Spate · Mixed · Trøndelag, NO

Orkla

Orkla Meldal
Today · Closed season
Stonefly Nymph
Forecast · Today
Closed season
Out of season. File this water for the right month.
50% projected
Today's fly
Stonefly Nymph
Stonefly Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Falling
0.00 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp8.6°C
ClarityClearing
Weather14°C
WindN 15 km/h
Pressure1022 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead3.8 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Atlantic Salmon
Cool — slow
9°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Atlantic Salmon
When
Peak late June into early August. The Orkla fishes more wadeable water than the Alta or Gaula. Fish the dropping water 24 to 48 hours after rain.
Where
Wadeable beats from Vormstad through to the lower river. Heads, tails, and named lies — the Orkla rewards anglers who fish at short to medium range.
Method
Tubes and large doubles on intermediate or sink-tip in cold spring water; smaller flies on a floater through the main season; drop sizes in late summer warmth.
Kit
13 ft #8 double-hander is the daily default; 14 ft #9 in spate; 11 ft switch on smaller water. Floating, intermediate, fast-sink. 12 to 15 lb fluoro tippet.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11:00

12:00(now) — Autumn Needle Fly

Stage: Creeping nymphsApproach: Heavy nymphActivity: 81%
Also:Iron Blue50%Black Midge41%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 11:00 — Autumn Needle Fly (Autumn Needle Fly, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Evidence
Survey-backed · regionalHigh confidence

Backed by regional invertebrate surveys; no sampling on this exact reach yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Salmon runRun
1
2
1
Yellow SallyHatch
2
3
3
2
Nordic SpringflyHatch
2
3
3
2
Late March BrownHatch
2
3
2
Large Brook DunHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Atlantic Salmon
Beats · 4 · 3 reaches

The Orkla runs its own access and rule structure separate from neighbouring Gaula, so don't assume the two work the same way. Fishing here means stacking three layers: the national fishing fee (fiskeravgift), a salmon-management tax that grants no access on its own; the Orkla river card (Orklakort), the mandatory river-wide registration; and an actual vald, beat or lodge booking that gives you water to fish. Equipment disinfection is compulsory and catch reporting is required. As on every Norwegian salmon river, the state can issue short-notice in-season regulation changes if stock counts disappoint, so verify the current quota, season status and your beat booking route against the local Orkla association before travelling.

Lower Orkla — Orkanger to FannremSeason rods
The lower river from the Orkanger estuary up to Fannrem takes the fresh fish first — the earlier-season, larger-water beats.
Middle Orkla — Meldal classic fly water · 2 beatsDay rods
Middle Orkla — Meldal corridor, Grindal Salmon Lodge (formerly Aunan Lodge)
The 2 beats
Middle Orkla — Meldal corridorSeason rods
Valds, lodges and proprietors (via local associations)
The classic Meldal fly water — wadeable cobble-and-gravel runs that the Orkla is known for, fished at short to medium range. This is where the lodges and named beats concentrate; the river rewards wading and water-reading over distance casting. Access is by vald, beat card or lodge package (Aunan, Grindal and Sæter are among the known lodge waters — verify individually).
Fiskeravgift + Orklakort + beat/vald/lodge booking. Disinfection and catch reporting mandatory. Annual quota and protected-size rules apply; the state may change rules in-season.
Grindal Salmon Lodge (formerly Aunan Lodge)Guide / lodge
Grindal Salmon Lodge (grindalsalmonlodge.no) — booked direct or via agents
Premium Orkla lodge in the Meldal corridor between Storås and Meldal, about 55 km from the sea — known as Aunan Lodge until the property was renamed Grindal Salmon Lodge after the 2020 season (same water, new name). It controls about 5.5 km of largely double-bank fishing across 17 named pools, including the renowned holding pools Pollen and Igdhølen. Just 12 rods on the water, fished fly-only (spinning allowed by prior arrangement for a full 12-rod party).
Fiskeravgift + Orklakort registration required on top of the lodge booking. Equipment disinfection and catch reporting mandatory. 2026 Orkla quota/protected-size rules and the state's short-notice in-season regulation changes apply.
Upper Orkla — RennebuMembers
The upper river through Rennebu comes good later in the season once fish have run the lower and middle beats.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Fiskeravgift plus local Orkla beat permit required
  • Equipment disinfection and catch reporting are mandatory, and the practical experience depends heavily on which beat or lodge water you draw.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Gallery · 2
  1. Orkla Meldal
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality (WFD)
  • Ecology: High
  • Chemical: Unknown
What this classification means

WFD ecological status Good → High corrected to EEA WISE 2022 (3rd RBMP) classification for waterbody NO121-600-R (was a stale earlier-cycle value). Source: EEA WISE SWB_SurfaceWaterBody (discodata.eea.europa.eu), verified 2026-06-18.

WFD classification · NO121-600-R

The full read · show the working · for Atlantic Salmon · confidence 75%
How the river scores — hydrology factors
Water heightMedium Ideal0.0
Recent riseNone0.0
Falling after liftNot Applicable0.0
Water temperatureCool To Moderate0.0
Time in seasonOpening Period0.0
ClarityClearing0.0
Hydrology base0.0
Legal gate: Unknown Check Local Rules
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Salmon 1 June → 31 August
  • Trout Opens June–September
Related guides
Booking & contacts