The 2025 season was quite successful, with a record number of sea trout caught and a slight increase in large salmon compared to the previous year. Water levels remained low for most of the season, which particularly affected sea trout catches at the Hulvig beat. However, when water levels returned to normal in the autumn, both salmon and sea trout catches reached record highs for this stretch of river. The final weekend in October was exceptional at the Hulvig beat—10 salmon and sea trout were landed, with about the same number lost during various lengths of fight, all within just 10 hours of fishing.
This year saw an increase in grilse and 2SW salmon in the river compared to last year. Looking ahead, forecasts suggest that the number of 3SW salmon in 2026 could be double this year’s amount. This projection is based on the counts of 1SW salmon last year, 2SW salmon this year, and historical patterns relating those numbers to future 3SW salmon returns. The international Ecosystem Trawl Survey in the Northeast Atlantic also recorded a record number of post-smolts in 2025, signaling promising prospects for grilse in 2026.
Additionally, given the high number of young sea trout observed this year, we can likely look forward to many repeat spawning sea trout—meaning larger fish—in 2026. All of these factors point toward an exciting year ahead, with potentially more large salmon and many sizeable sea trout. Of course, as always, predictions for salmon and sea trout runs remain challenging.
