[damon]

what time of year is best to fish the hardanger area for cod pollack etc including both boat and shore fishing and when are the cod likely to be closest to the shore.thanks

 

[Norseman]

what time of year is best to fish the hardanger area for cod pollack etc including both boat and shore fishing and when are the cod likely to be closest to the shore.thanks

Ehm...I really do hope you are not planning a trip to fish there...

That fjord is completely destroyed by the fish farming industry. Salmon and sea trout is all but extinct in the fjord. The pollack is full of feed pellets, and becouse the farmed salmon in the fjord is full of salmon lice, and have developped multiressistance to all other medication they have fed them Ektobann, wich is a pesticide...this is mixed with the food pellets.

The salmon have a 100 day quarrantine after being fed the stuff...the pollach does not...

As for cod, it's likely that it does not enter the fjord at all anymore, as cod shun fjords that are to polluted by the fish farms. As one fish farm release as much sewer into the fjord as a city twice the size of Bergen...the difference is it is untreated waste. And there is dozens of farms in that area.

Actually if you get any cod at all, it is probably a runaway farmed cod, as there is about 65000 of them on the run in the fjord, and I would not feed that ****e to a cat. Well, in fact cats won't touch the stuff.

Basically, if I where you, I'd take my money and go elsewhere...almost any place in Norway would be better.

The only reason to go there now would be to enjoy the view as the landscape is fantastic...but only to do so before they ruin it with the proposed power lines criss crossing the fjord that is under way already, to massive protests...

 

[Nick Plum]

Worrying stuff there Norseman. In 2008 i caught a 14lb Cod that was destined for that evenings meal But in the process of gutting the fish I found that the stomach was stuffed with pellets(a ball of them grapefruit size). Glad i did not prepare and cook that fish now. We had spag bol instead lol. There were 2 farms 1000 mtrs approx either side of our digs at that time. One has moved to deeper water now and the other has no fish at present. Fish farms seem to be everywhere in the northern Fjords (just an observation from a tourist) on a long journey. Have read your post (re) the Fjords are broken as I am sure many other other Tourists have. Everyone has to make a living But at what enviromental cost?

 

[damon]

Ehm...I really do hope you are not planning a trip to fish there...

That fjord is completely destroyed by the fish farming industry. Salmon and sea trout is all but extinct in the fjord. The pollack is full of feed pellets, and becouse the farmed salmon in the fjord is full of salmon lice, and have developped multiressistance to all other medication they have fed them Ektobann, wich is a pesticide...this is mixed with the food pellets.

The salmon have a 100 day quarrantine after being fed the stuff...the pollach does not...

As for cod, it's likely that it does not enter the fjord at all anymore, as cod shun fjords that are to polluted by the fish farms. As one fish farm release as much sewer into the fjord as a city twice the size of Bergen...the difference is it is untreated waste. And there is dozens of farms in that area.

Actually if you get any cod at all, it is probably a runaway farmed cod, as there is about 65000 of them on the run in the fjord, and I would not feed that ****e to a cat. Well, in fact cats won't touch the stuff.

Basically, if I where you, I'd take my money and go elsewhere...almost any place in Norway would be better.

The only reason to go there now would be to enjoy the view as the landscape is fantastic...but only to do so before they ruin it with the proposed power lines criss crossing the fjord that is under way already, to massive protests...

thanks for that sounds scary best go farther north i think.

 

[Norseman]

Worrying stuff there Norseman. In 2008 i caught a 14lb Cod that was destined for that evenings meal But in the process of gutting the fish I found that the stomach was stuffed with pellets(a ball of them grapefruit size). Glad i did not prepare and cook that fish now. We had spag bol instead lol. There were 2 farms 1000 mtrs approx either side of our digs at that time. One has moved to deeper water now and the other has no fish at present. Fish farms seem to be everywhere in the northern Fjords (just an observation from a tourist) on a long journey. Have read your post (re) the Fjords are broken as I am sure many other other Tourists have. Everyone has to make a living But at what enviromental cost?

In Hardangerfjord, well, the fjord system there are more than just a farm or two...

Anyway, people over here are starting to get mightily peed off at it all, and I am sure there will be a change into closed farms, as oposed to open net farming that they do now. Until then...do not buy farmed fish...not from Norway, Chile, Scotland or Canada...it's likely that it's the same Norwegian companies that is behind it, as the fish farming industry in thoise countries are all on Norwegian hands...

And Damon, almost any place is better than Hardanger for fishing.

 

[Ozz]

Fished alot in Hardanger lately Norseman? The fishing for ling and alot of other deep water-species can be quite good there. The varietey of species is pretty huge, and both cod and pollack is a pretty common catch. Tastes good as well. It is correct that they have a big problem with runaway salmon, but the allegation that the fjord is totally ruined by them is pretty far off. The best time for cod i guess would be in the colder months of the year, from october to march. on the other side, if cod is your target species you`ll propably be better of going far north in february/march...

 

[damon]

Fished alot in Hardanger lately Norseman? The fishing for ling and alot of other deep water-species can be quite good there. The varietey of species is pretty huge, and both cod and pollack is a pretty common catch. Tastes good as well. It is correct that they have a big problem with runaway salmon, but the allegation that the fjord is totally ruined by them is pretty far off. The best time for cod i guess would be in the colder months of the year, from october to march. on the other side, if cod is your target species you`ll propably be better of going far north in february/march...

the reason i originally asked was ive just come back from the area and and we caught just 2 cod and 2 pollack and 1 coalfish which was disapointing but as for the other species we had huge numbers of ling,red gurnard,grey gurnard, mackerel,red fish,a lovely 70cm garfish and even a couple of octopus which took pirks.

 

[Norseman]

Fished alot in Hardanger lately Norseman? The fishing for ling and alot of other deep water-species can be quite good there. The varietey of species is pretty huge, and both cod and pollack is a pretty common catch. Tastes good as well. It is correct that they have a big problem with runaway salmon, but the allegation that the fjord is totally ruined by them is pretty far off. The best time for cod i guess would be in the colder months of the year, from october to march. on the other side, if cod is your target species you`ll propably be better of going far north in february/march...

The question was on cod and pollack. And personally I would not fish for that in a fishfarm fjord anywhere, at least not for something to put on the table. And Hardanger is known as the worst of them. It's not the runaway salmon that is the problem for cod/pollack. It's the potentially medicated feed they get from the farms + polution.

It's quite well known that cod shun fjords with extensive fish farming.
So going to Hardanger for cod and pollack is a waste of time IMHO.

But right is right....I have not been in Hardanger for 20 years.