Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your fjord fishing report from the west coast of Norway. We’ve got a classic early‑summer setup in the big fjords around Bergen, Sognefjorden, and Hardanger. A stable high has been sitting over southern Norway, so most fjords saw light to moderate winds today, generally 3–7 m/s from the northwest in the outer parts and lighter, more variable breezes deep inside the fjords. Skies ran partly cloudy with decent sunny breaks. Air temps hovered around 13–17°C waterside, with sea temps mostly 9–12°C in the outer fjords and a touch warmer in sheltered arms. Sunrise along the west coast came just before 4 a.m. and sunset a bit after 11 p.m., giving that long, soft light we love. True darkness never really settled, so the best bite windows were the classic crepuscular periods: roughly 03:00–06:00 and again 21:30–23:30, when the light dimmed enough for predators to push bait into the edges. Tidewise, we had a mid‑range swing, not spring‑tide big, but enough movement to matter. The stronger flows were in the outer fjord mouths and narrows around mid‑morning and late evening. Slack water in the middle of the day made the fishing slower, especially for pollock and coalfish that wanted current. Reports from local boats and pier anglers the last day or two have been solid. Good numbers of **coalfish (sei)** and **pollock (lyr)** in the 1–3 kg range have been coming from current edges and drop‑offs, with a few 5+ kg fish taken deeper on jigs. **Cod (torsk)** catches are steadier now in 20–60 m, mostly eater‑size 1–4 kg, with the odd bigger fish coming from the ledges. **Mackerel (makrell)** are building in, shoals moving in and out of the outer fjords, with some fast action on light gear. Closer to the bottom, a mix of **ling**, **tusk**, and the odd **wolffish** have come to those fishing natural baits on steep walls. Fish activity has been best when tide and low light overlap. Midday, under bright sky and slack current, the bite slowed and fish pushed deeper. This evening’s outgoing tide lining up with dim light turned on a strong pollock bite along rocky points and underwater pinnacles near the fjord mouths. On lures, slim metal jigs in the 40–80 g range in blue‑silver or green‑silver have outfished most offerings, especially when worked fast through midwater for coalfish. Soft plastics—shads in 10–15 cm on 30–60 g jig heads—have been deadly for cod and pollock when bounced close to the bottom. Locals are also doing well with small silver‑finish spoons and 20–30 g casting jigs for mackerel. For the more traditional crowd, natural bait rigs with strips of mackerel or herring on paternoster rigs are producing steady cod, ling, and tusk. Best bait right now: fresh mackerel strip if you can get it; otherwise frozen herring works fine. For shore anglers, a simple sliding float with a piece of shrimp or worm near harbor mouths will pick up smaller cod, saithe, and the occasional flatfish. A couple of hot spots to keep in mind: – Outer Hardangerfjord, around the points near Rosendal and the narrows towards Kvinnherad: strong evening tide there has been stacking coalfish and pollock over the 20–50 m drops, with cod on the deeper ledges. – Sognefjord side fjords near Balestrand and into the deeper arms: cod and ling on steep rock walls in 60–120 m, especially where a side fjord funnels into the main basin. Work your jigs or bait rigs tight to the structure and watch your sounder for midwater coalfish schools. Inside the Bergen area, the islands and skerries west of the city have given good mackerel and smaller coalfish on light spinning gear during the last couple of evenings, particularly where the current wraps around points or through narrow sounds. That’s the fjord roundup from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
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