Namsen

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Namsen
Origin	Røyrvik
Mouth	Namsos, Namsenfjord
Basin countries	Norway
Mouth elevation	0 m

Namsen is a river in Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. It flows from Røyrvik, through the Namdal valley to the coast, ending in the town of Namsos and Namsenfjord, the same fjord into which the smaller river Årgårdselva flows. Namsen is considered one of the best Atlantic Salmon fishing rivers in the world, and is often called the "Queen of Rivers". The British found the Atlantic salmon fishing to be excellent here, and the river became a major tourist attraction beginning in the 19th century. Catches above 50 pounds (23 kg) are not unusual. The Namsen is a wide river and is thus often fished from small boats using a method called "harling." This method consists of trolling a lure while the boat moves slowly from bank to bank and drifting downstream. Thus, the salmon meet the lure as they swim upstream.

The river has traditionally been used for floating timber down to Namsos, where the sawmills were.