Part I

In June 1996 our fishing tour of the third year to Norway was about to start. Mary Anne and I decided to take our first tour in the third and forth weeks of the month just like in the previous year and left Japan. A total of 8 weeks' fishing experience there had made me learn something about fishing in Norway. At least I began to have confidence in catching salmon as far as the condition was not bad. Therefore, my main concern was to fish from the bank without trouble. I never forgot the previous year's bitter experience that I could not go fishing for the whole first week and more because of flood. I wanted no more such experience but no one has got power to control the river. I did not feel at ease until I looked at the river with my eyes.

On the way from Oslo to Trondheim we can see from the plane window the summit of the mountain range which runs north and south in the centre of Norway. Considerable amount of snow remained on high mountains. That meant we had to worry about flood. On the contrary, if snow had remained a little, we would have worried about low water. Among all passengers that occupied almost all the seats we were probably the only two that watched the magnificent scenery below with such hope and worry. Arriving at Trondtheim Airport, we dropped in at the car-hire company office. A familiar face handed us a key. It was our fifth time car-hire. I asked her about the weather as usual. I knew her answer would be vague but could not stop asking a question. Her answer was, if I remember correctly, that the season had been changing quite favourably.

The river is not in flood. That simple fact makes us relieved. How about fishing condition? On arriving at the hotel, I asked Raguse, expecting a good answer. But he looked worried. His worry was quite natural because almost none of fish had been caught and there was no angler in the river. According to him, in this winter it snowed rather a little but was very cold and that lasted till May. The water level had been normal but dramatically rose just before the opening day due to snow melting in warm days. The water temperature fell from 7 degrees C to 4.2 and they had a desperate opening day. Then the water level became low enough to fish in Gaul Fossen and downstream. But the bad situation lasted until the third week and they still could catch fish only downstream.

Alas, the worst condition still remained.

In the previous year it was not difficult to give up fishing because we found the flood at a glance. But this year nice high water flowed in front of us. Why are there no fish? It was because of Gaul Fossen, a raging torrent downstream. Salmon that came upstream could not pass it and stopped there because of low water temperature and a large amount of water. Fish increased day by day downstream, while there were a quite few salmon here that had come upstream in May. The number was too small to catch here. Day after day, we could only check the water level, waiting for more salmon to pass Fossen. In short, we were forced to be as patient as in the previous year.

However, one thing was different from the previous year. We had prepared for that situation. Learning from the previous year's lesson, we had reserved two beats down Fossen through a leading member of the local society in case salmon could not pass Fossen. Although we were disappointed not to fish the beats up Fossen, we had hopes of fishing new beats as well as fishing in such bad condition. In addition, we had also reserved a beat of Flagestad, who was former hotel owner, for the fist time, so we could fish rather upstream later. Our fishing was supposed to have no problem at all in any situation.

I felt that we were lucky to have made bookings for the beats downstream. We headed down Fossen. The beat lay at the lower reaches of Storen, on the outskirts of town Lundamo, 5 km down Fossen.

Our first beat was the pool under the big bridge, the point I had been interested in. Around here there was not a private beat, such as Raguse or Flagestad, which covered a lot of beats. Anglers were required to buy a fishing ticket for each beat issued by each landowner. Along the road hung out the signboards FISKE KORT just like in Japan, so we never missed them. But we had to buy a ticket from each landowner. Needless to say, we had to book in advance to fish a good beat.

There was another thing that I really felt. When we fished down to the middle of the pool, several anglers came to fish behind us. I felt somehow different atmosphere. They all cast lures. A few minutes later another group came with their lures. We were only two that cast by fly rod. However large the pool was, it was impossible for ten anglers to fish together. We left that beat. We realized what a luxurious thing it was to fish in a private beat for fly fishing only.

Our next beat lay at a little the upper reaches of the first beat. The owner said that the beat would be suitable to fish quietly with a few anglers. He guided us through the forest to the riverside. We could see a large rock just upstream. A narrow but gentle current spread out at the lower reaches of the rock, where the river curved. Judging from the dull flow around, salmon heading upstream would surely take a rest at that spot. There was no angler around. I thought there was a real possibility of catching salmon. He pointed at a pine tree just down our standing point to show us the lower border. Then he started walking upstream along the bank to show us the upper border. What current spreads out at the upper reaches of that curve? I followed him, filled with happy expectations. He walked near to that large rock and pointed at a small creek underfoot to show the border. I was just struck dumb in utter amazement. That pool below the large rock where I had expected a big catch at first glance spread out just up our standing point. That meant we could not fish there by all means.

I could do nothing but wait. Just as in the previous year, I had to wait day after day until salmon passed Fossen and came upstream. Although I cast the fly every day with a little hope in my mind, I knew that I had no more than zero possibility. But I could not stand idle by. We cut our fishing short much earlier than usual and enjoyed driving almost every day. We drove around more than 1000 km with a map in our hand. If the fishing condition had not been bad, we would have driven only between the hotel and the beat. Actually we drove to not only the sources of the River Gaula and its tributaries but also the River Orkla and the River Driva nearby.

Still, the water did not fall. When it became almost low enough for salmon to swim upstream, pitiless rain fell to increase the water.

Mr. No Fish

In those days quite a few anglers came to fish in the third week of June, but we met a Norwegian family at the hotel every time we visited there. In the previous year they came back to the hotel with their fish, while other anglers got none. Then I asked them where they fished. The pool in Fossen was their answer. They mainly fished by hauling from the boat. Every angler said they did not like hauling from the boat but none of them really fished there by hauling. I wanted to try it. Anyway, the family came back with their fish, whereas the others caught no fish. I was not patient enough to see their fish and proud faces every day. I asked many people for help so that we could fish Fossen, but their answers were always too vague. Each one made different answer and I did not get the faintest idea about who was the owner or how much it cost to fish. All I knew was that there was no vacancy and it was very difficult to make reservation.

In salmon fishing, it is a rule that anglers who have fished a beat in a certain week this year are given an advantage to make booking in the same week of next year. Even if a new comer wants to reserve the beat for next year, he will not be able to do so forever as long as regular anglers keep it. In addition, as many anglers apply for reservation, there is almost no chance for a new comer like me.

The family brought fish to the hotel almost every day, whereas it was waste of time to fish up Fossen. Our days passed without getting fish or even bite. We could not see only a shadow of fish, either. Most anglers gave up and went back home but we could not. All we could do was just to wait for fish to come to us. When we came back to the hotel after "our fishing", the family smiled at us, saying "Hello, Mr. No Fish!"