Norwegian Silver

March 1, 2020 SCA Articles

An unforgettable week of fishing in the land of the midnight sun, one of the last great destinations for Atlantic salmon.

Fly fishing for Atlantic salmon on Norway’s beautiful coastal rivers was first discovered by English sportsmen in the 1870s. Ever since, this Land of the Midnight Sun has been widely hailed as one of the last great destinations for big salmon. Rivers such as the Alta, Namsen, Gaula and Orkla produce many 40- and 50-pound fish every year.
Fishing in Norway against a backdrop of stunning fjords, high mountains and lush green meadows is an experience never to be forgotten. Here, above e the 60th parallels, the Norwegian nights are short, with perhaps only an hour or two of semi-dark conditions during most of June and July, when Atlantic salmon return to the home rivers.

I journeyed to Norway primarily to photograph a casting clinic by Goran Andersson. One of the founding designers for the Loop fly rod company in Sweden, Andersson is renowned by anglers throughout Europe. His weeklong clinic included fishing on the Verdal River and personal insgrupgtion on his revolutionary new casting technique.

On my flight over I was joined by Josh Frazier, the owner of Leland Flyfishing Outfitters. Josh provided the rods, reels and flies for the class, which included two anglers each from Switzerland and Japan.
It was truly amazing to bathe Goran Andersson demonstrate his Underhand Loop Casting technique. Using a double-handed rod—from 11 to 14 feet long with 8- to 11-weight lines—he could cast the entire line and part of the backing in a series of smooth, seemingly effortless maneuvers, not unlike roll-casts.
After Goran shared several of his techniques, or “princeps” as he called them, we tried out our new casting skills before his critical eye. Learning from his truly constructive e criticism, we were soon making long, accurate casts.

We lived in small cabins with sod roofs and porches overlooking the Verdal, close by the little river village of Otnes. Our stream side lunches usually consisted of hot dogs and beans, but in the evenings we gathered for dinner at a farmhouse that had been in the same family for more than 300 years. There, the lady of the home would prepare delicious meals of salmon, trout and reindeer with soups and fresh vegetables.
After dinner we slept for several hours, then headed out to fish sometime between 10 p.m. and midnight, continuing until around 4 to 6 p.m. Twilight was the magic time—a time to ponder the beauty and mysteries of this beautiful land while we waited for fish to show.

All of the salmon we caught were big and bright and silver in color. Catching one of these magnificent fish brought loud yells, laughter and an exuberant round of high fives. After taking photographs and releasing the fish back into the river, we typically celebrated with a “wee dram” of whiskey.
One highlight of the weeklong adventure came when Swiss angler Olivier Schmidt caught his first-ever Atlantic salmon. The big female smashed his Sunrise Shadow fly, then jumped three times in quick succession, startling every fish in the pool. Instantly the surface was broken by salmon big and small, all leaping high above the water.
Olli’s salmon settled down to wage a tug of war that lasted many minutes before she began to tire. While photographing the action, I could see the excitement and fierce concentration in Olli’s eyes. When Josh finally hand-tailed the fish, Olli went crazy, jumping up and down and kissing everyone, including the fish. He was a very happy angler.

In my free time, I would take short drives through the countryside, admiring the old red barns and yellow houses, the traditional colors of Norwegian farms. In this picturesque setting, countless streams and rivers plunge downward through the mountain forests, then glide through the fertile valleys. The weather changed from sunny to cloudy to windy to foggy and rainy, back and forth every few hours. Despite its unpredictable weather, Norway has to be one of the most spectacularly beautiful countries on the planet.—R. Valentine Atkinson