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Learn how to catch giant Skrei Cod on Sørøya, including the best season, tackle, lures, techniques and tips from the Big Fish Adventure team.
| Author | Written by the Big Fish Adventure Team |
Are you researching how to catch Skrei cod and looking for the best place in Norway to target these remarkable migratory fish? This guide brings together practical advice from the Big Fish Adventure team, based on years of helping anglers fish the waters around Sørøya.
Over the years, Sørøya has built a huge reputation among sea anglers as one of the very best places in the world to target these migratory Cod, known as Skrei. Skrei are mature Northeast Arctic cod that migrate from the Barents Sea to the coast of Northern Norway to spawn each winter and spring. The word “Skrei” comes from a Norwegian term meaning “wanderer,” reflecting the long journey these fish make each year.
Sørøya is famous for the 103lb Atlantic Cod caught by German angler Michael Eisele in 2013, a fish recognised at the time as the rod-and-reel world record from a fjord a few minutes from our harbour called Breivikfjord.
From January through to the end of April, Skrei Cod migrate to the far north of Norway and tend to surround our Island making our location prime to target them. With only a short steam to some of the most productive areas, you can be fishing within just 20 minutes of leaving our Harbour.
Even though the Skrei Cod start to arrive in January we do not advice fishing for them that early as day light is extremely limited at that time of year. We always recommend starting in the middle of February, this tends to be when the daylight levels are starting to rise and days become a little longer meaning more fishing time for the angler.
Now that you have found the best time to fish for them, now how do you catch them?
Fishing in late winter and early spring requires good preparation. Conditions can be cold, windy and change quickly, so suitable clothing is essential. Some fishing time may occasionally be lost to the weather, but arriving properly equipped will help you make the most of every opportunity on the water.
“What to Pack for a Norwegian Fishing Holiday”
That’s the clothing sorted, now it’s down to the fun stuff, tackle. Who doesn’t enjoy looking at and buying tackle? There are several pieces of advice we would like to let you know.
You will want to bring with you several different shads in several different colours and weights. A good starting point would be the following
You will also need to have some heavy duty swivels and split rings to attach to your lure or pilk. Leaders are also important as when you hook these Cod they constantly roll on your leader and having a good quality heavy leader on will definitely land you more Cod. A mono leader of around 80lb is perfect and make sure you have plenty spare as you do tend to get through a few of these during your day.
The leaders can be attached in a few different ways. My personal favourite method is to pre-tie 5-10 leaders when you are in your cabin. The leaders should be around 1m in length and have a swivel on one end and a swivel and split ring on the other (This end attaches to your shad or pilk). Having them pre-tied like this saves you a lot of time when you are out on the boat with wet cold fingers. The other method is to tie a much longer length of mono leader directly to your braid via a FG Knot. This knot is one of the best knots for joining mono to braid and is used worldwide when fishing for some of the strongest saltwater species.
OK, so thats the main tackle needed to successfully target Skrei Cod, you will of course want to bring other tackle but the above will see you right for the main fishing. Now down to how to fish for them.
So you have been handed your boat keys and its time to head out in search for them. Always speak to one of our guides, they will inform you where the fish have been getting caught. Once out in the area its important to slow the boat down to around 2-3 knots whilst scanning for the shoals. Soon you will start to see large shoals appearing on your finder, the next bit is down to what you want to target. Are you looking to just catch as many as possible or are you looking for that chance of a potential world record?
If you are looking to catch as many as possible then once a decent shoal has been located you will need to put the boat in neutral and see which way you are drifting. Sometimes if there is some wind you may need to point the stern into the wind and reverse to slow your drift down. Once the boat is situated correctly, take a look at the fish finder to see where the top of the shoal is, then lower your chosen tackle down to that depth. This is why depth marked braid is so important for Skrei Fishing. Once the desired depth is found put your reel into gear and you are ready to go.
The key is to place your lure at the depth where the fish are showing rather than automatically dropping it to the seabed.
If you are looking for that one chance of a really big Cod there are several different techniques you should try. Follow the steps above up until when you are looking at the depth/fish finder. Now what you are looking for are single fish above the shoals. These can sometimes be metres above the shoal or sometimes 20 metres above the shoal. Its so important that you keep focused on the fish finder as that one little echo could lead you to your dream fish.
Now that you have hooked your chosen Skrei Cod, if you intend on putting your fish back then the best piece of advice is to reel your fish up until you can see it in the water, this is normally around 7-9 metres down. Then stop reeling, you will soon start to see lots of bubbles hitting the surface and once you feel the Cod starting to pull back then you can reel it in, lift it out carefully, unhook it and take your picture. Always put the fish back head first and 99% of the time the Cod will swim off none the wiser.
Frequently Asked Questions About Skrei Cod Fishing
Skrei Cod are migratory Atlantic Cod that travel hundreds of miles from the Barents Sea to the Norwegian coast to spawn each winter and spring.
For us on Sørøya, the best fishing is typically from mid-February until early April when daylight hours increase and large numbers of fish are present.
This varies depending on conditions, but many fish are caught between 30 and 100 metres.
Large shads between 300g and 500g and pilks between 300g and 700g are some of the most productive options.
Heavy-duty tackle is recommended due to the size and power of these fish.
Yes, but it is not generally recommended due to the size of many fish encountered around Sørøya.
Sørøya is widely regarded as one of the best locations in Norway and is home to the current rod and reel world record Cod.
Hopefully, from the above information, you may have gained that one little piece of advice that leads you to catching your personal best Cod and all that’s left for us to say is, enjoy our little piece of paradise and be sure to just leave footprints.
Whether you are planning your first Skrei fishing trip or returning to chase a new personal best, our team can help with accommodation, self-drive boats, guided fishing and complete packages on Sørøya.
Contact us at booking@bigfishadventure.no to discuss dates, group size and the type of fishing experience you are looking for.
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We look forward to welcoming you to Sørøya soon.
Tight Lines,
The Big Fish Adventure Team
| Last updated |
| 16 Jul 2026 |
This ultimate Norwegian fishing holiday packing guide covers everything you need to take for a safe, enjoyable, and stress-free trip. The team at Big Fish Adventures has put together some useful advice to help ensure your holiday goes as smoothly as possible.
| Last updated |
| 04 Jul 2024 |
Far from many anglers know that chances of catching a monster halibut in May are just incredible! In 2023 a total of 11 halibuts over 200cm were caught here on Sørøya, and at least the double were lost during the fight.
