Norwegian record Garfish: 1.63 kg

About Garfish

The garfish (Belone belone) is unmistakable, with its long, needle-like beak full of small, sharp teeth. The body is long and slim, with a blue-green back, silver flanks and a light underside, and the dorsal and anal fins sit far back. It differs from the Atlantic saury by lacking the row of small finlets behind those fins. Its bones are green. Garfish range from north-west Africa and the Mediterranean north to Trøndelag and are rare further north. They live at the surface and arrive on the coast in May, a little before the mackerel, to spawn among eelgrass and seaweed in May and June. Garfish hunt herring, sprat, sandeels and other small fish. They can reach about 90 cm but seldom weigh much more than 1 kg. They are great fun on light tackle, taking small shiny spinners, flies or bait under a float, especially along the southern and western coast in early summer. Norwegian Red List 2021: Least Concern.

Sources: Artsdatabanken, Store norske leksikon, Wikipedia

• Habitat: Saltvann
• Best month: Juli
• Red list status: LC (2021)

See the species guide

Biggest Garfish in FishComp

1.25 kg (77 % of the record) by Lord Tangen. See the catch

How to register a Norwegian record

1. Norwegian sport-fishing records are registered with Villmarksliv, not with FishComp. Read the rules before you do anything else with the fish.
2. Records are based on weight and approved by a jury. You give the weight and length, where it was caught, the gear you used and any witnesses.
3. Keep your photos and notes from the catch. Logging it in FishComp does not register a record.