Now we have tried fishing in Northern Norway! Yesterday we had the opportunity to join a fishing trip from Arnoy Brygge on the island of Arnoy outside Bodö. Although it was a bit grey, we must say that it was fantastic to get out in the fresh sea air and spend half a day among seals, seagulls and sea eagles.
Table of contents
By speedboat to Arnoy
The Arnoy Brygge fishing camp is located on the island of Arnoy, outside Bodö in northern Norway. The easiest way to get here is by the so-called Hurtigbåt, which runs between the various islands around Bodö a few times a day. If you have booked yourself into the Arnoy Brygge fishing camp, the staff can then meet you and drive you to the camp.
Arnoy Brygge
Fishing camps Arnoy Brygge is a perfect place to experience fishing in Northern Norway. Both private parties and corporate groups come here for fishing experiences during the summer months.
You book a cabin or apartment and rent a boat and any other equipment you need. Then you go fishing! If you want, you can also choose to book a fishing trip with a guide. You either prepare your own food or choose to eat at the fishing camp's restaurant.
Delicious seafood buffet
Every Friday, Arnoy Brygge sets up a delicious seafood buffet, or havrettsbord as it is called in Norwegian. We were lucky to get to the fish camp on Friday afternoon! Around a hundred people had booked in for the evening event, which also featured live music and dancing.
On the seafood table we found delicacies such as prawns, crabs, lobster, lobster, king crab, mussels, scallops and roe canapés. More interesting specialities included the traditional dish of grilled dry fish (interesting, but not great in our opinion) and smoked whale meat (very good).
Fishing in Northern Norway
The next morning it was finally time to try fishing in Northern Norway! We got to borrow big fishing overalls, which was nice so we didn't freeze. Then we set off in a fast motorboat, through the grey cloudy weather. Before it was time to fish, our Swedish guide, Andreas Olsson from Arnoy Brygge, wanted to check out the cages he put down the night before. They were filled with lots of big crabs!
There are all sorts of fish in the sea here, but the main catch is halibut, or kveite as the fish is called in Norwegian. These fish can be huge, and the fishing camp's record is to catch one weighing 180kg!
Peter has fished many times before, but for me (Helena) this was something completely new. With a little help, it still went well! I even caught a cod, but it was a bit too small to save so we released it back into the sea. The result of the entire fishing trip was two small cod, but if you spend a whole day, or several days, the guide says you will almost certainly catch fish.
Encounters with wild animals
The fishing trip was not only about fish! Shortly after we left, we saw large sea eagles circling above us. We saw three at the same time, and we also saw them several times during the trip.
We also saw lots of seals. Really lots! They lay in large groups along the rocks, and sometimes they dived into the sea as we drove past. According to our guide, they are ringed seals, which apparently can also be called ringed seals. To summarise: we are fantastic satisfied with this fishing trip. This is an experience we will not forget!
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This trip was a press trip in co-operation with Visit Norway and Visit Bodö. The texts, pictures and opinions are as usual our own.
Mr Frank Olsen says:
How nice that you get memories for life in Norway!
I have been fishing since I was tiny.
I grew up on an island outside Stavanger here in Norway, and both my grandfather and my grandfather were fishermen by profession. My father and my uncle in the next generation became "hobby fishermen", and they took me, my brother and my cousin with them countless times fishing in the fjords and in the sea outside Stavanger.
I hope you enjoy your trip to Northern Norway!
You still have Lofoten, Vesterålen with Andøya, Tromsø and all of Finnmark. There is a lot to take off!
Have a nice trip !
24 June 2018 - 9:23
Helena says:
Nice that you have fished so much during your childhood! Peter has also fished a lot, but in the Stockholm archipelago. And of course we get experiences to remember here in Northern Norway! Fantastically beautiful! 🙂
24 June 2018 - 9:54
Johnny Friskilä says:
Hehe, very nice! I did a lot of fishing in my childhood. I think smoked whale meat is something new and modern. I ate it for the first time in Iceland in 2008. Then I made it myself at home with smoke acid - that worked well too. And good it is. Looks very very nice anyway!
24 June 2018 - 9:28
Helena says:
Glad you've been fishing a lot Johnny! Peter has also done it, but in the Stockholm archipelago. I can imagine that smoked whale meat is a bit modern. But maybe they ate it in a different way in the past? One of our table neighbours told us that they usually cook it differently, with brown sauce, if I understood correctly.
