskecamp by Lars B. Johansen and his wife Anita. They have worked very hard creating comfortable accommodation for visiting anglers with the new café and fly shop, the final phase of the redevelopment, opening whilst we were there. They can accommodate individuals, small groups, right up to parties of eight in the six apartments.
Rena Fiskecamp
We arrived to find Lars standing on the decking smiling broadly. The rain had eased off and the sun was trying to break through. He invited us into the café were we settled up for the accommodation and bought our fishing passes for the week. A weekly ticket issued by the Åmot municipality costs 580 NOK, about £50. The fishing license is valid for the Glomma, Rena, Søre Osa, Julussa and Åsta rivers. Lars is the local river keeper as well as guide so sorts everything out for you. Whilst we waited we browsed through the selection of fishing tackle and fly tying materials in the shop and admired the beautifully tied local flies available for sale.
A great selection of local flies from the shop
The Glomma is Norway’s largest river catchment, a river more famous for its salmon fishing. 386 miles long it drains 13% of Norway’s area. The Rena river joins the Glomma at Rena town. The catchment has been heavily developed for hydroelectricity production with several large dams on the Rena and its tributaries. But these have had a beneficial effect on the fishing on the Rena. The upper dam above Rena Fiskecamp, Storsjødammen, regulates flows and ameliorates water temperatures creating the perfect habitat for fly life, grayling and trout. The Rena now has the reputation for offering the best river fishing in Norway.
Lars showed us to our apartments and pointed out access to the river. We would meet him the following morning for a guided tour of the beats. We quickly unpacked and rushed downstairs to pull on waders and put up rods. After hours sitting in planes and cars we were keen to stretch our legs and cast a fly. Just opposite the camp a bridge crosses the Rena providing access to the opposite bank.
Our first view of the Rena from the bridge
So within five minutes we were in the river casting a line. To be honest we didn’t really have a clue what we were doing, we were just happy to be fishing. In most places the forest comes straight down to the river’s edge and whilst wading is allowed the fast deep water can mean that you can only edge a short way out, a good back cast is a rare luxury on the Rena. The ability to roll or Spey cast is a real benefit. We managed to find a shallow bay where we could wade out to cover rising fish. Whilst we could put a fly over these fish they seemed reticent to take our offerings. Our casts didn’t put the fish down and they would continue to rise to the naturals whilst completely ignoring our artificial. As the light started to fade and the exertions of our day started to take their toll we retreated to our apartments for a beer and an early night.
The following morning we met Lars by the cars and proceeded to follow him up and down the river stopping off at various access points where Lars would give us a few hints and tips and point out the best spots. Paul enjoyed the rally style driving on the dirt back roads.
Following Lars
Norway is very organised for anglers. Most access points have car parks which are named and clearly marked on the maps with information boards provided. English translations can be accessed on the internet. All very user friendly. Both banks of the Rena can be accessed, the east bank via the Fv607 and the west bank via a forest track. There are various road and foot bridges that also make crossing the Rena straightforward. We could see that a lot of anglers were using kayaks to fish from, a very mobile way of covering a lot of water and avoiding the limited back cast. The top section of the Rena, from Storsjødammen to Lindstad, is a ‘fly only’ zone where boats aren’t allowed.
"Fly only" zone
Lars stopped on the west bank by the start of lower limit of the "fly only" zone. This was where Lars would leave us having given us a few pointers on technique. We walked down a steep forest track and along a faint footpath until we emerged onto the river, just opposite what has to be one of the perfect fishing huts, perched high above the river on a rocky knoll.
The perfect fishing hut
Lars pointed out that the fish would be rising tight in along the bank and to not rush into wading too soon. Sure enough we found fish rising close in. Lars recommended fishing small upwing patterns to start. So we tied on various small olive emerger / dun patterns and set about our task. The fish were very selective. I covered a fish rising quite close in and whilst my fly passed straight over the fish it ignored my fly utterly whilst taking naturals enthusiastically. I asked Lars if I should try another fly but he suggested that the issue was more presentation to pattern. So I stuck with the fly and tried various different presentations, varying angle and cast, until finally the fish took. A small grayling came stubbornly to the net, we were off.
Charles and Paul fishing the "fly only" zone
The blustery upstream wind didn’t make presentation easy but we persisted with each of us rewarded with a few grayling including a personal best for Paul. Not a bad way to start the week. We came off the river feeling pleased that we had caught a few fish but not really feeling as if we had cracked the code yet. That night much theorising was done as we cooked dinner and enjoyed a beer.
