At the end of 2023, we published The Mission Issue 42 with a cover shot by Álvaro G. Santillán picturing a scene from an ethereal and somewhat secret Atlantic salmon river in Norway.

Hopping onto a rock in the centre of the river, like some sort of mischievous, priapic, angling wood elf, was regular contributor Nic Schwerdtfeger, the mushroom-pickin’, salmon-guidin’ free spirit who also happened to be our High Fives guide back in issue 11.

The Issue 42 cover story, “Cabin Fever“, tells the story of how guides Nic and Álvaro of Norwegian Flyfishers Club, used an off-day to retrace the written account and footsteps of two Norwegians who built a log cabin alongside that river almost 40 years ago. Here, Nic and Álvaro share some pictures and tell the story behind the story.

The Mission (TM): How did you (and Álvaro) end up on this river?

Nic: Most of Norway’s salmon fishing is available for purchase on a few apps. The data collection is really impressive too, you can pay for your beat, check the weather (tides, precipitation, pressure, water levels etc.) and see previous catches. It really takes a lot of the guesswork out of the mystical pastime that is salmon fishing. This river (which I’m purposefully going to avoid naming) is slightly different. There’s no data… Nothing, no water level reading, no fish counter and no public catch records. In order to plan and execute a successful mission there, you need good old fashioned detective work and a fair amount of effort. It goes like this:

A FOR AWAY

First you drive to the lower bridge, and hopefully you’ve chosen a day with some sun, because from the bridge you can spot fish either holding or on their way further upstream. Assuming the water level looks right at the bridge, you then make the call to buy the 24h ticket for the upper river. Then you drive back down to the local grocery store, and bust out your most charming Norwegian in order for the lady behind the counter to take interest in your dialect. Once you have her attention, get your back up question ready. The back up question is important and there’s a technique to delivery.

I’ll explain. You get the book to sign in and buy your ticket, but she doesn’t really let the book out of her hands. So whilst she is busy writing your details in, you get the cash out and slide it across the counter. Now you deliver the back up question. “Excuse me, what was the date again?” A legitimate and unassuming question. Now, if you’ve played your cards right, she will be distracted and overwhelmed for a brief second, which gives me a few seconds to scan the previous pages and see when last someone has been to the upper part of the river and if they have recorded any catches. Basic NLP and a slight helping of subterfuge in the name of salmon fishing is well within the playing rules here. Assuming no one has been there in the last 24 hours, you’re A for Away.

“Bust out your most charming Norwegian in order for the lady behind the counter to take interest in your dialect.”

With that being said, Álvaro really put in the hours here. He invited me to come fish the river with him one Sunday we both had off. It’s a wild valley with very steep entry and exit points. He had previously flown his drone to find the right pools, find paths and piece it all together – I was just a lucky visitor. The terrain is extremely difficult to navigate and move through if you don’t know where to go and how to get there. You’re essentially fucked if you don’t have a route down to the water and a route out again.

THE PHOTOGRAPHER

TM: Were you giving instructions to Nic over a walky-talky or was this photo just taken by chance?

Álvaro G. Santillán (AS): I’ve paid a visit to that place at least once per season since the first time I came to Norway. It’s a special place for me and I usually enjoy going alone – I love the solitude of those hidden gems. However, last year I wanted to share it with Nic – I knew he would love it there too – and I already had a few photo opportunities visualised in my mind.

So in the case of the cover photo, I asked Nic to walk towards the waterfall and stand on top of that big boulder. When he reached the boulder, he was finding his balance and did exactly what’s in the picture and I was fast enough to capture it. The perfect touch of spontaneity for a great photo!

TM: Give us a glimpse into your working life?

AS: I am from northern Spain and I started my guiding career there in my local area around 15 years ago for trout. Since then it has developed from different species in Spain, such as Atlantic salmon, barbel, pike and trout, to guiding and hosting trips internationally to places like Norway or Scotland.

