The 2023 fishing season in Mörrum River - Fly fishing for big salmon and sea trout

The 2023 fishing season in Mörrum River - Fly fishing for big salmon and sea trout.
This is a portrayal of the fishing season 2023 in Mörrum river from my perspective. The season was characterized by few caught fish and a rule change that dramatically altered the conditions for sport fishing in the river. Mörrum river has long been adorned with memories from its glorious past, but now reality seems to have caught up with this mythical gem in southern Sweden, slowly meandering through the enchanting landscape. While some large fish are still caught here, they are few, and 2023 proved to be a real low point for salmon and sea trout fishing in the river.
NOTE! Mörrums Kronolaxfiske/Sveaskog has chosen to remove the rule about only barbless hooks for the 2024 season. Instead, they will invest more time and effort in informing about how Catch and Release (C&R) should be carried out. I think that is a very wise decision!
There are several reasons for this. Firstly, there is a violent overfishing in the Baltic Sea, affecting the main food source of salmon, herring, and sprat, and a sea that has long been plagued by chemical emissions from industry and agriculture. Additionally, it is due to the management of Mörrums Kronolaxfiske, which seems to completely lack the ambition to create favorable conditions for sport fishing in the river. Instead, they have, for a long time, ignored their loyal customer base to focus on attracting other target groups in their eagerness to maximize short-term profits.
In Swedish:
Fiskesäsongen 2023 i Mörrumsån - Flugfiske efter stor lax och havsöring.
Detta är en skildring av fiskesäsongen 2023 i Mörrumsån sett ur mitt perspektiv. Säsongen präglades av få fångade fiskar och en regeländring som i ett slag dramatiskt förändrade förutsättningarna för sportfisket i ån. Mörrumsån har länge tronat på minnen från fornstora dagar men nu ser verkligheten ut att kommit ikapp denna mytomspunna pärla i södra Sverige som långsamt slingrar sig genom det förtrollande landskapet. Ännu fångas här förvisso några stora fiskar men de är få och 2023 blev ett riktigt bottennapp för lax- och havsöringfisket i ån.
OBS! Mörrums Kronolaxfiske/Sveaskog har valt att ta bort regeln om enbart hullinglösa krokar till säsongen 2024. Istället kommer de att lägga mer tid och kraft på att informera om hur C&R ska utföras. Det tycker jag är ett mycket klokt beslut!
Orsakerna är flera. Dels ett våldsamt överfiske i Östersjön på laxens huvudsakliga föda strömming och skarpsill och ett hav som sedan länge plågas av kemiska utsläpp från industri och jordbruk. Men också beroende på en ledning för Mörrums Kronolaxfiske som fullständigt tycks sakna ambitionen att skapa bra förutsättningar för sportfisket i ån och som under lång tid struntat i sin trogna kundkrets för att istället fokuserar på att locka andra målgrupper i sin iver att kortsiktigt försöka maximera vinsten.

[@thedoggedangler]

A good reasoned argument and principles concerning the misapprehension and actual negative impacts of introducing barbless hooks !! Thank you for producing and charing,

[@jimmyabrahamsson4972]

Alltid trevligt att se dina filmer😊

[@thomaslundqvist7569]

Mycket bra film, jag håller med dig till 100% 👍🏻👍🏻

[@teamstoorn]

Väldigt bra och informativ!👍

[@nielsottosen8953]

Hey John, love your videos. Try next season to use single hook loose hanging in the but of the tubefly(not conected with at tube, just a tuber over the eye of the hook and the knot to protect the hook) i recomend owner iseama size 4 and 2. In river skjern we have fished many years without barbs and hook size is also regulated (7mm treble 10 mm single). In my experience a little treble hook without barbs is so thin and sharp and little too, it dont go into the bone of the fish and without the barb it cuts through the tissue in the mouth of the fish, and then you loose the fish... i experienced the same as you with treble hook(when i was 13 the first full year of flyfishing i lost 4 springers due to that problem in april). The single hook have a thicker wire and only one point to put pressure on, so if you learn to hook the fish by letting it turn on the fly with thight line before you lift the rod the hook will be hooked in the edge of the mouth through the bone and around it, then you only loose the fish if the line breaks. The only problem with singe hooks is you cannot set the hook if the fish only taps the fly carefully. But often thats not a problem, because if they just tap the fly carefully with a single hook they dont get stung that often. You just change fly or pace of the fly, and they will take it right when you fish over the fish again.(trying that is a really nice experience) again with the little treble hook without barbs here it will be hooked long out in the mouth because the fish was careful and the thin sharp treble hook wil cut through the tissue and the fish wil be lost and not take again. i have also fished with spinner a lot of years in river skjern and i can tell when you fish over a size 8 treble hook the bars can in many cases be worse than withouth barbs. I have also tried a fish on the fly with a size 10 treble hook(a seatrout in river odense) that was hooked in the gills on fly with barbs and it was to difficult removing the hook without destroying too much gill tissue, so i will say sometimes it can also help on small treble hooks, i have also tried a salmon in river skjern in same senario without bars and that was not a problem at all. then again its very rare to hook fish that deep on fly. And i think you're right it can often make it worse with small hooks without barbs because they jump around in the mouth and can also, go in the gills. i the size of hook they wanna ban barbs on... if they dont however try the single hook. knæk og bræk💪🎣🐟(sorry for bad english, hope you understand the most and find a solution)

