“The ­Ditch ­Otters” ­Tricked ­a ­Trout

The trio who call themselves “The Ditch Otters” (Grøftoterne) have just finished their annual trip to Vangrøfta. They caught some nice fish, despite the nasty cold weather.

Written by Lars Reitan.

Olav Grøndalen, Sigbjørn Nygaard and Håvard Nygaard, better known as the The Ditch Otters, have just returned from Vangrøfta. This years trip was a bit shorter than planned. After a warm start to the trip, the weather turned wet and cold – which is usual the perfect weather for good hatches…

-We waited a long time for the hatch, but it just never happened. But despite the lack of bugs on the surface we managed to find some good fish, says Olav Grøndalen.

The trio has made the pilgrimage to Vanngrøfta for 14 seasons. Waiting became the theme of this years trip.

-The water levels were good, and everything should have lined up for a real hatch bonanza. We only saw a few sporadic hatches of aurivili, and unfortunately it just wasn’t too nice with a high of 5 degrees and a low of 0 during the nights.

According to Grøndalen there are areas of the river with less fish than previously, but the crew landed several fish weighing over a kilo, and a couple weighing 1.5 kilos.

-The fish seemed to be in good condition, they were nice and fat.

–What is it about Vangrøfta that keeps you coming back each year?

-For me its all about being on the river with good friends combined with good fishing. This river is very nice and varied, and just perfect for fly fishing in my opinion. There are nice fish to be found there, and I just really like the little down, with a relaxed vibe and cows out grazing.