Published Jun 21. 2014 - 9 years ago
Updated or edited Oct 3. 2021

A Danish fishing lodge

Lodges are found on many fishing destinations around the world, but in Denmark they aren't common. We have talked to the owner of the first dedicated fishing lodge in the prime coastal seatrout destination in the world.

The garden - You can relax in the garden when not fishing - whenever that might be
A sign - The lodge offers access to some really good sea trout fishing
A sign of things to come - The lodge has the sea trout as a symbol on all its signs
The lodge
Martin Joergensen

When I was attending the sneak preview of a Danish fishing video in Copenhagen this summer I bumped into Omar Gade and soon realized that he was the owner of a Danish fishing lodge. I had read about the lodge and had wanted to hear more, but never gotten around to doing anything about it. The evening was the perfect opportunity to create contact.

Fishing lodges are found

all over the world, and some destinations are almost littered with them, but here in Denmark neither professional guides nor lodges are common. Omar and his girlfriend Valentina had started one, and I made an appointment to visit them on the beautiful Danish peninsula Helnaes located in some of the best sea trout water in Denmark.
You can find many other kinds of fishing close to the lodge. Lake fishing for pike, ocean fishing from boat (not fly) as well as stream fishing is available within a short drive. River fishing for salmon and seatrout is also within reach and in the height of the summer and early autumn the mullet will find their way to the coast of Helnaes too, and you can entertain yourself to some exciting sight fishing for mullet while your family swims and basks in the sun.

Seatrout spoken here - As on most of Fyn there are lots of spots with easy access and good parking, all referenced in the guidebooks
The hills of Helnaes - The peninsula is quite hilly and full of beautiful landscapes
Close to water - You can park very close to the water on many locations on Fyn and Helnaes
Towards Fyn - Helnaes is connected to Fyn with a narrow but natural dam
Lots of water - Almost no matter where you look you will see the ocean or the many bays and inlets surrounding the peninsula
Helnaes
Martin Joergensen

I had been

to Helnaes several times before, so the beauty of the area and the many fishing opportunities was no surprise. The lodge is centrally located, close to the water and close to the main road on Helnaes, so access to the lodge is easy, and from there on you have about 5-10 minutes by car to almost all coastal fishing locations on the peninsula. You can walk to the nearest water in 5-10 minutes.

Our Italian friends - We shared a table with these two Italian gentlemen who were touring Denmark for various kinds of fishing
Yummy - The kitchen is Italian, but the deserts need no translation
From the restaurant
Martin Joergensen

The lodge is located

in beautifully restored buildings in the typical Danish style with red tile roofs and white chalked walls. Inside you will find guest rooms, a large dining room, which doubles as a restaurant with 16 seats. The reception also has room for a small tackle shop where you can stock up on flies, lures and even rods and waders.
Omar is an experienced coastal angler and offers paid guided trips as well as very sound and free advice on where to go if you want to fish on your own. The lodge offers access to a drying room for your gear as well as a place to clean and freeze fish you have kept for the pan. There's plenty room for non-fishing periods including a nice garden and a attic with a large fly tying table, some comfy furniture and a large TV for some evening fishing videos to accompany you during your after fishing time.
Omar has spent quite some time in Italy and he and Valentina have given the lodge a proper Italian taste - not least when it comes to la cucina, which serves proper Italian food as well as some Danish dishes with a light Italian touch. Sausage, dried ham and good bread as well as great Italian wine can always be found in the kitchen, and both the spinach cannelloni and the pasta with pesto and shrimp that we were served while there definitely called for a revisit.

The fixer - Omar is working on fixing some ocean fishing for two Italian guests who were abandoned by the skipper they had made arrangements with
Big and cozy rooms - The lodge has several rooms with own showers and plenty space - and dogs are allowed
The fly-tying room - Vises are set up and ready for evenings of fly-tying and the sofas and chairs are large and comfortable
Inside
Martin Joergensen

You can book

seats in the restaurant even when not staying in the lodge, and prices are more than reasonable. But be quick, because the 16 seats are often taken.
My wife and I spent a weekend enjoying the lodge and the island. I fished and sailed my kayak while my wife had found a nearby place to go horseback riding. You can also walk, jog, ride your mountain bike or rent one of the kayaks that Omar has bought for the lodge. He also has float tubes for rent if you want to use one of those.
Altogether the hosts offer everything you expect from a good fishing lodge including great hospitality - and at very fair prices.



While we were there

I took the chance to ask Omar a few questions about the whole venture.

Q: Opening a Danish fishing lodge...

are you out of your mind!? Danish fishing lodges are very uncommon, and yours must be the first real lodge in the traditional sense. Whatever motivated you to open a lodge?

A:

Yes, I have to admit that being a little (or more) out of mind is a fundamental ingredient of this project...

Joking aside, the answer to your question is contained in the question itself: the main motivation for opening the lodge is the lack of a fishing lodges in the traditional sense in our country. There are other motivations of course, like passion for fishing and others.
The lodge is a kind of an "obliged goal" for us, after the last years in which I worked with foreign fishermen, years in which I thought of what the ideal lodge in Denmark should be, and let me tell you: it is not a project that was invented from day one day to the other...

Q: Did the location "find you"

or did you go for the location? Did you look around for suitable places and houses or was Helnaes and/or Fyn a set goal from the beginning?

A:

Fyn was the set goal from the beginning as the lodge is mainly focused on coastal seatrout fishing.
Fyn is also where I was born 34 years ago and is my fishing "homeland". Moreover, the existence for many years of a project like "Havørred Fyn" (Seatrout Funen) was an added incentive for choosing this area. Last but not least Fyn is also in a strategical position, in the center of Denmark. The ideal location for a lodge requires special needs: Helnaes was one of the options, and different circumstances have led us to choose it as the site of the lodge.

