The First Blank

July 17, 2010 Day 8 There’s not much to say about beat 2b today. My permit lasted until 11 am so I was up at 3:30 am to make the best of my precious time. When I arrived at the salmon shed there was some encouraging news. Lars from Denmark, one of the regulars who fishes here all summer long, caught a 4 kilo salmon at midnight. But other than that no one saw or hooked a fish. To make a long repetitive story short, I fished solid from 3:30 am until my permit expired at 11 am. Vladi Trezbunia delivered me coffee to keep me awake and snickers bars for snacks. I caught nothing. During the time the wind howled and the sun got hot. At about 10:55 I got a touch at the end of my swing. It was as if the salmon were challenging me to buy just one more permit for the Stǿren Campground Beat. It wasn’t going to happen. At 11 sharp I retreated to the camper. I was starved and tired and Vladi made me an incredible breakfast. After that we went for a drive so I could see some countryside and he could visit some friends. We went towards the coast and into Trondheim to start. Tronheim is Norway’s second largest city and is located on one of the world’s largest fiords. It was a beautiful place and nice to see the ocean. From there we went up to Stjǿrdal and then drove up the Stjǿrdalen River. Vladi worked and guided this particular river for several years. About an hours drive up the river we came to a falls and a fantastic little salmon lodge. Back in the 80’s Vladi guided many of the clients that stayed here and we stopped in for a visit in hopes he knew someone. Sure enough as we pulled in an old friend of Vladi’s was mowing the lawn. This person, who’s name was Willie, stared us down as we pulled in but when Vladi stepped out of the car he recognized him and ran to greet him. Willie is a huge man of about thirty-five. He has lived on the property for his entire life and inherited the duties of maintaining the lodge from his parents whom inherited it from their parents and many generations of family before. Vladi was good friends with Willies father who it turns out died two years ago. It was a great visit not only for Vladi but me too. I enjoyed an afternoon coffee that I needed bad and listening to the two catch up. From there we headed back south to the city of Orkanger and then up our new salmon spot, the Orkla River. The Orkla is another of Norway’s famous Atlantic salmon rivers. It’s not known so much for having lots of salmon but rather some of the biggest. We settled into a campsite on the river overlooking an incredible pool. Then we investigated the purchase of a permit for the piece of water by visiting the nearest house. Like all homes along Norway’s Rivers, this was sort of a mini lodge that rents cabins and sells permits for the beat. In Norway you must disinfect your waders every time you switch rivers. Because of this rule, I wasn’t able to start fishing tonight. Unfortunately I have to go to a disinfection station and get my waders and boots cleaned and get a certificate saying I did so. Two bad things here: #1 - disinfection cost about $20 to and #2 - the disinfection station doesn’t open until 9 am tomorrow. With no fishing tonight, today is officially my first day of not catching a fish. To kill a few hours Vladi and I scouted the beat. We only saw one free jumper but the water looks excellent. Tonight we’ll retire early after a nice pasta dinner and catch up on some needed rest. The good news is that we can sleep in tomorrow which after getting up in the wee hours of the morning five days in a row will be very nice. Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

 

