Surna

The area. The Surna valley (Surnadal) is situated in the northern part of the county of Møre & Romsdal and links the wild and mountainous western part of Norway and its Fjordland with the more ‘friendly’ and spacious looking areas of the Central Norway region (Trøndelag). This is an area with marked contrasts - exciting and narrow fjords; rich woodlands and forests combined with agriculture areas and not at least - the mighty mountain range called Trollheimen (the “Home of the Trolls”).  The climate is generally mild throughout the year – providing very good growth conditions for all kinds of trees and plants.

Trollheimen . A major part of the Trollheimen mountain range is situated in the Surnadal municipality.  Trollheimen combines high mountain peaks, glaciers, mountain valleys, forests, marshland and a number of lakes – creating a haven for rambling, fishing, shooting and hunting.   A number of the biggest lakes in the area have been regulated for Hydropower purposes – and this has affected the Surna River in various ways.  It has stabilised the water flow below certain power stations and also mainly prevented extreme spate situations.

The river
Surna is one of the three longest rivers in the county of Møre & Romsdal and it is at present the most important in the county with regards to salmon fishing.   The water is mainly provided from the large Trollheimen area but also from some other mountain areas in the region.  The total salmon running length of the river is around 50 kilometres and the most stable fishing parts of the river are below the Harrang power station to the village of Skei – a distance of around 20 kilometres.   Surna is regarded as one of the best sports fishing rivers in Norway with regards to fly-fishing stretches and pools.

During periods with heavy rain and dam water overflow, fishing up-river from the Harrang power station can be very good.   Looking at the river as a whole, the best fishing conditions are normally when there is a good and stable water flow everywhere.

The fishing is best on the lower reaches of the river at the beginning of the season, from early June onwards, but the main run of salmon in the upper parts of the river is during end of July and beginning of August.  Sea trout arrive later than the salmon and the best fishing starts around July 20 in the lower parts of the river.

The biggest rod caught salmon ever recorded on the Surna is 25,5 kilos. The average weight is around 5,0 kilos.  Every year a number of 17,0 – 18,0 kilos salmon are caught in different parts of the river.  With regards to sea trout – the normal size is between 0,5 to 2,0 kilos but it is not unusual to catch them around 5,0 to 6,0 kilos.

Angling, as we know it today, started on the Surna around 1870 when English fishermen discovered the river.  The Surna became so English noblemen due to the record high salmon catches and sizes that several bought some of the farms in the area.  This happened to the Gulla Farm and the Nestua and Harrang farm.  Gradually Englishmen bought up the whole of the lower part of the river. Several built summer homes in valley, and the English saw the river as their own for quite a long period.  This period of salmon fishing brought a lot of wealth to the local communities and a good number of farms are noticeably influenced by this English period.

Attractions
The major attraction in the area is the nature and scenery itself and particularly the Trollheimen area is well worth a visit.  There are rods leading into the different valleys and areas.    Another main attraction is the Svinvik Arboretum – a botanical garden of mainly threes and shrubs. Initially the complex was a private garden laid out by the couple Anne and Halvor Svinvik.  The most important feature of this complex is the collection of 200 coniferous species and 450 species and varieties of Rhododendron.  The arboretum, which during the sixties was to become one of the largest private collections of trees and shrubs in Norway, was started in 1943. In 1971 the Svinviks donated their estate with its entire collection of plants to the Museum of Natural History and Archaeology.

Nygard Farm (The Fisherman’s Lodge) Accommodation The Fisherman’s Lodge at the Nygard Farm is converted from an old barn into one of the best fishing lodges in Norway.

It sleeps a total of 8 people in single rooms arrangement. A lot of time, planning and consideration of details has been put into the renovation works, from the layout of rooms – following the natural pattern of an anglers getting ready for fishing or back from the river after a long day’s fishing. Coming ‘home’ from the river, this includes the fish gutting and handling area, fridges and freezers, cleaning and drying of equipment and waders, changing area, fly-tying room – to the inner parts of the ‘barn’ with its kitchen and the ‘Guild Hall’ look-a-like dining and resting areas. On the first floor you will find a mezzanine with a view to the Guild Hall and the kitchen, as well as leading to the bedrooms, toilets and shower rooms.

On the top floor is a medium size seminar room. The food is very good, prepared and served by the ‘husmor’ Anita, utilizing the best of local produce including venison/moose, lamb, filet of beef, different types of fish and some of the most tender smoked salmon you can imagine. Local seasonal strawberries, for which the area is well-known or local cheese, crown the meals. Staying at Nygard Farm – with its scenery and distance view of the Trollheimen mountain range creates a feeling of being close to nature.

There are no major roads or railways that will interfere with this experience of pure Norwegian nature. A major feature of fishing in Norway is the possibility of having a fire on the riverbank. To experience the purity of nature, as it should be enjoyed, this is an important part of salmon fishing and Norwegians put a lot of care and consideration into providing it. The fishing Nygard is offering its guests, normally four tosix, a total of five very good fishing stretches/pools. To accommodate the number on rods present every week, each rod will have plenty of space based on a very good rota system. Due to the emphasis on arranging the fishing on a rotating basis, all anglers will have equal chance to try all fly-fishing locations and stretches and pools. Normally, two anglers will be placed together on the same pool. Wading is easy on normal water level with combination of gravel and stones. With higher water levels, the wading will become more challenging. The main wading rule as in most Norwegian rivers apply, only knee-deep wading!

The Nygard beat is just below the Harrang power station and among the 5 pools is the famous ‘Advokaten’ – possibly one of the best pools in any Norwegian salmon river. The four other pools is in the same vicinity at ‘Advokaten’ and as mentioned in the river information, above, within the 20 kilometres stretch that make up the best fishing stretches on the river. The major part of the 1,500 to 2,000 salmon caught on the Surna every year is caught on this stretch of river, so meter by meter few rivers in Norway can show better catches than Surna. ‘Advokaten’ is one of the pools where the salmon settle very well, probably due to a special shape that the salmon prefer. Fishing at the Nygard beat is much more about quality than quantity. This relates to the accommodation, the food, the guiding as well as the fishing. During most weeks of the season, every practised angler should be able to experience 2 to 3 salmon per day – a pull, a catch or a lost one.

The Nygard guides will certainly make sure that you are close to the salmon during your stay. They are very experienced and will advice how to fish different pools and stretches. They will also be at hand to help fine-tune your casting technique if you so wish. The season The salmon season in Norway runs from June 1st till August 31st, although with some variations due to regional and local conditions. The main salmon runs are normally from mid-summer (June 20th till July 20th) although most of the big salmon arrive in late May or early June. Good grilse runs take place in July. On the Nygard beat, the best fishing for big salmon normally starts at mid June but good size salmon is also caught at the end of August. Mid-size salmon normally arrives at the end of June and the grilse runs take place in July. Travel There are direct flights from the UK to Trondheim Airport from Stansted with a flying time of around 2 hours. From other UK airports the flights will normally go via Oslo, Copenhagen or Amsterdam airports to Trondheim Airport. The driving time from the airport to the Nygard Farm is around 2 hour and 30 minutes. The local transport is based on hire car, as this will also simplify the transport to the different pools.