River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-11-29

days march north of Bergen. the.
well-known Sogne Fjord pierces the
fields of Norway for distance OF
some 20 miles. 1t is, l believe. the
longest ford in Scandinavia. Along
its indented border. on either side, are
scattered small towns and farm
houses, surrounded by small patches
of cultivation, behind which rise the
rocky, Observation-Disclosures,
everlasting hills, patched with snow
as to their sides and SUBMITS. By
contrast the little red-and-white
houses nesting at their feet look like
children's toy erections from the deck
of the little ford steamer on which
our fishing party stand. This same
steamer is, by way, an annoying
means of conveyance for ardent
salmon-fishermen keen to arrive at
their destination, for it's course is
devious and zigzag to the last de-
gree. Our river is not much over 100
miles by water from Bergen, but the
fjord steamer has to maintain cOnnec-
ton with dozens of the small towns
and villages already mentioned. and
SO enable them to keep touch with
one another and with the outer world.
SO we fuss across the Sogne Fjord
backwards and forwards. here and
there stopping at small landing-stages,
taking off and landing passengers,
dropping pound of tea at this place,
a packet of soap or q parcel of hard
ware at that, going up little branch
fjord and down again, until one
wearies of the process, and even the
wild Scandinavian scenery begins to
pail.
Some so miles up the Sogne on
the north side, at the head OF the
branch Sofndal Fjord, milky blue
snow-fed river rushes headlong into
sea-water. It is named the Aaro. and
in some respects is a mystery and
marvel to the orthodox fisherman.
This river is the outlet for two lakes,
mountain grit, and, of course, snow
fed, that run up into the great field
mainland of Norway for some Is
miles. These two lakes are again
connected by short river, and into
them drain the SHOWS of wide ex-
,panse of rocky field, down innumer-
able burns and streams and little
trickles. Then for about two miles
from the lower lake the blue snow
water (why is Snow-Water a greeny
milky blue? I should like to know
rushes headlong through a pine-clad
mountain gorge, forming series of
splendid foaming rapids that in them
selves are worth a long days journey
to see, leaps over great foss some
100 feet in height, where in the re-
sulting spray perfect rainbow can
always be seen every sunny day, and
then, by means of rapid and pool for
but a bare half-mile, forms the bulk
of the salmon-fshing water we have
come out from England to fog. Last
~ is another foaming rapid of few
hundred yards, then some long estuary
fishing-pools and the sea. Taking the
short extent of fishing-water into con
sideration, the small amount of good
lying for salmon, and the obviously
restricted stretch of spawning beds
for no salmon can get up Aaro Foss
without wings-the wonder is that the
river is salmon river at all.
Yet day on the Aaro river is worth
a long journey to obtain. The fish run
heavy and play strong. A 25-pounder
is a common event, and 40-pounders
are by no means uncommon. It was
here that Mr.. Kennedy killed his g.
FOUNDER not so many years ago, and
every Aaro fisherman, when he hooks
a heavy fish, hopes for something over
so pounds. Treble gut is a necessity,
and probably more lines have been
broken, and more salmon-fshermen
left, for the time, respondent, on the
banks of Aaro than on any other salm-
on river in the whole of more or less
accessible Scandinavia. In this CON-
parison l rule out rivers like the Tana,
in the extreme north, where salmon
have been caught (and lost) like trout
in numbers and like porpoises for size.
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