Big Rain, High Water, Hard Day

July 14, 2010 Day 5 It’s tough when your nickname is Monsoon Currier. Norway has had a dry summer up until today. Yesterday I experienced easy wading and clear water on the Gaula River, but today the river was much different. Last night hard rain pounded our camper roof to the point where I just could not sleep. Finally at 1:15 am I climbed into my waders and headed to the river. I don’t know about you but I’m a little groggy getting up at 1:15 am, but did it suspecting I’d have beat 2b to myself. However, when I got to the salmon hut there were several of yesterdays crew and a few guys that fish only at night. This Atlantic salmon fishing must be serious business. After greetings from everyone, I looked around and saw a salmon hanging by his tail. The fish was 5.5 kilo (about 12lbs). It was a gorgeous fish and seeing it woke me up fast. Then I looked to the river to size up my strategy and it looked completely different. It had risen three feet! I had a tough time getting my fly out far enough yesterday, now I would need to make a whole new plan. The new plan consisted of trying beat 2a. For some reason, everyone waits in line to fish beat 2b. It has faster water than 2a and I’m sure more salmon. But, I was up and now after seeing a nice caught salmon, anxious. And beat 2a was vacant so I headed out to it. It’s remarkably light out at 1:30 am, even with a thick cloud cover. As I waded into the top of beat 2a I noticed the water was slightly off color. I didn’t have a lot of confidence as I made my first few casts. Then I saw the occasional free jumping salmon and recalled Vladi's theory on rising water and migrating salmon. He must be right being that the first salmon in days was caught. It wasn’t long before Vladi arrived to me with a freshly brewed hot cup of coffee. He liked the fact that I was fishing beat 2a and encouraged me to make a few passes while no other anglers wanted to fish it. Sure enough, at about 3 am my fly got nailed as is swung behind a rock. Just like yesterday, everyone came running. Minutes later I landed my second sea trout. After a few photos I released him and headed for the salmon hut for my coffee and a break. That was a great start to the day. It was a fish before 4 am. It got me and Vladi so excited that at 9 am I got another 24 hour permit so I could fish until 9 am tomorrow. At about 10 am, one of the East Germans landed another salmon. It was a small salmon of about 18”. Despite its size, everyone ran down to see the fish. It was a salmon and not many salmon get caught. I was glad to see this salmon released. The truth is that even though Atlantic salmon are endangered, rod and reel fishing impact does little to hurt the populations. People keep salmon all the time and believe me, they earn them. It is the commercial fishing in the ocean that does the damage. If I catch a salmon this week I will definitely return him. The rest of the fishing day was slow. It rained hard at times and the river continued to rise. There’s no doubt that the salmon move and get active during rising water. We saw plenty of salmon free jump and there are more anglers here than yesterday. They, like the salmon come out with the rain. I fished until 8 pm without more than a beer break between turns. It was a hard day for everyone but we had a lot of fun hanging out in the salmon hut. These are some great guys and Vladi and I are making lots of friends. Vladi and I are just about to eat a surprise meal he made, Hungarian Goulash. It’s one of his favorites. All I know is I’m hungry and tired and plan to get up early again to use my permit till 9 am tomorrow. Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

 

