Ian Gordon, Spey, Speycasting, Scottish Rivers, Blog: Recent trip to Norway

Some years ago I visited Norway with a couple of friends, the plan was to fish the Gaula river, an experience, which I have to say, left me a little perplexed to say the least. The generally poor organisation and cultural differences surrounding salmon fishing here made it very difficult to endear me to this place. The only positive I took from this trip was the nature of hospitality shown to us by those who had provided the fishing and accommodation, something which on subsequent visits has also been extremely good. Undoubtedly the rivers here are some of the loveliest in the world, lending themselves perfectly to fishing the fly and at the same time providing the angler with the chance of catching a seriously big fish. However, during my visits, it became apparent to me that, given the number of people, along with the method used and hours spent fishing, for the visiting fly fisherman, this “Chance” was extremely slim, especially on overcrowded waters and for those wishing to fish only with fly.

Turn the clock forward a few years and my latest visit has left me with nothing but a good impression, my interest in fishing this country rekindled and indeed excited about the prospect. The fishing run by Matt Hayes and his family at the Winsnes estate on the Gaula, and John Olav Olden on the beautiful Holmen estate on the Verdal, is not only good, but extremely good, and in my opinion, given the number of available fish and length of the season reflects how the salmon fishing on such a river should be managed. The overall philosophy here is to “provide for the customer” and “protect the resource”, looking not only at the short, but having in place a structured plan for the medium and long term too. Only by taking this holistic approach will the longevity of this fantastic river be ensured for future generations to make a living from and work on it.

Traditionally, be it either hours spent on the river, method of fishing and allocation of rods; like many other Norwegian rivers, this one has been grossly over overfished and exploited, leaving individual rods to fight hard over salmon in their pools, Salmon which in all major rivers in Europe are diminishing in number. The new management system and thinking in place here will not only set the precedence in this part of the river, but I’m sure will raise a few eyebrows elsewhere in Norway too. No one likes change for the sake of it, and certainly people’s traditions should always be respected during those times, however, without change this wonderful resource will not stand the test of time, leaving the people with nothing but memories! Anyone doubting this need only think of a typical fishing hut conversation; none talk in a positive sense about the future, only about the glory days of the past!! Change implemented by those controlling the pools in the area, although controversial, is commendable to say the least, add to this the adoption of catch and release, fly fishing only and three of the nine pools being constantly rested and you have the basis for a system where, instead of being hunted to near commercial extinction, those truly wonderful big fish may be there, not only for “us” but our children too.

People running salmon fisheries need to wake up to the fact that, no matter what the PR people, or other managers/experts say, generally speaking, and over a long period of time, salmon numbers in the north Atlantic have declined, a decline which can only be counted by those spending a long time and every day on the river. Listening to those who spend only one or two weeks on the river each year, because of their perceived expertise and the fact that during the best part of the season they catch a few fish, is total madness and downright stupidity. Albeit at a different time in the cycle of decline, I have seen the same thing played out here on the Spey. Those managers who’s fisheries still produce good runs of fish totally oblivious to the fact “The River” may have a problem, the culture of “Stuff you Jim, I’m OK” is I’m afraid evident everywhere. The fact of the matter is this, unless all owners talk and agree with one another, and manage the river holistically, then the inevitable will happen, and, instead of influencing politicians with good sound management practice, in this area, they will remain a laughing stock!

My trip also took in a look at the lovely Verdal river, another which empties into the long Trondheim fiord around one hour’s drive north of the airport. My destination was the Holmen estate, an extremely plush accommodation second to one in this area. The fishing here is jointly run by a friend of mine, John Olav Olden, an experienced fly fisher and guide. Smaller than the Gaula River, the Verdal is extremely pretty, easily waded and during the month of June has large salmon, averaging around 18lbs, entering on each tide. Fishing here is again, very well managed and can be for between 4 and 10 rods over around 4km of fishing. Again, this is not run in the “Combat” nature of some other rivers, but is following the same route as above, fishing fly only, encouraging C&R as well as limiting the number of hours spent on the river and resting pools. For me such places will provide the catalyst or the change needed to open the minds of fishery owners hell bent on destroying their wonderful resource rather than both them and the local community benefiting from those amazing salmon.

My flying trip to both rivers, on what has been a fairly poor year on each, ended with spending some quality time with those fishing the Winsnes beat, witnessing the landing of a 34lb fish, and also, the following day, the pain of, after around 40 minutes, the hook snapping on a fish which looked this size or bigger. This one provided the angler with unbelievable sport on the Bottle Pool, a fly pool from heaven, ripping more than 200 yards of line from the reel on two separate runs.

The 19lb fish caught by our host, Matt Hayes, really summed up this fishery; because the pools had been rested, they offer a much greater chance of the individual rod catching a fish than those where the form is to queue and keep your fly in the water longer than anyone else and then hope you are lucky. I feel both lucky and fortunate to see the beginning of something really special in Norway and although those changes will not be welcomed by everyone, something I do know is, this type of management and thinking, will provide a “real” chance of catching that “Dream” salmon in rivers outside Alta.