Gaula 2007 — June

Panorama over the Borten Losen beat — Gaula 2007 — The bottom pool on the Borten and Losen stretch — Gaula 2007

Ole and Carl chose this year to head off right after opening day on 1 June. Just before the season opened there had been a heavy flood with a flow of over 800 m³/s. That is an enormous amount of water, and when we arrived at the river late in the evening we didn’t dare pitch the tent where we normally do — we could see that the water during the day had been half a metre above the level where the tent would have been. Instead we pitched it 30–40 metres back from the river, a metre or two higher up.

By the next morning the water had fallen further and the Gaula was beginning to look like itself again — now under 500 m³/s. Water temperature was only 5°C and it was practically impossible to fish with anything other than spinners and worm.

The weather was superb — over 30°C every single day of the week. We expected the heat to trigger massive snowmelt in the mountains, but it didn’t materialise. The level fell throughout the week and ended up just under 200 m³/s. Water temperature climbed every day and after one week had reached over 13°C — a quite impressive rise in just seven days.

Late supper by the Gaula at 10 pm — Supper at 10 pm — it stays light all night in June

View across the Gaula 2007 — View across the river from the campsite

The Fishing

We fished and fished, and after three days Ole got a powerful take on worm. We never saw the fish and could only dream about its size.

The following day Ole was on again — this time he was luckier (and perhaps more careful with line and knots). After a long and beautiful fight we landed a salmon of over 13 kg some 100 metres downstream. A wonderful feeling, and Ole’s biggest fish ever in Norway.

The day after I finally got a take, though I didn’t realise at first because I thought it was a bottom snag. After several failed attempts to free the line I started walking back with a tight rod and my thumb on the multiplier — that finally got the salmon moving. It was large and heavy, but after another five minutes of fighting the line broke; the last metre had been frayed by sharp rocks. That was painful.

The next day it was Ole’s turn again. This time it was the salmon taking Ole for a walk and not the other way round. After a dramatically long battle we landed a monster of 15.3 kg! Ole stopped it just above a waterfall far downstream on the neighbouring beat. A magnificent fight and once again Ole’s biggest salmon ever in Norway.

On the second-to-last day I finally succeeded — a beautiful fish of 9 kg. The trip was saved for me too.

Ole with a 13 kg salmon — Gaula 2007 — Ole with a 13 kg salmon — his biggest fish in Norway

Ole with the 15.3 kg salmon — Gaula 2007 — Ole with the 15.3 kg — an epic battle

Carl with a 9 kg salmon — Gaula 2007 — Carl with a 9 kg salmon — taken on worm in the run

Evening light on the Gaula 2007 — Evening light on the Gaula — the bright Norwegian summer night

All in all a fantastic trip with plenty of kilos of salmon and superb weather — but a great deal of water in the river, and every day it was a different river as both level and temperature changed constantly. — Carl