Hart Halibut Festival sept 2023

Skjervoy

Hart Halibut Festival sept 2023

10 days for the price of 8!

Halibut Hotspot

This location is perfectly protected from wind and weather and is situated just around the corner from Torsvag with direct access to the open sea. This region is well known as halibut country for a long time and is located just south of Sørøya. Also at this destination, the fishery focuses on species such as large cod, saithe, wolffish and so on, but the chances of catching (large) halibut are considerably higher here than elsewhere. Fishing here begins in May and lasts until October. There are several holiday homes available on site for a maximum of 4 and 6 people each. The site is located directly at the waterfront, with the boats literally on the doorstep.

From Tuesday September 26 till Thursday October 5, 2023

10 days trip for the price of 8!

This will be the sixth edition of our yearly growing and pleasurable festival. And this year we are going to Skjervoy again. This location is just around the corner from Torsvag, is very sheltered and has large and beautiful new boats. Here we will open again the hunt for the illustrious halibut. Do you feel like having a nice week with fish mates all with the same goal? Join us for a super week focused on halibut fishing! We promote catch & release! And of course we will be there ourselves for the personal guidance on the boats.

This might also happen to you!

Registration is possible until March 2023 but full = full. Click HERE to register!

The trip consists of:

Bus transfer from Tromso to Skjervoy
Detailed information per pdf of the entire trip
Dutch- English and German speaking on-site assistance
Four or six participants per house (double rooms) and 4 per boat (layout by organization)
Towels, bed linen and final cleaning included
Final dinner in the restaurant with award ceremony
Of course there are also nice prizes to win from Hart
Personal photo book after the trip for each participant
Chance of winning nice prizes and creating even more beautiful memories!

The cost of this trip is € 1095,- per person excluding flights. If there are fewer people per house and boat, different prices apply.

The fishing here is ideal. There are many plateaus of different depths and there is also a lot of structure present. So there are many opportunities to fish and catch you specimen at this location. Overall, all the conditions for a perfect fishery are present. You fish in depths between 20 to 150 meters where both large and small fish swim around. To be able to fish in a specific way, the size of your ( artificial ) bait is crucial. So the following applies here: small bait - small fish and large bait - large fish.

Also here, halibut is caught above average length! But make no mistake: halibut fishing is one for die-hards and making hours is the key to success. From June to October, these beautiful flatfish can be caught regularly and the big ones in particular have made this region famous. Earlier in the year you can often also fish for halibut, but then you have to be lucky with the water temperature. There is a very experienced local guide available who speaks English and Norwegian and depending on the groupsize two or three Dutch, English and German speaking experienced guides from the organization who will provide you with the latest information regarding the hotspots and the fishing techniques and materials to be used.

We have reserved all houses in this camp. These are both 4 and 6 person homes. The four-person houses each have 2 bedrooms with 2 single beds. We also have larger apartments for 6 persons each with 3 bedrooms with two single beds per room.

In addition, both the cabins and the apartments have a living room with sofa and Sat TV, a fully equipped kitchen with dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, stove and oven and of course a bathroom with shower and toilet. The apartments are 250 to 100 metres from the harbour.

The 24,5 foot Jeanneau Merry Fisher Marlin boats with cabin and 150 hp outboard motors are standard equipped with a fish finder, GPS, AIS tracking system and life jackets. Everything is designed even to convince the most experienced angler. These are absolute great boats that offer a lot of comfort, speed and ease of sailing. The boats are very suitable for four anglers all the more because the foredeck can also be used while fishing.

Fishing is done with boat rods in the 20 to 30 lb category. If you want to be sure that you can get the really big fish up, we advise you to choose those 30 lb rods. The best possible contact is with dyneema. With this braided, stretch-free line you can feel exactly what is happening at the end of your line at a depth of 50 to 100 metres. The break force of the dyneema needs to be around 25 kilos in order to seriously resist a large fish up to 100 kilos. It is best to have at least 300, but preferably more line on your reel. The leaders used here are made of heavy duty nylon with a thickness of 1 to 1.2 mm.

You can fish with lures as well as natural bait. Pilks and shads vary from 250 to 500 grams depending on the depth and current. If you are fed up with jigging, you can easily switch to herring, mackerel or saithe as bait on a live bait rig. This system works excellent for halibut and large cod. The largest fish are generally caught with natural bait. Besides the heavy work on cod and halibut, it is certainly also fun to go spinning for smaller species with a "lighter" set. In the shallower areas you can experience an attractive fishery for smaller cod and saithe with for example a medium spinning rod of 50 to 150 grams. You'll be amazed what you can raise to the surface with such light material. If you don't have your own flotation suit / fish overall you can rent it on the spot for a price of € 85,- per week. If you need this you have to mention this when you make your reservation because of the limited availability of these materials.

Prizes: This year we offer great prices in the form of rods & reels from the brand Hart

And this is what the 2021 edition looked like.

PS. It is a century-old tradition that anyone who catches a halibut that weighs 50 kilos or more to take a jump in the harbour. We are happy to follow up this tradition during this fishingtrip!

The season starts in May and runs until October. The weather is always a dominant factor in this region. Therefore we strongly advise you to bring or rent a warm fish-overall or even a floatation / survival suit. If we are already in the spring weather in mid-April it can still snow in the High northern weather. That is why it is important to always inform before every departure about the latest weather forecast and predictions.

So make sure you have proper warm fish clothing and always take it with you on the boat. Don't forget the hands and head. It is wise to build up your clothing in thin layers, so that (if necessary) you can take some off as well. As you get further into the season, the fishing days get shorter again, but in May and June it is light 24 hours a day since the sun doesn't set at all. As summer approaches, the sun will eventually set at night.

This is what happened in 2021.

The long days in this period are a nice bonus at this location. In May, the cod has just spawned and is then busy feeding to replenish all the energy lost during spawning. In June, July and August the fish are back to full strength and it is during this period that generally the largest fish are caught, which give the most sport. For halibut, at water temperatures from 4.5 degrees, it gets closer and more often under the coast. The higher the water temperature, the closer the halibut comes under the coast to feed and they are caught at depths as low as 5 meters. Attention: Also the big halibut of 50 kilo+!

THE COMPETITION

All types of bait can be used for fishing (lures and natural bait).
The use of fragrances and attractants is allowed.
Preferably the halibut will be measured next to the boat and the weight will be determined by means of the available table.
All halibut must be documented (at catch & release) with a digital photo of the entire fish and zoomed in on the measuring tape which are provided.
The halibut rod should be handled by the same angler at all times.
When landing a halibut, the fisherman may be assisted by fellow fishermen.
Fishing will take place in the period from Wednesday 15 September 2021 from 08.00 hrs till Monday 120September 2021 16.00 hrs. Any fish that are to be caught after this period will no longer be added to the leaderbord.

On Tuesday 26 September 2023 you will depart from your local airport to Oslo and then the entire group comes together and we will fly directly to Tromso with SAS. We will of course assist you with booking your tickets. Each passenger is entitled to 2 x 23 kilos of luggage + 10 kilos of hand luggage. The bus will be waiting for us here and will drop us off at our location in Skjervoy after a ride of about two hours through the impressive surroundings. We stay 10 days at the accommodation and you fish 8 full days on a boat with a maximum of 4 anglers. For shopping we have a van at our availability which is driven by the organization to go to the supermarket in the village and assist with shopping.

Or send a request for a booking confirmation directly! CLICK HERE

Hart Halibut Festival sept 2023