Unknown Fisherman and more

From Trondheim 1996

In this picture you see a man fishing the Nidelva River which at this spot flows through the city of Trondheim. It was July 1996. The fisherman was fishing Atlantic Salmon or Sea-run Brown Trout. I don't know his name, but he was the first fisherman I ever gave a fly.

From Trondheim 1996

We had been traveling around Europe for about 3 weeks and the reason that brought us to Norway were the mountains. Thing is that there are no mountains in Finland. My companion and I had both fall in love to the mountains some weeks earlier in Pyrenees. We had already been heading back home to Finland, but one conversation at Hamburg with my companion send us all the way as far north to Norway as we possibly could in seek for more mountains. It turned out that we had headed too far north as greatest mountains in Norway are southwest from Trondheim.

But there we were, standing at the bank of Nidelva River. I had carried this single Atlantic Salmon Fly whole the way from one corner of Europe to the next and finally to that very river bank and I felt very nervous. Sole purpose of taking the fly with me was to give it to a fisherman. And right there was the perfect opportunity and I started thinking how silly the whole operation was. My companion didn’t take my lame excuses for long. She pushed me (either verbally or physically – I can’t remember) down the bank towards the fisherman. I gave my fly to him. He took it, showed his fly box and we discussed shortly and then I left.

I had met my travel companion six months prior this moment. I remember it clearly as it was New Years Eve 1995 when we met. I kissed her first time when the year turned to 1996. Since then she has pushed me to the right direction more than once and there is no end in sight.

I would like to thank her for that.