The following day we rose enthused, keen to put our theories into practice. We chose the east bank opposite where we fished the previous day. Below the car park there was a shallow bay and we could see there were a few fish rising further out. A faint path led us through the pine forest until we were far enough from the car park to not be disturbed by other anglers. Despite it being a Monday there were still quite a few anglers about, mostly Swedes drawn by the prospect of catching large grayling. We discovered that this section was relatively shallow and that we could wade well out to cover the fish rising mid river. There wasn’t much happening on the surface so Charles opted to fish Klink & Dink whilst I targeted what rising fish there were with a dry.
Charles starting the morning session
Once in the water you could see that the surface was peppered with various upwing duns. Small, medium and larger olives plus a few yellow May duns were popping off. There were also stonefly and sedge in amongst the olives. A veritable Smörgåsbord. We were surprised there weren’t more fish rising. Lars later told us that the fish don’t start rising in earnest until there is a critical mass of fly on the water.
As I searched the water with an Olive Emerger I was occasionally distracted by the sound of Charles catching fish, mostly to the nymph. Your buddies catching really puts the pressure on. Charles shouted over that he was having trouble getting the grayling in his net. I thought that he was bragging but when I looked over I could see one almost bent double as it was being unhooked, and it wasn’t as if Charles has that small a landing net. I needed to get my act together.
Charles into a good grayling
I spotted what looked like a better fish pushing some water, rising fairly regularly. I edged forward and extended line. The first cast landed just behind it, the second a little to its right. With so much food there was no need to move off station to intercept a fly, and this fish wasn’t moving. With a small haul I managed an extra few feet and the fly landed just in front of the fish. I saw the head come up and the fly disappear but I managed to pause, whilst the fish turned down on the fly, before striking. It didn’t run, it didn’t head for cover, it just turned into the current and stubbornly resisted my efforts to bring it in. My Sage MOD 9’ 2 weight was arched over as I put on as much pressure as a dare, big fish in heavy water not a good combination. Now the fish tried to move upstream, head down with a pumping action. That didn’t work so it turned and tried to get below me. I arched the rod over and applied side strain to get it back upstream. After five minutes the fish started to give ground and I managed to retrieve some line. I tugged my net from its magnetic tether and slid it below the surface as I drew the fish toward me. I must have looked awkward rod hand held high, net hand in the water. One last twist from the fish was countered by a lunge with the net and the fish was in the bag. It wasn’t the biggest grayling I’d ever caught but it punched well above its weight.
First grayling of the day
As I released the fish another rose behind me in the water I had just waded through. I quickly turned and shot enough line to cover it. This one turned out to be a trout. It was good to see and I hoped it would mean we would see a few more of them on this trip
Nice Rena brownie
Slipping the trout back into the oily Rena I scanned the water before me. The hatch was building and more and more fish were rising, some almost imperceptibly small sips, some fish poking their noses out, some surging through the surface fin held high coming down on the duns from above. They were above me, below me, in front and behind. It was tricky knowing where to start. I picked a fish and focused on it until I either caught it or put it down. I rotated 360° covering all the fish within casting distance and then I would push further out.
In a seam between slower and faster currents I saw a fish turn on a large dun and I covered it first cast. The fly disappeared from sight and when I tightened up the fish erupted from the water. It looked big. This fish did run. It charged upstream taking line off me. As I applied some pressure I could feel the fish through the line, it was a powerful determined fish and it took some time to get it close enough to net. I struggled to unhook it juggling fish, net and rod. It was a fish worthy of a photo and I offered it up to my rod so I could measure it later. It was the best grayling of the trip and possibly my best grayling ever. Back on the bank for a coffee I checked its length and it came in at around 21”, a smidge over 3lbs.I was a very happy man.
Best grayling of the trip
The hatch persisted for several hours and we made hay whilst the sun shone. By the time it eventually petered out and the fish slipped away below the surface I had had over 30 grayling, all over 1lb with many over 2lbs plus a new personal best and all on dry fly.
We never saw hatches or rising fish on that scale during the rest of the week although we caught plenty more grayling both during the day and also at night whilst trying to track down the big trout. The Rena certainly lived up to her reputation and our expectations and on our journey home at the end of the trip we all said that we hoped to visit her again, even if we hadn’t caught many trout.
You can get more information on the Rena and book accommodation at Rena Fiskecamp through Lars and Anita’s excellent website:
http://www.renafiskecamp.no/home
Biography:
Kris Kent has been fly fishing and trotting for brown trout and grayling for over 20 years in the UK, Europe and Scandinavia. He is PR Officer for the Grayling Society and helps out The Wild Trout Trust with their online communications and events.