Good old days - Korgen Camping

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Korgauren 5, Korgen, Norge

Good Old Days

Old Days

Old days

laksefiske gamle dager

Røssåga has a long tradition as an attractive salmon river for anglers. The first English salmon anglers came to the Korgen in the 1870s. Normally they hired private shelter. Every year they came back again until World War I. During this time they built a stately timber villa in the area where the current Town Hall is located now. In the early 1930s it was built another “English Villa.”

In the interwar period Røssåga was leased to both Norwegian fishermen and Englishmen. A diary with notes regarding fishing of salmon in Røssåga in the years 1917-18 and 1920-30 is quite interesting reading. During this period the family Schjølberg from Bodø was renting parts of the river. The diary reports date, fishing area, name of the fisherman, weight of the salmon and frequently weather and temperature on current day. The library owns the diary, and it can be seen there unless it is loaned. The total catch has naturally varied from year to year. A peak in 1925 shows a total weight of 1,186.7 kg for 135 salmons, an average weight of 8.8 kg. The picture shows one day’s catch on 1 July 1921, 22 great salmon caught on the same rod of father and son Schjølberg.

Power station

The new old riverbed

The development of Røssåga power stations had a major impact on the salmon fishery. The river was laid in tubes of 1955 and thus there was no basis for fishing. The fishing became reestablished later, and as the years went by, the local fishermen was attracted to the river once again.

In 2016, the new “Nedre Røssåga” power station was started. In connection with this development, Statkraft has contributed to the reconstruction of the old riverbed below Sjøforsen to the good spawning area it once was.

Gyrodactylus

Unfortunately, our river became infested with the salmon parasite Gyrodactilus Salaris and was treated 2003 and 2004 with rotenone. After this period, there are strict disinfection- and quota regulations. Salmon stocks are reestablishing slowly and surely back to the old days. Røssåga and neighboring river Leirelva has also been known as two of the best trout rivers. The sea trout is not affected by the parasite, but since all the trout in the river below the rotenon treatment was wiped out, it will take some time before the sea trout is reestablished in the rivers. The last seasons, some nice trouts has been taken, but we recommend that the trouts released again so that the trout strain grows stronger.