Flytying at Atna camping
ere in Holland we do have a very nice fishingclub on the internet. Don't think this is just a virtual happening because the members of this club, now about 250, organize fishingtrips in Holland, have flytying evenings all around our country and spent a lot of time filling the forum on the club with questions, patterns, selling/buying occasions, chatting and so on. Quiet active so to say. 

It was about november 2001 that I was asked by some fishingclub members to see if there was a possibility to organize a flyfishing week at the Glomma in Norway. They knew I come there every year and I always come back with some fantastic stories about the graylings I caught. For me the Glomma is absolutely one of the finest rivers I fished in my entiry flyfishing live. There is an awfull lot of (big) fish, the river has a variety of currents, pools, quiet streches and most of all..........beautifull surroundings that make me feel born again ! You must realize that Holland has no rivers like this, no mountains, no graylings, almost no nature at all. The nearest places to catch wild trout or grayling are in the very very heavily fished rivers in Belgium and Germany. It's mainly because of the above mentioned facts that I have visited Norway more than 30 times before! 

There was one important fact on this Norway trip; it had to be low-budget. This because most of us just had the family holliday behind which had cost quite some money. Norway is not actualy known as a cheap country but, nevertheless, I started planning. At the end of May we came together for the first time and I could offer them a low budget tour for a price even I didn't believe. Mildred, from Atna camping, offered us four "hyttes" for a very friendly price and the boat to Norway was much cheaper than I first expected because of the fact we were booked as a group and it was after season. Apart from food, fishing licenses and other personal things it should cost each member no more than an unbelieveble 200 euro ( 1.400 Nkr ). Wil, Goran, the two Peters, Gerard, Dave, Joop, Bart, Henk, Piet, Jacky, Frank, Robert, Marco, Jos, Pierre and I ( Erik ) decided to go. A nice bunch of fellows with different experiences and backgrounds. But a good team as well ! 

So September 7 we left Holland very early in the morning. Four cars filled and packed with Flyfishers from Holland. Waitin' for what to come. As we reached Atna the next day and unpacked the bagage we took with us, fishing time started almost directly. Mildred sold us the needed licenses and almost one hour later the first fishes were taken in the direct surroundings of Atna camping.

The next day we were able to have things more proper organized. With four flyfishers in each car ," dressed to kill ",we spreaded out over the 75 kilometer river and came back late that afternoon. The wheather was almost summerlike!  

We fished untill the very last day, september 13, and all of us had a very great time. Basicly two techniques proved to have been very succesfull. The Tjech nymph technique, Goran proved that he was a realy expert in this, caught the most and biggest fishes. Nymphs that were used were all kind of caddis imitations on hook 12/14. Mostly green and white. It was a pity that a very big trout was lost after a hell of a fight between the rocks near Koppang. The other technique was dry fly fishing. I personally am very charmed by fishing dry flies and since I fish like this on the Glomma a lot of unforgetable moments are burned in my brain. Dry flies that proved to be taken by the grayling in this particular week were: Black ants, small brown sedges, needle flies, super pupans and small klinkhamers in black and purple (!) color. 

There's a lot to tell about the great teamspirit that occured in this bizar fishing team, the evenings by the campfire, eating and drinking together at the camping site, the fishing itselves, the clouds and stars in the sky, the smell of fresh water and woods etc etc. The picture shows (from left to right: Robert Zalm, Dave Moraal, Frank den Dunnen ) tying flies. 

When we had to go back on sept 14, sunburned and satisfied, it was very quiet on board the boat that took us home. Some of us stared in the distance and had all the nice moments replayed in our brains. Glomma, Norway, fish, flies and rising graylings. 

And me? I almost instandly started reading in the Glommaguiden I bought in Elverum. I have never seen such a well documented book about two rivers. Pity that the Atna river is not mentioned but who knows what to come. I read the text, look at the maps and there I go again........dreaming about next trip. Alone this time. 

Text and photo
Erik van den Hoek
hoeke@wanadoo.nl
Holland ( Nederland)

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