Norwegian Fishing Culture

July 13, 2010 Day 4 It’s amazing what a night of sleep will do for you when you haven’t had a good one in a few days. Vladi Trzebunia and I jumped from bed at about 6 am and listened to the birds over a pot of Norwegian coffee. Half way through, Vladi began giving me careful instructions on how to go about catching an Atlantic salmon on a fly. Few anglers have ever caught a wild Atlantic salmon. Populations have been overharvested and suffer incredibly from pollution and dams. Efforts in North America and Europe have returned small populations but overall there are only a few places left that have them running wild. I have fished Atlantic salmon only twice before. Once was a weak attempt in Maine and the other in Scotland on the River Tweed. I failed to catch a salmon either time and sort of wrote off my chances of ever catching one. That was until I met Vladi and now our trip to Norway. Even in Norway salmon populations are nothing what they used to be, however Norway does have some of the best rivers in the world. Norway is also known for some of the largest salmon left in the world. With my limited salmon fishing experience and the knowledge of how few Atlantic salmon there are, I came here in hopes of catching one wild Norwegian Atlantic salmon of any size. When Atlantic salmon migrate from the ocean to a river they do it to spawn and don’t feed. Therefore, getting one to take a fly is not an easy task. This has led to some amazing flies and tactics that have been developed over centuries. Luckily after eight years of Atlantic salmon guiding, Vladi knows many of these tricks. The River Gaula has numerous beats. Vladi and I are camped in Stǿren on the banks of the river on what is referred to as the “Stǿren Campground” beat. The “Storen” beat is numbered 1, 2a and 2b and 3. 2a and 2b are the only “Fly Fishing Only” sections. So first thing today Vladi got us organized to fish there. In most of Europe, there’s a fee for the beat you chose on top of the regular fishing license. Norway is the same and this famous beat cost 250 crowns ($40 US) for a twenty-four hour session. Vladi has chosen not to fish today to help me get that first salmon. When we arrived on 2a and 2b there were several fly fishermen taking turns fishing the beat. The way you fish an Atlantic salmon beat is you start at the top (upstream end) and after every cast you take three steps down. Once you are at the bottom (downstream end) of the beat you get out and back in line you go. This beat takes approximately 30 minutes to fish. I was at the back of a line of about five anglers. At first this may sound horrible but it was cool to hang out and meet the other anglers in the salmon hut. I would also find out later that time between turns provides valuable and needed rest. Most of these anglers are extremely experienced in Atlantic salmon fly fishing and true addicts. Some spend the entire summer at the Stǿren campground fishing beats 2a and 2b. Every one of them uses a two handed spey rod. I was the only one with a single handed rod. I quickly realized that I was immersed in a fly fishing culture. It was similar to opener of the Ranch on the Henry’s Fork. Long time friends gather and catch up on stories while catching some fish. The only difference is we walk around trying to catch a few huge finicky rainbows while these guys do it for Atlantic salmon. Best of all, these guys welcomed Vladi and me into their group. Today the group consisted of several anglers from Denmark, an Italian, three East Germans, a family of Swedes and several Norwegians. They loved that they had an American in the mix and were very excited that I was after my first salmon. And like I do for any newcomers I meet on the Henry’s Fork, all of these guys started giving me tips on how to go about catching my salmon. Already I’m in love with this new fly fishing experience. Despite witnessing some of the most unbelievable spey casting you could ever watch, no one hooked a fish while I waited my turn. When my turn came there was lots of encouragement and tips from the group. Vladi strolled down to the river with me and coached me on how to fish to the salmon. There are certain angles in which you land a cast and all kinds of methods for presenting the fly. For the most part, you cast as far as you can downstream at a 45 degree angle and let the fly swing until it’s directly below you. Some guys move the fly a little while others keep it still. When a salmon takes the fly it’s usually gentle and you then give them line – far different than anything I am used to. I watched each angler before me land 120 foot casts with their spey rods all the way to the other bank where the occasional salmon free-jumped. I was seriously handicapped with my 9-foot 9-weight because my average cast was about 80 feet. I addressed my disadvantage quickly and rather than ripping my underwear trying to cast 120 feet I concentrated on seams and rocks on my side of the river. There’s no doubt that beginners luck exists. As my fly swung on each and every presentation I knew something was going to happen. Sure enough, fifteen minutes into my turn I had an aggressive take and set the hook. It was a nice fish but by no means a huge salmon. Everyone came running down to see. After a good fight I landed a sea trout. Everybody was pretty amazed that the “single hand rookie” got a fish so fast. Not only that, sea trout are rarer than the salmon on the Gaula River. It was a lucky catch. My fishing ticket started at 9 am today and runs for 24 hours. While most guys’ fish about three hours then take a break and then come back for another three hours, I fished right through from 9 am until 10 pm. Now I’m tired and hungry as heck. I’m really excited about my sea trout in my first pass. Unfortunately that was my only fish today. In fact, it was the only fish caught today. There’s no doubt it was beginners luck and I need to mentally prepare myself for a tough week in search of that one salmon. The plan now is to get some sleep for a few hours then Vladi and I will get up at 3 am and fish out my ticket till 9 am. As we climb into the camper here for dinner (more pasta) it’s starting to rain. Vladi says when it rains fresh ocean salmon come into the river. Vladi is usually right! Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Headed for the North Pole?

