h a r k a P o o l a n d M a r k a S t r e a m
o n e 5
Marka is a beat of contrast: broad pool, gravel bar, bend and stream. The aerial view shows the fishing clearly, with the lighter inside gravel, the deeper outside flow and the island/side-channel water that becomes important at medium and high levels.
This is demanding, rewarding salmon water. Fish the pool with care, then treat Marka Stream as a separate problem: the lively main run, the softer forest-side water and the transition where salmon choose to stop.
T h e m a g i c l i e s i n h o w t h e d a y b e g i n s , h o w i t e n d , a n d i n t h e m e m r i e s m a d e a l o n g h e w y .
The day here can begin in quiet water and end in the sound of stream, forest and moving fish. At dusk, salmon often move downstream toward the lower end of the pool.
There is a wild feeling to this zone, especially when the river is high and red deer can be heard from the forest above.
Austnes Experience
h e C h a r c t r o f t h e B e a
Marka Pool is broad and quiet-flowing, with vegetation on both sides and a deep channel near the southern shore. It holds salmon, but it is one of the more demanding stretches to fish well.
Marka Stream changes the pace. At medium and high water an island forms in the river, creating two runs with different character.
h y S a l m n o l d H e r e
Salmon hold in the deep channel of Marka Pool and around the larger rocks in the livelier stream. The southern shore and the softer run near the forest both become important depending on water height.
The structure gives fish options: depth, shelter, current and calmer edges close together.
e s t T i m t F i s h
Dusk is a key moment in Zone 5, especially in Marka Pool when fish move toward the lower end. Early morning can also be strong when the pool has rested overnight.
In medium and high water, the stream becomes especially interesting as the island and runs define the fishing.
e s t W a t r o n d i t i o n s
Zone 5 is best approached with care across changing conditions. The pool can fish in quieter water, while Marka Stream becomes more alive at medium and high levels.
When the river is high, salmon often use the calmer run toward the forest. When it drops, concentrate on depth, stones and defined current seams.
o w t o F s h t h e B e a t
Fish Marka Pool patiently from the top, covering the deep channel near the southern shore without over-wading. It is demanding water, so clean presentation matters.
In Marka Stream, separate the two runs in your mind and fish them as different beats: the lively main run first, then the calmer water toward the forest.
e y H o l d n g W a t e r
The key holding water is the deep channel in Marka Pool, the lower end at dusk, the big rocks in the lively stream and the calmer forest-side run when the river is high.
Do not ignore the transition water between pool and stream. Salmon can pause where speed, depth and cover meet.
o w t o F s h t h e B e a t
Do not rush Zone 1.
This is water you should read before you fish.
Start by standing back from the river.
Watch the flow below the waterfall.
Look for seams, softer edges, deeper lanes and changes in speed.
The best lie is often where the current changes character.
Do not begin with the longest cast.
Large salmon often stand closer than expected, especially when the river carries colour or volume.
Fish the near water first.
Then work outward.
A strong approach is:
stand back from the bank
watch the water before casting
fish the close edge first
find the main seam
cover the softer water beside the pressure
fish the deeper pockets
change angle before changing place
move slowly and systematically
For fly fishing, angle and speed matter more than distance.
The fly should swim across the current with control.
It should not race through the taking water.
In stronger water, the fly needs enough depth and presence.
In lower water, it should fish lighter and more quietly.
For spinning, cover the water slowly.
Vary depth before moving on.
A large salmon holding below a waterfall will not always move far.
The lure needs to pass at the right speed, at the right depth and through the right lane.
Avoid unnecessary wading.
The close water might hold fish.
Fish it before you step into it.
o c a l F e t u e s a n d H i s t o
Austnes Waterfall carries more fame than any other place in the Verdal River.
It is part of the river’s salmon-fishing identity.
The first foreign anglers came here with long bamboo rods and no reels, drawn by the same thing anglers still seek today: salmon gathered by powerful water.
At medium flow or higher, the southern course becomes an important part of the beat.
Here you find Tora Cliff, named after the Swedish angler Tora Sjødin.
She was known as a skilled fisherwoman, and this cliff was her favourite place.
That gives the place character.
Tora Cliff is not only a name.
It marks a part of the river where patience, observation and good fishing sense matter.
From this position, the angler reads the southern course, the smaller pool and the soft holding water close to stronger current.
Fish short before fishing long.
Look before you cast.
Let the river show you where the salmon should be.
i g S a l m n o t e n t i a l
Zone 1 has real big salmon potential.
The reason is simple.
Austnes Waterfall gathers fish.
Large salmon moving upstream meet a natural obstacle here.
They pause, recover and hold in the water below the falls.
That gives the angler a rare chance to meet fish of serious size in concentrated water.
The opening-day history proves the potential.
A day with 26 salmon between 7 and 15 kilos tells you what this water represents when river, timing and fish come together.
This is the kind of beat where one cast changes the season.
It rewards patience, timing and proper river reading.
It does not reward random fishing.
The angler who understands current seams, depth, water level and salmon behaviour has the best chance here.
i s h i n g u l s
The first 50 metres downstream from Austnes Waterfall are closed to fishing.
This rule must be respected.
The closed section protects the most sensitive water directly below the falls.
The open water below it still offers serious fishing when approached correctly.
Fish the legal water with care, patience and discipline.
Zone 1 rewards the angler who understands why salmon stop below a waterfall, where they hold, and how water level changes their behaviour.
Read the river first.
Then fish it properly.
c c e s s , h e t e r a n d P r a c a C o m f o r t
On the southern bank, by the camping ground, there are places to sit and watch the river.
There is also a traditional Norwegian gapahuk, an open riverside shelter.
This gives anglers, friends and family a natural place to rest between sessions.
For a salmon angler, this matters.
Zone 1 is water worth watching.
From the bank, you study the flow, discuss the day’s fishing and plan the next pass.
The shelter gives the beat a social rhythm without taking focus away from the fishing.
This is a place for more than casting.
You watch the river rise or drop.
You notice colour changes.
You see where the current opens.
You decide where the next chance might come.
At Zone 1, good fishing often starts before the next cast.