The Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries have published a Government notice no. 203 of 28.02.2024 on regulation of fishing in the Storå river system. The Storå river and all tributarys are subject to this notice, which is valid from 5th of March 2024.

Below you will find a list of rules applying for all the fishing waters of Holstebro og Omegns Fiskeriforening.

Fishing season

In the lake Vandkraftsøen (zone 6) fishing is allowed all year from the suspension bridge(footbridge) east of the lake till the protection zone 200 m from the power plant in the west. This also applies to the monastery inlet until the old watermill and the lake Uhresø as well.

In the river Storå the fishing is divided into primary salmon water and other areas.

The primary salmon water is the main run of the Storå from Holstebro Vandkraftværk (powerplant) till the outlet into Felsted Kog. In the primary salmon water the fishing is allowed from the 16th of april till the 15th of october (incl.). This is zones 1 through 5.

The other areas are the rest of the Storå River system, which means the Storå East and all the tributarys east and west. In the B area fishing is allowed from the 1st of march till the 31st of october (incl.) This is zones 7 through 10.

Legitimization of fishing rights

You must of course have purchased the public fishing licence, and remember to bring a valid membership card or daypermit and your identity card. In addition, you must buy a Storåkort if you fish primarily in salmon waters..

Tackle limitations

In the lake Vandkraftsøen up till two rods is allowed per person. Schrimps and fish's roe are not allowed as bait. Fishing from boat is prohibited but belly boat is allowed within a zone along the south side of the lake (Blue). Find the map here. Click on "Sejladsregler for Vandkraftsøen."

In the rest of the Storå river system the following rules apply

• Only one rod per person is allowed
• Schrimps and fish's roe are not allowed as bait
• If you fish with worms or bait with fragrances, you must use a barbeles single hook
• Only one hook is allowed on the line, free of choise is single, double or trebble hook.
• All hooks must be barbeless.

Closed season and size limits

In the form below You will find information on closed seasons and size limits for the Storå river system. You must gently release all fish not complying with the rules. Below you will find some usefull guidelines for releasing fish.

Guiding

Commercial guiding is not allowed on our beats.

Special rules on salmon fishing

The government notice opens for an exception for salmon fishing with a quota for taking salmon home.

The Danish Fisheries Agency have issued a quota for Sammenslutningen ved Storå. The quota for 2024 is 360 salmon. The quota is divided into 3 partial quotas.

• 5 salmon to be caught in Other Areas, but only between the 16th of April and the 31st of October.
• 355 salmon to be caught in Primary Area, which is the main run of Storå west of the power plant dam in Holstebro.

These 355 are divided into 2 groups:

• 155 salmon over 73 cm.
• 220 salmon on 73 cm or less.

A stop for killing salmon is to be announced, when respectively 5, 153 and 198 have been killed.

Please note that the quota for large salmon is divided into 2 portions, with one portion released on 16th of April and the other portion released on 16th of June.

Sammenslutningen ved Storå has issued a partial quota for Holstebro og Omegns Fiskeriforening. The quota for 2022 is 216 salmon to be caught west of the power plant dam in Holstebro. A stop for killing salmon will be announced when the quota of xxx is reached. The 5 salmon in Other Area is first come first served.

The Danish Fisheries Agency has set some mandatory rules as a condition for use of the quota.

The committee has supplementet the rules, which gives the following rules for 2024 and onwards:

• The permission to kill salmon applyes only to salmon caught in the The Storå riversystem.
• Only one salmon per year per person from the Storå river may be killed, and only if there is still an open quota.
• Handling of salmon for release must be done as gently as possible for the fish. I You wish to take a photo the fish before releasing it must be done in such a way that the salmon always is in contact with the water.
• All caught salmon, released or killed, must be reported to www.svstoraa.dk before 12:00 PM of the day of catch, stating first name, family name, address, date of catch, the size, the weight, the gender of the fish and where it is caught. If the fish is marked you must state which(s) fin is missing. e.g. adipose fin. If the salmon is marked with a spaghetti mark, it can be killed within the quota rules or released, but it must be reported in the normal way, and reported to DTU Aqua.
• If you do not have acces to the internet, You may call one of HOF's committee members, who will take care of your report.
• When the qouta is used, we will announce a stop for killing salmon on www.hof-storaa.dk. This must be strictly observed, so please check the site before fishing.