July 12, 2010  I signed off yesterday just before  boarding a plane from Amsterdam to  Oslo. The flight went just fine but when  I got to Oslo Vladi Trzebunia wasn’t quite there  yet. Unlike me, Vladi did not fly for this  adventure but rather drove all the way from his home in Zakopane, Poland. This involved traveling 1400 kilometers by driving through Poland and Germany, then across the Baltic Sea by ferry boat, and once again driving, this time through southern Sweden and finally into Oslo, Norway. We both knew the schedule of the ferry may cause him to be late picking me up so when I couldn’t find him I wasn’t worried. Sure enough he arrived within the hour. The other slowing factor was that Vladi actually towed along his camping trailer. Yes, all the way from Poland. The reason being is that Norway is one of the most expensive countries in the world. With his camper we can sleep anywhere and prepare all our own meals. Not only will we prepare out own food, but most of what we eat Vladi brought from Poland. It’s a heck of a deal and what makes this entire trip possible. So there we were in Oslo, I flew twenty hours and Vladi drove forty. We were exhausted. Nonetheless, like you’d expect we were so excited we brushed sleep aside and headed north. That brings me to another detail of the trip. We are going Atlantic salmon fishing. Tell anyone that knows much about Atlantic salmon fishing and inform them you are headed to Norway to do it and you are automatically assumed rich. Atlantic salmon fishing is truly one of the most expensive fly fishing habits there is and to do it in Norway is unimaginable for a couple of fishing bums like us. Nevertheless, once again, Vladi makes it possible - he guided here for six years! However, that was not since 1991 which is why we are here. He misses it tremendously and needs to visit some of his old friends. We drove about five hours into the night before pulling over to sleep. As normal with me when I cross oceans, I could only sleep about three hours so at 3 am I had us up and continuing north (remember its light at 3 am). There was some absolutely gorgeous scenery along the way. At about 9 am we arrived in the town of Stören on the banks of one of Norway’s most famous salmon rivers, the Gaula. Vladi may have been more excited then me. We can all relate to returning to a place or time in our lives that we enjoyed so much. That’s what it was for Vladi. We travelled along the river stopping at nearly every pool. Not only did Vladi remember the fish either he or his clients caught over the years but he had a story for each. It was an unbelievable treat and soon became a day I will never forget. We had every intention to fish today but I let the time go by without mentioning it. Vladi's stories of Atlantic salmon were fantastic. In a way I was fishing by listening, studying the water and observing other anglers as we went. After two hours and 100 kilometer meander upstream we came to a roaring canyon fed by a waterfall. Vladi parked and we walked as close to the falls as we could. “Watch my friend”, is all Vladi said. I probably don’t need to tell you the rest but I will. I sat and watched one of the worlds greatest game fish leap the falls. There weren’t many of them, a sad reality, but there were enough that two hours later Vladi had to drag me away. We are presently camped on the outskirts of Stören on the banks of the Gaula River. We just feasted on a spaghetti dinner mixed with half the countryside of Poland. It was delicious. I will now attempt to sleep a whole night and in the morning try for a Norwegian Atlantic salmon. Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site

Packing for Norway

July 5, 2010

The 4th of July came upon us fast this year. It was such a cold and nasty spring followed by a cool and windy start to the summer that when the calendar dropped to July the other day I was shocked. It will be winter before we know it!

While Granny had to work, I partook in some of the July 4th celebrations with friends Pat and June. We took in the Victor parade followed by pizza, microbrew beer and a game of darts at the Wildlife Brewery. Then we caught several of the live outdoor bands with the rest of the town of Victor at the Knotty Pine. The Knotty has a fantastic party every 4th of July and if you’re out this way for Independence Day be sure not to miss it.

Once the fun was over it was time to pack. I’ll be traveling again here soon. This time to Norway to meet up with my friend Vladi Trzebunia from Poland. Vladi used to be an Atlantic salmon guide in Norway and has been meaning to return to see his friends and catch salmon again. Last time we were together Vladi asked me if I’d like to join him on an adventure back to Norway. Naturally I wanted to go, but when you run a fly shop in Jackson Hole, summer is not the time to go on vacation and the trip never happened. This year is different. Since I left my fly shop job I have yet to let a travel chance slip by. And although I could certainly be working on my art, Norway with Vladi is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Packing is never easy. Especially when you go to unfamiliar territory for a new specie. I’ve never been to Norway and although I’ve fished for Atlantic salmon, I’ve never caught one. I need to make it happen this time around. What is most difficult for me is choosing my fly lines. I do so many different types of fishing from chasing trout on my home waters to jungles of the Amazon to pike to saltwater etc. I have hundreds of lines for various applications. One great organizing tip that works for me is to mark my lines. I simply take a sharpie and code color both ends of my fly lines with the line weight. A thick line stands for five and each thin line equals one. The example I have shown is a 9-weight line.

If you frequently take lines on and off marking the lines is essential. Don’t wait until you mix up your arsenal. I also recommend that you save all your fly line boxes and plastic spools until you toss the line. That way when they are off the reel it’s even easier to identify them. Last, get yourself a Rio Cranky. This simple tool makes it easy to change and store your lines. You will also avoid twisting and adding unwanted memory to your lines. I’ll be packing throughout the week and if I have any other good tips I’ll be sure to share.

Jeff Currier Global Fly Fishing web site