Rolf-Egil Håvoll

Rolf-Egil Håvoll
Tromsø, Norway
reh@salmologic.com

I was born in 1977 and was raised in a small village close to the city of Harstad, in the northern part of Norway. Today, I live in Tromsø where I work as a business consultant. I am a member of Tromsø Casting and Fly Fishing Club, and I also give casting instructions and private lessons.

I have been fishing all my life, mostly for salmon, although I have spent many hours both in freshwater, fishing for trout or arctic char, and in the ocean, fishing for the diversity of fish found there. Lucky for me, I grew up close to my local salmon river, which was only a bicycle ride away. I started my fishing career with bait fishing and lures, and I was around 15 years old the first time I tried fly fishing using single hand rods in the small rivers back home.

At the time, there was no one close to where I lived who gave lessons or instructions on fly casting. Therefore, I had to learn how to do it myself by watching others cast, watching videos, or reading books and magazines to increase my knowledge. Let’s just say there were a lot of trials and errors in the beginning. But I soon managed my single hand rod pretty well. In my early twenties, I took the step up and bought my first double hand rod. Frustration reached a new level. Since there was still no one in my area who gave instructions at the time, I had to start all over again.

Then, in the early 2000s, I started paying attention to this Danish guy, Henrik Mortensen. He explained fly fishing for salmon in a simple and understandable way; not just casting technique, but also fishing tactics and strategies. He released several DVDs that showed his theories in practice. He also published a book, Fly Casting Scandinavian Style, which I believe all serious fly fishing anglers could benefit from reading. Suddenly things started making sense. My casting improved and I also caught more fish. Things were not so frustrating anymore.

Today, I have many years of experience fly fishing for salmon in bigger and smaller rivers all over the northern parts of Norway. I have also been abroad, fishing for salmon in Sweden, Scotland and Iceland. Fly fishing is no longer a hobby – perhaps not even a passion anymore. It has become a lifestyle, and I am always looking for opportunities to expand the season or increase my knowledge. Well I guess I can thank Henrik Mortensen for that. His influence on my fly fishing has been enormous.

Therefore, I am very grateful and humbled to have the opportunity to be part of the Ambassador team. I strongly believe in Salmologic’s philosophy and I am proud to represent the brand. Why complicate things when they can be done easily?

Feel free to contact me. I would love the opportunity to share my advice or help you with your fly fishing challenges.