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Osen Salmon Fishing Lodge and Ladder
Introduction. Osen is a historic Norwegian rectory and fishing lodge, being one of a handful of lodges still in use from the time when salmon fishing became popular amongst British and Irish gentry in the mid 19th century. Situated 15 miles from the open sea, in a commanding position at the head of Dalsfjord, which is 100 miles north of Bergen, it sits next to one of the most productive salmon fishing pools in Norway. With the house comes the rights to the fishing on most of the lower part of the River Gaula which also includes Norway's oldest salmon fishing ladder. The house is listed by the Nowegian Government for its historic importance as it has retained almost all of its original character, including floor to ceiling ornate wrought iron stoves in most rooms. It retains a unique sense of fishing history with catch records going back to the 1880s and many of the largest fish caught have been painted on the floor to the entrance hall.

﻿History of Osen. In 1832 Reverend Rennord completed the construction of Storehuset (literally translated as Large House) at Osen which became his vicarage. Mr Rennord’s widow and son Ulrick continued to live in Storehuset until 1870. With a new road and bridge over the River Gaula, Osen lost some of its importance as a trading place and only ruins of mill activity and the old stone quay where steamers used to tie up are still visible. The decline of Osen is thought to be one of the factors that led to the house becoming a fishing lodge. Likewise, the development of the ladder was made easier by using much of the existing structure of the redundant mill. In 1903 Sir Charles Thomas Stanford, who by then had fished the river for many years, published a charming account of his days fishing the River Gaula, entitled A River of Norway, a book still worth reading by fishermen intending to fish at Osen. In 1935 Storehuset and the fishing under Osen was bought by Mr Rolf Olsen, great grandfather of the present owner, Mr Per Karsten Wahl of Drammen, Norway.

Development of the River and Ladder. The development of the river and ladder was in large part due to the arrival of Mr William T Potts of Coreen Castle, Ireland. He took a 25 year lease of salmon fishing from Mr Rennord. The salmon at that time could not negotiate the waterfall at the mouth of the river so Mr Potts set in motion the building of the ladder, an amazing piece of engineering which has stood the test of time and is the oldest ladder in Norway having been constructed in 1870. With the salmon now having access to the upper reaches of the river and better spawning grounds, Mr Potts negotiated with the farmers on both banks of the river to have full fishing rights off their land with access from the road. In 1878 he bought Storehuset from Mr Rennord and it is this inclusive package which has been handed down and which is enjoyed today. The ladder exists today and is maintained in the original style with timber planks in places to create the steps. The main salmon run commences the ascent of the ladder in the second half of June each year when the water temperature reaches 12 degrees centigrade and at its peak 50 to 100 salmon pass through the ladder each day. At the top of the ladder there is now a salmon counter with camera which monitors the salmon population. Every salmon is recorded, together with its size and sex. Last year more than 2800 fish passed through the ladder to spawn in the river. Although the river is fed by part of Europe's largest glacier and is 63 kms long, the salmons' migratory passage is stopped by an unnavigable waterfall 14 kms upstream. The picture to the right shows two fish passing through the ladder counter, one of 45 cms and a large salmon of 125 cms.

References.

External Links.

1. Osen website describes the river, house and fishing in more detail.

2. NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) website describes aspects of the River Gaula fishing and history.

3. NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation) website describes Osen Farm and its history.

4. Norwegian Directorate of Cultural Heritage listing of Osen.