[@nielsottosen8953]

i think morrum should look at the size of hook they wanna ban barbs on*

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Many thanks! Yes, if the barbless hook rule still applies in 2024, I will definitely have to try different hooks than the ones I used in 2023. /John

[@maarten846]

Thanks for sharing! I should return to fish Mörrum 😊

[@thomasmcbasskryger6259]

As I think you mentioned, some still use hooks with barbs, what is sad to me, that also followed the rule this year, and felt some fish, did not hook them, and have also, sadly, come to the conclusion that I might not return to Mørrum but will go elsewhere. What is really sad is, that it is profiles from the mentioned book, that sadly uses hooks with barbs. The reason being it seems, is that there are no consequence, so why not just do it! :'(

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

My feeling was that the majority used hooks with barbs and for me it doesn't matter. The rule serves no purpose. But if everyone had followed the rules and fished without barbs, surely the reactions would have been much stronger that the ban on hooks with barbs must be removed and that would have put greater pressure on the management of Mörrum Kronolaxfiske to act. Now they just shrug and say they haven't heard many complaints. It's like water off a duck’s back. /John

[@R.Olofsson]

Gillar dina filmer. Kul med teorier och fakta. Vissa roliga å vissa tråkiga. Bor i Mörrum men har aldrig fiskat i ån.

[@palsander2752]

Veldig bra film og en tankevekker for noen og enhver :)

[@johnstonstewart7950]

Love your videos, always very informative 👌

[@flyfishingcrazyeyes]

Well Said 👍💪

[@andrewdavies1882]

Been following Dr John for meny season ,love his videos and his opinions on barbless hook , we here in Wales (uk) , have to use barbless hooks , and I for 1 am in total agreement with with Dr John .

[@LemonGray]

Hi John, looking up barbless salmon fly hooks there seems to be only one real option- Partridge CS16/2 BY doubles, # 2-12. Appreciate it if you could show the hook, outline your available options, how about circle hook type? This may be coming my way some time, and if functional, may be better for the fish. Now let me comment on the variables after watching your videos- 1- The rod you use seems to be 4 years old. However I notice it is similar to a bar of iron with little bend playing a fish. So when a light fish jumps, the rod goes back to "neutral" leaving a time gap with no tension. With a soft rod there would be a constant spring, constant tension. 2-Line- could a heavy line/ taper be used as a fulcrum for the fish? try a DT long taper. 3- Hook- bending the gape back seems to be a disaster, no longer functional, whereas a barbless hook design has a long narrow point and a bend? - if they were available. 4- Cast angle- if fished more square would the hook be caught more in the "scissors"- side edge of mouth? from what I can see a direct take is not working out. 5- I would put it to the owners that hook design has not yet followed desire, yes there seems to be single tube hooks, but Low Water hooks, heavy hooks etc are out. Hope this helps you in to the future, banking on a circle design to appear with a wide gape- maybe.

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Yes, if this rule is to continue next year, I will definitely have to find another hook. /John

[@Nico__Youtube]

It seems Sveaskog has listened to the feedback. Barbless hooks are allowed again in 2024! Shows the importance of good and constructive feedback.

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Yes, I saw that. Very well done by them, I think. It is not always easy to back out of a previous decision. So all credit to them. /John

[@temujinkhan5265]

Bra jobbat John!

[@marcocipriani9747]

Thanks for your video! I was a Mörrum lover's for a long time, but it's from 2021 that I had stopped to fish there; too crowded and very low fishes. It's a real pity, because it's a nice place but with bad management. I agree partially with you; right for stop fishing with warm water. I had seen a lot of fishermen likes to play longer with their catches and this is not good. Better a fish lost than kill it. I'm not a catch fanatic, I like to fish with my eyes. Nature beauty is more important. Like an old salmon angler, my opinion is: better a double barbless hook than a treble full of barb, or you must use a n.10 max. Sometimes a treble hooks makes a lot of damages to their mouth. Good luck for your home waters. The climate change remains the worst enemy.

[@Samco1980]

Hur många fiskar tappade du i höstas?

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Fick 12, tappade 18. /John

[@Samco1980]

@@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg det är tråkigt så klart att man tappar så många men att få 12 är grymt ändå. Jag väntar fortfarande på en napp i Mörrum 😂

[@96Mayfly]

In my opinion they need restock salmon simmilar to Denmark river

[@windomearle6594]

Nice film! But why this sleepy tone in the voice over? A little bit of enthusiasm in your voice would make the film better. :)

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Well, it's kind of a sad movie... /John

[@wappietamtam6546]

It is wishful thinking that it is going to get better in the near future, afther decades to getting to where we are now. We all know what is coming unfortunately! At least you will not see me there fishing with barbless hooks and pay such high day price. I was thinking to go there once for a few years, but no way I will do that under that rules.

[@absoluteeverything1980]

Sadly is not only in Morum the river management completely ignores and doesn't listen what the loyal sport fishermens that fish in their "home" rivers has to say. I've used to fish Numedalslagen for 5 years and after stupid rules implemented to "improve" the fishing in the river destroyed our community i've decided to move on.

[@DrJohnTheAnglerJohnHedberg]

Sad to hear. It is strange that they cannot understand that it does not make or break for the fish what type of hook is used. However, it makes a big difference for the angler, you lose many more fish with barbless hooks. /John