Jones's Guide to Norway and the Salmon Fisherman's Pocket Guide (1848)
Drammen in 1848
Drammen is described as a thriving and prosperous small town, with great trade, lively activity and hope for the future. For salmon fishermen, the city and the river are a natural starting point.
From Christiania you can easily travel to Drammen by horse and cart. The town's location makes it a gateway to the Drammenselva River and Lågen, and it has good hotels that help English anglers with advice, maps and arrangements.
Fishing in the Drammen River 1848
The river is described as a welcoming place for first-time visitors. It has an abundance of salmon, and during the first visits very good fishing was experienced. Catches are often shared with the locals, which is described as a way of winning people's goodwill.
The main fishing takes place in the pool below Hellefossen at Haugsund. Here the salmon stop on their way up, as the waterfall constitutes an insurmountable barrier. There is about fifteen kilometers of river above the waterfall, but the salmon cannot continue there. Therefore, the fish gather below.
Anglers are advised to start early in the morning, preferably before breakfast at Hokksund station. The average weight of salmon in the Drammenselva River is about 15 pounds (around 7 kilograms), although some larger specimens of up to 30 pounds have been caught.
Recommendations and experiences
Jones mentions the Drammenselva as a good place for trial trips for new salmon anglers. The river is close to Christiania, which makes it easily accessible. Although the river is not the largest or most famous in Norway, it offers exciting fishing experiences and a hospitable local population.
New Arrivals
Four-pronged London fishing rods for salmon, pike and trout in complete condition and at various prices, largest and smallest brass reels, fishing tackle for salmon, pike and large trout, fly hooks of six different sizes, fishing hooks of all challenging sizes, also applicable to fishing tackle, from the Xindal and Limmar factory, full-length fishing lines and castlines of gut strings and silk, second kind Silkworm-Stränge to Foretommer, lacquered steel coils, all of which are now selected in London of the best quality and by an expert, in accordance with Mr.RDHutchinson's instructions and description published in the print
The use of fly fishing in Norway, and now by him thoroughly examined and approved - sold at a fixed price at Povel Lund.
Advertisement for sport fishing equipment in Tiden, May 28, 1841
It goes without saying that a merchant would not take in such a range of goods unless there was a significant demand for them. “Four-legged London Fishing Rods,” brass reels, gut strings and silkworm strings for lures, six different fly hooks – yes, there can be no doubt that rod fishing was well underway in Drammen.
At the exhibition you will see equipment dating back to around 1850 and up to the present day.
Robert Dalton Hutchinson
(1787-1843)
In 1839, Robert Dalton Hutchinson published the first textbook on fly fishing in Norwegian: "The Application of Fly Fishing in Norway".
Quote: "I believe that I am in possession of some experiences, which it is my desire to communicate."
He was a Scottish lumber merchant who came to Drammen in 1827.
Hutchinson's book has undoubtedly had a lot to say for fly fishing in this country, and perhaps also for sport fishing in the Drammenselva. He may not have been the first to fish with a fly in Norway, but he was certainly the first to so willingly pour out his knowledge for the benefit of everyone else. There is no doubt that it is the Drammenselva that is referred to when salmon fishing is described.
At the exhibition you will see the first advertisement in Norwegian newspapers advertising fishing equipment. (Tiden 1841)
Robert Dalton Hutchinson drowned on a fishing trip in the Drammenselva River in 1843. (Vikersund)
Edward Briggs Kennedy
(1842-1914)
Author of the book “30 seasons in Scandinavia”, published in 1903. 1903 was the 31st consecutive year that Kennedy visited Scandinavia. He himself says in the foreword to the book that what inspired him to travel to Norway for the first time in 1872 was another book: “Through Norway With A Knapsack”.
When he came to Norway in 1872, it was still possible to find protected idylls where he could rule the land alone. When he put away his rod and reel for good in 1903, a new era had come to the country. His time in Norway represented the era from sketchbooks and paraffin lamps, to cameras and electric lights. On his many trips to Scandinavia, Kennedy fished for trout, char, whitefish, grayling, sea trout and salmon – in addition to hunting.
In 1872, Kennedy tried his luck in the Drammenselva River near Vikersund.
At the exhibition you can see the rod and reel and fly tying that belonged to Edward Briggs Kennedy.
