WORLD-CLASS ANGLING
FOR SALMON AND SEA TROUT

It is actually a bit of a wonder as Skjern River and its salmon have experienced many challenges. Back in the 1980s, biologists estimated that the stock was as low as 50 wild salmon. The course of things was changed by the largest nature recovery project ever accomplished in Northern Europe. The stock of wild salmon restored and did so surprisingly quickly as the water got cleaner, as obstacles were removed and as the meanders of the rivers were recreated.

Today, several thousand salmon return to spawn in the Skjern River every year.

In River Skjern, the fishing was rather difficult during the first part of the 2018 season. Warm weather meant low water levels causing low catches. Such was the situation until the beginning of August. Then came the rain, and salmon ran the River Skjern in numbers. On August 12th, a total of 87 rod-caught salmon were reported. The good fishing in River Skjern continued for the rest of the season, and despite a weak start, 2018 was to become a record year with a total of 1,748 salmon caught on rod. A large proportion of the fish caught were grilse, that is to say salmon having spent one winter at sea only. It meant that the average weight fell from about 6 kilos in 2017 to 4.9 kilos in 2018.

The prospects for the 2019 season look promising in terms of 2- and 3-sea-winter fish. Based on the large number of smolts leaving the river in 2017, the expectations are that a higher number of fish weighing more than 5 kilos will run the river during the 2019 season.

Another river in the area is the Karup Å. This is a comparably smaller river than the River Skjern. Karup Å meanders through a beautiful valley and is quite narrow on the stretch upstream of the town of Karup. Further downstream, it gets somewhat wider. Karup Å is first and foremost known for its powerful and large sea trout. Season after season, sea trout weighing more than 10 kilos are caught here. Few other sea trout rivers in the world can match that. The sea trout is shy and tricky to catch. But Karup Å is definitely the place to go if your dream is to hook a trophy fish. The Karup Å offers the chance of excellent sport and who knows: maybe you are the next lucky one!

Only about 50 kilometers separate the Skjern Å from the Karup Å – where else in the world can one experience world class angling for both salmon and sea trout in two neighbouring rivers?