A Casino Hotel in Norway, Planned on a Fishing Lake
The Big Bass Lodge is a planned lakeside hotel with six rooms and cabins, boats at the jetty and an entertainment and gaming lounge subject to licensing. Nothing has been built yet, and the opening date is to be announced.
Artist’s impressions. Rooms, layouts and finishes may change before opening.
On the water in ten minutes
Six rooms and cabins
18+ gaming lounge, subject to licensing
Opening date to be announced
The Big Bass Lodge
What Casino Resorts Today Could Learn From a Lake
The Big Bass Lodge is a small casino hotel in Norway being planned on the shore of a large inland lake: six rooms and cabins, a jetty with boats, a drying room for wet kit and, subject to licensing, an entertainment and gaming lounge for the evenings. Nothing has been built yet, the lodge takes no guests, and the opening date is to be announced.
On a large lake in inland Norway. Exact location to be announced.
Not open yet. No bookings or prices — write to us and we will keep you posted.
Artist’s impressions. Rooms, layouts and finishes may change before opening.
The Big Bass Lodge
Rooms and cabins
Six kinds of room are planned at the lakeside hotel, from a hut on its own islet to a loft for four under the roof. Sizes, layouts and furnishings are plans rather than final figures, and every picture is an artist’s impression.
Boathouse Cabin
A cabin of its own on stilts at the water’s edge, with steps down to a private mooring.
The Boathouse Cabin is planned as a small timber cabin standing on its own at the edge of the lake, raised on posts over the shallows. A deck with two chairs will look across the water, and steps from the deck will lead straight down to a mooring, so your boat will be tied up a few metres from the bed. Inside, a rod rack will run along one wall and a wide window will face the lake. It is designed for two anglers who like early starts.
The Reed Room is planned as the simplest room in the main house: warm timber walls, a wardrobe, a bedside lamp and one large window. Outside, the reeds will grow right up to the glass, with the open lake beyond them, so the first thing you see in the morning will be mist on the water. It is designed for two guests who want somewhere calm to sleep between sessions and plan to spend their days out on the lake rather than in the room.
The Jetty Suite is planned for anglers who want to be on the water as soon as they are awake. A glass door will open from the room onto a private deck with chairs and a rod stand, and steps from the deck will lead down to the jetty where the lodge boats are moored. There will be hooks for wet jackets, an armchair by the door and room to dry kit overnight without carrying it through the rest of the house. It is designed for up to three guests.
The Tackle Loft is planned under the roof of the main house, with its own timber stair and a small balcony on the outside of the building. Inside, the space will be open under the rafters, with beds for four, reading lamps, a window towards the lake and plenty of floor for tackle boxes. It is designed for a group of friends fishing together who would rather share one big room than split up.
The Lakeview Double is planned around a single idea: a window as wide as the room, looking straight out over the lake. The room will stand close to the shore, with a small deck outside and the jetty a short walk away. Inside there will be a double bed, two armchairs and a small table by the glass, a good place for coffee and a lake map before heading out. It is designed for two guests who want the view as much as the fishing.
The Island Hut is planned on a small rocky islet a short row from the main jetty, and the boat will be the only way in and out. Inside there will be a wood-burning stove, a lantern, a window onto open water and not much else. Guests will be shown how to cross safely, with life jackets provided, and crossings will depend on the weather. It is designed for two people who want quiet, simple nights and are comfortable on the water.
What is planned
Sleeping for two
Wood-burning stove
Its own landing stage and boat
Life jackets provided; crossings depend on the weather
Early starts, wet kit and a day on the boat: the lodge is being planned around how a fishing day actually goes.
Rod storage and a drying room
Racks for made-up rods by the door, and a warm room where waders, jackets and nets will dry overnight.
Bait fridge and freezer
Cold space for maggots, worms and deadbait, kept well away from the kitchen.
Boats and life jackets
Rowing boats at the jetty, and a life jacket for everyone aboard, to be worn on the water.
Sonar to borrow
Portable echo sounders to take out on the boat; boat and sonar hire will be arranged at reception.
