Fishing
in Hemsedal
The river runs slowly and peacefully along the road before it hides behind trees or fields and then once again become visible from the road. Maybe you will see a fish that rises or a fisherman looking for his next catch whilst enjoying a coffee to the view of Hydnefossen waterfall.
If you continue driving towards Lykkja, you will quickly be surrounded by lakes. Most of these mountain lakes are included in the fishing permit and contains plenty of fish.
If you want to go fishing in Hemsedal, there are opportunities for the whole family.
You can park the car almost at the edge of the water and sit comfortably with bait and lures or you can go further to the mountains with a backpack on your back for an experience of being alone in the mountains or combine with a mountain hike and fishing. At Hemsedal Tourist Office, online at inatur.no or at fishing stores, you could by fishing licenses and get maps with overview of which waters and rivers are included in the various fishing licenses. The most common fishing methods in Hemsedal are land, lure and fly fishing.
The river Hemsil, that runs through Hemsedal, is formed by the rivers Grøndøla and Mørkedøla that connects just south of the village Tuv. The river consists of 4 zones, where it is possible to use bait, lures and flies and the rest of the river consists of pure fly-fishing zones, where only flies are allowed. In the river Grøndøla you will also find zones only for fly fishing, while Mørkedøla is made for bait fishing with its deep holes as it bends towards Hemsedalsfjellet. Hemsil is a clear river with trout on an average weight of 1kg+, but on days with perfect conditions you can get lucky and catch trout on more than 2 kilos.
The river offers approx. 15 km of fly-fishing opportunities. Most of it is still waters with small parts of rapids and more narrow side channels. During the summer months the trout can be both selective and shy, even if the fish rises steady and often it might still be hard to catch them.
With lowered shoulders and inner calm, you can get closer to the trout and study its eating habits. In the middle of June when the small mayfly Baetis Rhodani hatches you can use a thin olive-green fly in the end of your leader. Throw carefully upstream and let the fly follow the waters until it passes the fish. Hopefully after a few attempts the trout will rise and take your mayfly imitation. Your hook set is perfect and one can only enjoy the screaming reel when the fish takes off before you efficiently haul in the trout. When you finally get it in the net all you can do is to let your excitement overflow and enjoy the sight of what might be your first trout from Hemsil-river. If the fish is under the allowed measurement, remember to make your hands wet before gently removing the hook and releasing it back in the river.
If you are new to fly-fishing, wants to learn more about fly-fishing or the fishing possibilities around Hemsedal we have several guides you can book to get your knowledge and skills about fishing up to a more successful level. Or how about bringing you tent to one of the mountain lakes, use your favourite lures, enjoy a coffee from the Primus and the best company. Hundsemvatn in a magic sunset on a clear night can give even the most experienced mountain boy or -girl a zen like state of mind and adventures you will not easily forget.