Float tubes - You can rent float tubes and kayaks
My kayak ready to sail - The area around Helnaes is perfect for sea kayaking
The lodge and the flotilla - The lodge and its sailing vessels in all their splendor, ready for the visiting angler who wants to sail - salt or fresh
Kayaks and tubes
Martin Joergensen - Omar Gade



Q: Can you introduce us to the area

and the possible activities - fishing and other things?

A:

As mentioned before the coastlines around Helnaes are a great place for fishing seatrout and the fact that it is a small "island" permits our guests to fish almost with all wind conditions. Just a few minutes walk from the lodge we have some of the best seatrout fishing spots of Fyn.

Helnaes is a very beautiful place to stay, connected to the land by an enchanting isthmus.
The area offers different activities, such as birdwatching, kayaking into the calm inner Helnaes bay or on the west coast where it is possible to paddle nearby curious purposes or - if you are lucky - to see a seal.

Helnaes is also famous for kite surfing: the isthmus is a paradise for this sport and with wind coming from west it is spectacular to see the many coloured sails in the air.
Helnaes is a place for nature lovers. It is possible to enjoy sandy beaches during summer, or photograph wild animals in the inner part during spring or fall; walk along long stretches of coast while watching one of the most beautiful sunsets you can enjoy. The main island Fyn itself also it's worth visiting.

Valentina and Omar - The hosts in the cozy yard in front of the main lodge building
A good selection - Omar has a nice selection of flies, lures and gear in the small reception shop
The reception - The gear in the pile behind Omar is not for sale. That\'s his own, ready for a fast move to the water
The hosts
Martin Joergensen

Q: Your girlfriend is Italian

and obviously does the cooking. You guide. What other tasks have to be done in a lodge and who does them?

A:

Yes my girlfriend Valentina is from Italy and does the cooking and many other fundamental tasks. Without her beside me, the lodge would not exist today.
I guide on the coast and I love it. But guiding is not the main job, as living and working in a newly started fishing lodge requires a lot more hours and effort than many other jobs. There's something every day, believe me: a lot of maintenance work to do both inside and outside, cleaning, working on marketing, public relations, etc...
You are the first one up in the morning and the last person that goes to bed in the evening. Running and managing a lodge is 360 degrees. It's not a job for everyone...

The potential catches - There are plenty fish to be targeted in the area - mainly seatrout and pike
The potential catches
Omar Gade

Q: Tell us about the reactions

to the lodge and how it has been received by the guests and the locals. And how's business if you don't mind me asking?

A:

The reactions have been very positive, many find our lodge an exciting and great idea. We are happy for the welcome we got by locals and neighbors and we are very happy for the first season where we hosted different guests from all Europe (and USA also). Regarding the business we are happy with this beginning, and we are working on partnerships and interesting projects for the future. But we are a newly started business and the first years are always a delicate phase for any kind of new business… we do our best.

Q: Are you an angler yourself?

Tell us about yourself and your background.

A:

Yes I am an angler myself - of course!
I fished since I was a little child, maybe since the age of 5 or 6. In my life as an angler I went through different techniques and fishing phases: Spinning, Coarse fishing (I did a lot of coarse competitions in Italy, where I lived for several years), sea fishing...
Then one day, years ago, as it has happened to many other of us, I fell in love with a fascinating world called "fly-fishing", and since that time my fishing has always been with a fly rod (I use spin or jerk rod if fly-fishing is not practicable).
I fished (and still do) in different places around all the world such as Greenland, British Columbia, the Caribbean sea, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and other places... but my daily and "heart" fishing is of course seatrout from the coast of Fyn... and then our pike.

Facts

The lodge has moved to a new location since this was written and is now found just north of Helnaes.

Denmark Fishing and Outdoor Lodge
Contact: Omar Gade
Address: Å Strandvej 102, Ebberup, 5631 DK - Denmark
Phone: +45 28410290
Email: info@denmarkfishinglodge.com

Prices vary depending on season and room configuration, but expect one night to run about 50-60 Euros per person including breakfast. You can get half board (breakfast and dinner) for an additional 20 Euros per night and full board (lunch too) for an extra 10.
Unlike most other places, the price is actually lower in the "high season" - midsummer - because anglers prefer the "outside season" which offers much better fishing. You can get reduced rates for longer stays or family stays. Contact the lodge for more information.

Guiding on a daily basis can be arranged upon request - for coastal sea trout or lake fishing for pike. The price is 340 Euros per day. Half a day is 200 Euros. Up to four persons can share.
The lodge also offers some really attractive fishing packages like 6 full days of guided fishing, 7 nights accommodation with full board for 1190 Euros per person with a three person minimum.
Being a dog owner, I also appreciate that you can bring your dog for a small extra fee.

Great ambiance - The lodge is located in typical Danish buildings with red tile roofs and white walls
The Helnaes coast - There\'s lots of beautiful coast all around Helnaes
Ambiance
Martin Joergensen
.

Log in or register to pre-fill name on comments, add videos, user pictures and more.
Read more about why you should register.
 

Since you got this far …


The GFF money box

… I have a small favor to ask.

Long story short

Support the Global FlyFisher through several different channels, including PayPal.

Long story longer

The Global FlyFisher has been online since the mid-90's and has been free to access for everybody since day one – and will stay free for as long as I run it.
But that doesn't mean that it's free to run.
It costs money to drive a large site like this.

See more details about what you can do to help in this blog post.