Guided days on request
A local guide for a day on the water, arranged when you ask rather than added to every stay.
Packed breakfast from 04:00
For early starts, breakfast will be packed the night before and ready to collect from 04:00.
Somewhere to clean and weigh fish
A cleaning table with running water, and scales for anyone who wants a weight before a fish goes back.
A common room with a stove
A shared room with a wood-burning stove and a long table, for the evenings after a day on the water.
A local fishing permit will be required. We will explain how to get one before you arrive.
Stays
Three Ways to Stay, Planned to Rival the Top Casino Resorts
From the bank, from a boat and on the ice: three ways a stay at the lodge is planned to work. None of them has dates or prices yet. Tell us which one interests you and we will keep you posted.
Two nights on the bank
Bank session
Two nights planned around the first and last hours of light. You will fish from swims in the reeds or out on the point, with breakfast packed for the dark start and a warm drying room to come back to.
A weekend on the water with a boat and a sonar, learning to find the holes and drop-offs before you fish them. On the first morning we will show you how the sounder reads the lake bed.
What’s planned
A boat with a small outboard, and life jackets
A sonar unit and a short introduction to reading it
An ice fishing trip for the coldest weeks, fishing through holes in the ice for perch and pike. It will only run when the ice has been checked and is safe, and it will be called off when it is not.
What’s planned
Ice augers, sledges and shelters to borrow
Ice picks and a safety briefing for everyone
A warm lodge and a drying room at the end of the day
The lake holds pike, perch, bream and zander. This is what it usually does through the year, and what usually works in each month.
When the lake usually fishes, season by season
Fish
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
Pike
•Worth a try: Often protected while spawning; check the local closed season
•Worth a try: Weedy margins, early and late in the day
••Usually a good time: Usually the best months for big pike
•Worth a try: Through the ice, when it is safe
Perch
•Worth a try: Slow until the water warms
••Usually a good time: Shoals chase fry along the weed edges
••Usually a good time: Big perch gather over deep edges
••Usually a good time: A favourite through the ice
Bream
•Worth a try: Moving shallow as the water warms
••Usually a good time: Feeder sessions in the evening
•Worth a try: Tailing off as the water cools
—Quiet: Mostly inactive in cold water
Zander
•Worth a try: Closed season in some waters; check local rules
••Usually a good time: Low light and after dark, from the boat
••Usually a good time: Deep water and slow jigs
•Worth a try: The odd fish through the ice
Ice fishing
—Quiet: Late ice is unreliable; no ice trips
—Quiet: No ice
—Quiet: No ice yet
••Usually a good time: Only when the ice has been checked and is safe
— Quiet
• Worth a try
•• Usually a good time
What the lake usually does, not a promise of what it will do.
SpringMarch to May
March
Late ice on sheltered bays in some years. Perch through the ice only if it is safe; otherwise wait.
April
The ice goes out. Pike move into shallow bays to spawn, so check the local closed season before fishing for them.
May
The water warms. Perch and bream start feeding in the shallows, and evenings are usually the best time.
SummerJune to August
June
Long light evenings. Perch shoals on the weed edges and bream on the feeder at dusk.
July
Warm water, so fish early and late. Zander from the boat once the light goes.
August
Perch chase fry in open water; watch for birds working the surface.
AutumnSeptember to November
September
Pike feed hard as the water cools. Bigger lures over the drop-offs.
October
Big perch gather deep, and the sonar earns its place on the boat.
November
Short, cold days. Slow jigs for zander and pike in deep water.
WinterDecember to February
December
First ice forms. Nobody goes out until it has been checked.
January
Ice fishing for perch and pike when the ice is safe; the lodge decides each morning.
February
Often the most settled ice of the season, still checked every day.
Boats, oars and life jackets will be kept at the boathouse by the jetty. Nobody goes out without a jacket on.Guided fishing days will be arranged on request, with a local guide who knows where the fish usually are each month.
A local fishing permit will be required, and local rules on seasons and sizes apply. We will explain how to get one before you arrive.
Lodge kitchen
One long table
The lodge kitchen will be simple: one long shared table, a wood-fired range and food that suits a day outdoors.