24 June 2018 - 9:56
Mr Steve says:
I call that a real fishing trip, or rather a fishing adventure... Well worth remembering even if the results were poor.
24 June 2018 - 9:29
Helena says:
Fishing adventure was a good word! Of course it would have been fun to get bigger squares, but it was a great adventure anyway! 🙂
24 June 2018 - 9:57
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
What a wonderful fishing trip and not least the buffet with the delights of the sea.
We are not fishermen, but when we were on a boat trip from Svolvaer we got to try and I caught an almost one metre long specimen of a type of ling the guides called "the monster of Lofoten". It was returned to the sea after being photographed, as it was only eaten dried.
24 June 2018 - 9:38
Helena says:
Wow, what a catch! Good job! 🙂
24 June 2018 - 9:58
Åge Larsen says:
Then you are seriously misinformed about Lange. It is a cod fish, very good and white, firm flesh. Very good with fried fish.
Perhaps in Lofoten they only eat it dried, but in the rest of Northern Norway we also eat it fresh.
20 September 2018 - 11:16
Laila MA - Around the Equator says:
It looks like you have had a fantastic time. Both seals, eagles and a wonderful fishing trip. The shellfish table also looked just fantastic.
24 June 2018 - 10:21
Helena says:
We are super happy with this tour! A fantastic experience! 🙂
24 June 2018 - 10:43
Role o Carina says:
What a great journey you'll be on!
Have fun and enjoy......
24 June 2018 - 10:25
Helena says:
Thank you very much! Northern Norway has a lot to offer! 🙂
24 June 2018 - 10:45
Marina says:
What a great adventure! And really different if you haven't done it before. I have a colleague who goes to Norway every year to fish (and his description sounds a bit like what you have experienced) and he is really happy.
24 June 2018 - 10:48
Helena says:
Yes, for me it was really an adventure! Even Peter, who is used to fishing, thought it was cool to get out in this environment. It's a completely different thing from the Stockholm archipelago. I understand that your colleague is coming back!
24 June 2018 - 10:54
Ditte says:
What a fantastic experience and extra fun for you Helena to try fishing The experiences here are absolutely fantastic. But I know that it is rather expensive. But if it should be that extra, it costs. Ohc nOrge is not exactly a cheap holiday country.
I used to eat whale meat as a child some 60-65 years ago. But I didn't think it was allowed anymore to serve it....oh how wrong I was.
I wish you continued good days and thank you for the trip and wonderful pictures.
24 June 2018 - 13:00
Helena says:
Norway is not a cheap country. At the fishing camp, as in many motorhomes, many people cook their own food, which is a way of travelling more cheaply. You can hunt and eat whale, but only one kind. I think it was minke whale, if I remember correctly.
24 June 2018 - 17:23
BP says:
What an adventure! Oh what food! Well, not the catch then, but the seafood table. Drool, drool!
A fantastic photo of the sea eagle! Oh the seals are so cute. The only thing missing in this post is a blue background;-)
24 June 2018 - 16:55
Helena says:
Glad you like the photo of the sea eagle, they were circling quite close to us! There wasn't that much blue to photograph... 😉.
24 June 2018 - 17:25
Across the board says:
What fun to be part of such a fishing trip! And then to munch on such a good menu - well then it is perfect.
24 June 2018 - 20:18
Helena says:
Right? Fantastic trip 🙂
25 June 2018 - 6:19
Renate's travels says:
Fantastic! So fun that you have been to Arnøyene, and not least the close contact you got with the wild animals both in the air and in the water. 😀 The family cabin is on the mainland near Arnøyene, and there we also have a lot of sea eagles and seals. However, I have only seen the seals in the water, so maybe I need to get to Arnøyene to see them on land. 🙂 Enjoy yourselves further!
25 June 2018 - 0:30
Helena says:
How nice that you have the family cabin nearby! Very nice here and fantastic with all the wildlife! There were as many seals as possible on the rocks 🙂.
25 June 2018 - 6:22
Christine - 29°. says:
What a great experience! I haven't fished in Norway since I was a kid. 🙂
25 June 2018 - 8:39
Lena - good for the soul says:
Seems like a great animal and nature experience. I could also imagine that. Suspect that it was lucky that you got to borrow clothes 🙂.
Hug Lena
26 June 2018 - 9:29