Gaula Salmon River

The Gaula river stretches 153 kilometres through Gauldalen in Trøndelag and ranks among Norway's finest Atlantic salmon rivers. Named Norway's best salmon river in 2005, it remains wild and unregulated, never dammed for hydropower. The river draws fly fishers from across Europe each summer. Salmon over 65 centimetres must be released, and all catches are registered within six hours via Elveguiden Gaula Laksebørsen. Tighter catch-and-release quotas from the Norwegian Environment Agency since 2025 reflect declining wild salmon stocks across the region, but Gaula consistently remains among Norway's top five salmon rivers by total catch.