“Both a successful fishing trip and a shooting project are all about the ingredients, which quite often you have to prepare, plan and look after in advance.”

I’ve been combining my guiding with photography, videography and writing since 2004. In 2016 I decided to quit my job and try to make it into a full time living and I’ve been lucky enough to travel around the world since. I don’t count them, but I think it’s around 25 countries so far, from most of Europe to NZ, Canada or the Maldives.

TM: Is there a method/approach you use when shooting a fly fishing mission? What are your boxes to tick in terms of shots? 

AS: I would say that both a successful fishing trip and a shooting project are all about the ingredients, which quite often you have to prepare, plan and look after in advance. When you shoot professionally there is not that much room for improvisation. You need to choose carefully the location, the shooting plan, the crew in front and behind the camera, clothing, fishing and camera gear etc. There are obviously things that you can’t plan in advance, but overall if you cover those things, the experience and the time that you enjoy by the water are going to be positive and therefore, you will be able to capture beautiful moments as the ones we captured with Nic.

BIRDS, MUSHROOMS AND MOSS ON AND ATLANTIC SALMON RIVER IN NORWAY

TM: Describe the space there. It looks straight out of Lord Of The Rings or something?

Nic: The walk in gives you a pretty good vision of what you can expect in terms of biology and ecology in the valley. It’s a good mix between old growth forest consisting of asp, oak, birch, poplar and pine. There are cultivated belts of fir and spruce which are used in the timber industry. The mixture of both green leafy trees and conifers provides an excellent soil climate for a number of symbiotic, mycorrhizal and saprophytic fungi to occur. The flatter parts of the ground closer to the river are completely engulfed with moss and lichen of different colours and structures. A flowing fluorescent carpet of living, breathing mosses stretches over rocks and felled trees in every direction. It’s a serene place where you can’t help but relax. Honestly one of the most secluded and beautiful places I’ve ever been.

It smells like life. Like everything is in balance, everything is thriving, just left to be without any form of human intervention. I don’t know if harmony has a smell, but if it did, it would smell like this. You can’t hear any traffic, see any cars, and most of the time you can’t hear each other since the river makes a fair amount of noise. The river itself is usually a slightly tannin-stained, golden whiskey colour; perfect actually.

“It’s heaven.”

All the local bird species are present, woodpeckers, finches and some raptors. We’ve also spotted a few moose and badgers along the road on the way in. The predominant mushrooms are of the Amanita family (red fly agaric, panthercaps etc). There are also a number of edible mushrooms (boletus, chanterelles and leccinum varieties on display.) It’s heaven. I could live in that cabin for a week no problem. Just writing about it paints this wild and vivid image in my mind. I also feel that words don’t do it justice. Sometimes for me a lot of what constitutes a memorable spot is felt as an energy or an internal feeling that just can’t be put into words. This place definitely gives that.

DAYS OFF

TM: Is this a regular off-day for two guides? What else do you guys get up to on off days in Norway? 

Nic: Yes and no. This day it really all came together, except for the fish! I was hoping to full circle the whole story this year and go catch a fish up there, but alas. Closed river and all that.

A typical day off for us usually starts out by catching up on sleep lost during the previous week, eating slowly and eating well. During our weeks guiding, it’s pretty intense, we sleep a few hours here and there, but because it’s a 24 hour fishery and we essentially have the midnight sun, our guests can fish pretty hard. We are usually allocated 6 hours on a Sunday to fish all of the NFC pools on a first come, first serve basis. But a lot of the time guests will also take advantage of this, leaving us to find other options.

The valley that the Gaula runs through is insanely beautiful and you don’t have to go far to see some amazing things in terms of natural beauty. Since I’m busy studying field mycology, I spend a lot of time foraging, documenting and logging mushrooms into our database all around the valley. I hike, fish for trout, hike some more, and just try spend as much time as possible outside.

This cover came from a story about fly fishing in Norway, which first appeared in The Mission Issue 42 (Nov/Dec). You can the read the whole thing for free, below.

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