FLY-FISHING FOR THE QUEEN OF THE SEA

SOME FISHING PLANS ARE MORE stupid than others – on paper at least. To fly-fish for halibut, clearly, is one of the more dubious ideas because how are you going to catch a fish that has perfected the art of ambushing prey in massive depths, in powerful tidal currents and along offshore craggy drop-offs?

I have hatched many half-witted fishing plans, most of them have never been realised. Those that have, on the other hand, have mostly ended up as failures. Very few have been even moderately successful, but I remember them with enthusiasm and joy. For what is more legendary than achieving some form of success despite all odds?

In June 2021, I was fly-fishing for sea-trout in a handful of different ›ords in northern Norway. During my time there, I was made aware of random catches of smaller halibut from relatively shallow areas and big specimens longlined from the shore. I’ve heard of people attempting to fly-fish for halibut; with oversized