Sophus Aars
(1841-1931)
Sophus Christian Munch Aars (born 1 October 1841 in Sylling in Lier, died 1931 in Oslo) was a lawyer and bureaucrat, but he is best known as an outdoorsman and author of books depicting wildlife and hunting. From 1868 to 1872 he was associated with the Bergen Infantry Brigade, and it was probably during this time that he was employed as a magistrate's deputy in Hokksund for a period. Strangely enough, the old hunter, who, as he himself says, had already turned gray in Diana's service, got the idea to become passionate about salmon fishing when he was well into his 50s. And there are many rivers around the country all the way up to Troms, where he tried his luck at fishing.
Of course, the Drammen River and especially the Hellefossen waterfall had to exert their attraction, and here he became a frequent guest. He must have had quite a few shiny "oaks" in his boat over the years. He continued this sport right up to his old age.
Excerpt from the book where Sophus Aars talks about salmon fishing under Hellefossen.
"The salmon are biting now," was the message I received from a fisherman in Hokksund in Eiker one day towards the end of June 1904.
At the same time, the hunting congress was in town, so it took me a while to get going. But on the evening of June 30th, I packed up at a fisherman's house on the riverbank, just below Hellefoss.
What a catch there once was here! The salmon stood in shoals below the waterfall, and it is almost incredible what quantities could be caught in just one net cast. I remember it myself from the time I was a deputy magistrate in Eiker. Now I did not think of casting a net, but the desire to try my luck at fishing with a rod had awakened.
Since then, the fishing has often been poor compared to the rich years before. But still – Amund, my companion, and I set out early the next morning. We slung the boat up through the rapids, and soon we were at the fishing spots. Here, between the rock outcroppings and the current, lie two of the best spots.
One, considered the very best, is located below a high gravel hill where the river has carved out a backwater. This requires experienced rowing, knowledge of current and depth, and not least the ability to maneuver between all the logs that drift by. The other spot is larger, in the middle of the river, where the current breaks into deep and shallow sections.
Amund showed me some flies: "Guess which one he likes best?" he asked with a smile.
"Take whoever you want—he won't bite any of them," I replied.
The fishermen in the Drammenselva River do not swear by flies or artificial lures, but by small shiny spoons called "prît" or "løve". These are what the salmon bite on, they say.
We tried first with a fly, then with a spoon – without success. Then, suddenly, a violent jerk! The line was too far out, the log pushed the boat, and a large salmon jumped out of the water so silvery that the sun sparkled on it.
“He’s over the pound!” Amund shouted. “He’s over the pound!” (That is, over 8 kilos.)
The fight was on. The salmon raced up, down, dived, jumped, rolled and pulled us close to the logs. I felt the strong weight in my arms, my knees trembled, but I didn’t dare let go. The line tightened, the salmon took the lead, but in the end we managed to bring it towards the boat. After several critical moments – where we feared the hook would break – Amund got the cracker under and lifted the catch on board.
There it lay: a 15-kilogram salmon (60 old marks). Shiny silver, straight from the sea – the proof was that the sea lice were still stuck to the skin.
I was barely strong enough to hold it outstretched in my outstretched arm. What a magnificent fish!
Sophus Aars, 87 years old, fishes salmon in the Drammenselva River
Hillmar Olsen — big fisherman, riverman and fisherman
(1900-1981)
Hilmar was born in 1900 under the sign of Pisces, and grew up in the fishing village of Dynge in Gamle Hokksund.
He became a well-known salmon fisherman at Hoenssiden below Hellefossen, the best inland fishing in Eastern Norway. And there Hillmar was part of the fishing team that caught Norway's second largest salmon in modern times. The salmon weighed 34.5 kg. The year was 1926.
For 60 years now, Hilmar has been scooping up salmon in his beloved fishing grounds. Nets and wades were his tools. But spoons and lines were also useful. Hilmar's second largest salmon weighed 26.5 kg — caught on a line. But that was in Hellefossen's heyday, when record catches of 490–840 kg were fished in one night by four to six men.
Bjorn Bjølgerud
The salmon king under Hellefossen
In 1987, Bjørn caught 79 salmon with a total weight of 660 kilos as a total final result. The big fisherman from Vikersund has established himself as one of the country's undisputed salmon kings. His results and fishing are almost unmatched by anyone.
The quiet fellow certainly does not boast about his exploits. The quiet fellow is both in his fight with the big salmon and in his stories. But warm and pleasant throughout, as true wilderness usually is.
How many salmon have been caught to date - it's an enormous number, and Bjørn is still fishing in the Drammen River at the age of 81!