For anyone heading out before dawn, breakfast will be packed the night before, with sandwiches, fruit and a flask, ready to collect on the way to the boat.
Where the rules of the water allow a fish to be kept, you will be able to cook your own catch. Much of what is caught will go back, as local rules require.
Evenings indoors
The entertainment and gaming lounge
Subject to licensing
On evenings when there is nothing more to do on the water, the lodge plans a small entertainment and gaming lounge, subject to licensing: card tables, a machines corner and a quiet seat by the fire. Where a top casino resort would build a gaming floor, this is planned as a hotel casino on the scale of a lake lodge, separate from the dining room and the family rooms, and open to adults aged 18 and over only.
In Norway, gambling is governed by the Gambling Act (pengespilloven), and land-based casinos are not currently licensed. Casino games and gaming machines may only be offered by Norsk Tipping under its exclusive right, and betting on horse racing only by the Norsk Rikstoto foundation. The lodge holds no gambling licence today, so the lounge is planned as subject to licensing: nothing will be played for money unless the law allows it and permission is granted.
Card room
Two tables with green baize, planned for cards after dinner. Whether a game may ever be played for money depends on Norwegian law and a licence; until then, the tables are planned for games played for fun.
Machines corner
Two wooden alcoves are set aside for gaming machines. In Norway these can only be provided under Norsk Tipping’s exclusive right, so the corner is subject to licensing and will hold seating until that is possible.
Quiet corner by the fire
Two armchairs, a small table and the lake at night through the window. No games here, just somewhere quiet to sit.
Planned house rules
18+ only
Photo ID at the door
Separate from the dining room and the family rooms
No opening hours published yet
Keep it a game
Games should stay a way to pass an evening, never a way to make money or win back losses. Set a limit before you start and stop when you reach it.
If gambling is causing problems for you or someone close to you, Hjelpelinjen, the Norwegian helpline for gambling problems, offers free and anonymous support: call 800 800 40 (weekdays, 09:00–18:00) or visit hjelpelinjen.no.
Artist’s impressions. Rooms, layouts and finishes may change before opening.
FAQ
Questions About the Casino Hotel
Straight answers about the lodge. Can’t find yours? Ask us directly.
Not in the usual sense. Land-based casinos are not currently licensed in Norway: casino games and gaming machines may only be offered by Norsk Tipping under its exclusive right, and betting on horse racing only by the Norsk Rikstoto foundation.
The Big Bass Lodge is a planned lakeside hotel, not an operating casino hotel in Norway. Its entertainment and gaming lounge is subject to licensing, and nothing will be played for money there unless Norwegian law allows it.
Not yet. Nothing has been built, the opening date has not been announced, and there are no bookings and no prices.
Write to us through the enquiry form or at [email protected] and we will let you know as soon as there is an opening date. Writing to us is not a booking.
Space and quiet. Instead of a large resort, the lodge is planned as six rooms and cabins on the shore of a big lake, with boats at the jetty, a drying room for wet kit and guided days on request. The lounge is planned as a small room with a fire rather than a gaming floor.
On a large lake in inland Norway. We will publish the exact location, with directions, before the lodge opens.
Yes. A local fishing permit will be required for everyone who fishes, and the local rules on seasons, sizes and methods apply. We will explain how to get a permit before you arrive.
Yes. The rooms are planned for couples, friends and families alike, and there will be plenty for someone who does not fish: walks by the lake, rowing, and the common room and the jetty for a quiet afternoon.
On the water, children will always be with an adult and always in a life jacket. The gaming lounge is planned as a separate room for adults aged 18 and over only, away from the dining room and the family rooms.
Only as an editorial comparison. Large destination resorts are built around gaming floors, big hotels and shows; the lodge is planned around a lake, six rooms and a small lounge subject to licensing.
Editorial comparison only; no connection. The lodge has no link with either resort.
Contact
Be First in Line to Book a Casino Hotel Stay
Reservations are not open yet. Leave your details and we will write to you first when the opening date and prices are announced. Email us, or fill in the form and it will open a ready-to-send email in your own mail app.
