A small river flowing through Ribe — Denmark's oldest town, founded in the Viking age — to the Wadden Sea. DTU's Fangstjournal lists Ribe Å in the mandatory salmon-reporting group alongside the larger west-Danish salmon rivers, so a run of salmon passes through here too, officially tracked each season. Sea trout from spring, wild browns in the upper stretches. The town itself is worth the visit regardless, but the fishing has quiet merit: intimate water, low banks, and the particular satisfaction of catching a sea trout within walking distance of a thousand-year-old cathedral. A sand-and-clay bed shapes this river. Atlantic salmon are managed under strict national quotas (DTU Aqua) — each river runs a limited annual kill quota and switches to catch-and-release once it is filled; check the quota before fishing.

• Sand and clay