Special rules on sea trout fishing

• The HOF has decided that Salmo Trutta, i.e. sea trout and brook trout, is totally protected on all HOF's fishing waters. This is due to the declining population over recent years. There is still a reporting obligation on sea trout, regardless of whether they have been re-released.

Special rules on Grayling

• Grayling is totally protected and must be released right away as gently as possible.

Other special rules

In the Storå River some beats are members only. Please check our maps and list of parking areas. And also check signs posted at the beats.

Sanctions

It is most important that season, tackle limitations, rules of protection of species, conditions for the quota and code of conduct along the river and in our parking areas are followed. If You fail to comply with the rules, you will be liable to sanctions. You may be fined and/or expelled from fishing in the river for the rest of the season and the next.

Please follow this advice on god conduct

Please park in the parking lots we have listed. In some parking lots we have put up a fence, so you can see how many cars it take. When full you must find another parking lot. Please show some consideration for the residents and other road users. And keep in mind, that the farmer needs a lot of space to move around his heavy mashinery. Do not cross fields with crops, but only walk along fences and the river. Respect signs on the beats, especially rules in respect of the owners hunting interests. You can find these rules in the List of parking areas.

Dont leave any garbage. If You could carry it on your way out, you also have room for it on your way home. If you find other peoples waste, please bring it home to the nearest container.

We have put up signs at the end of successive beats. A green or yellow pointer shows fishing rights in that direction. A red pointer means fishing not allowed in that direction. Newer signs have black arrows on a white background, where the arrow points in the direction where we have fishing rights. If you find signs that you believe show incorrectly, please contact the treasurer or another member of the board so that we can correct any errors.

We are in favor of as few rules on fishing as possible in order to facilitate all kinds of fishing methods. In return we expect You to show consideration to your fellow fisherman, and do yours to ensure a good day at the river for everybody.

Do not kill more fish, than you need. Catch and release is OK. Take the decision on release in good time before landing, and try to remember the following

10 tips for catch and release

If you follow these guidelines almost 100% of all released salmon and sea trout will survive.

• If you hook a fish that has to be released, fight it as quickly as possible, and handle it as gently as possible.
• Do not use a gaff to land a fish you have to release. If you use a landing net, use one with fine and knotless mesh or rubber mesh. Net and frame should be large enough to handle the fish of your dreams. Once it’s netted, don’t lift the fish out of the water.
• Unhooking should, whenever possible, be done while the fish is in the water, and without touching it. If you cannot unhook the fish without damaging it, cut the line as closely to the hook as possible.
• Do not weigh a fish you have to release. Remember that the mesh of a net will damage both fins, scales and mucous on the fish.
• If the fish is too exhausted to swim off right away, keep it steady by holding its tail and supporting its belly while you keep it headfirst towards the current. Do not pull the fish back and forth. Once the fish is able to swim on its own, let is swim off.
• Bright and silvery salmon and sea trout with loose scales are more vulnerable than slightly coloured fish or fish ready for spawning. Be extra careful, when you unhook and release these fish fresh from the ocean.
• Do not hold a fish by lifting its tail, you will injure its spine. There is a risk that the inner organs of the fish will be pressed together causing injury if the fish is held vertically in the air.
• Always carry unhooking forceps. You can also use it for pressing down hook barbs.
• If you indicate measurements on your rod with tape or thread, you can easily measure your fish from head to tail, while keeping it in the water.
• If you want a photo of your catch, do it quickly, but make sure the fish is in contact with water at all times.