The E6 follows the Gaula river through Soknedal, and the Gaula is one of the most productive Atlantic salmon rivers in the world, second only to the Tana in total catch. Written reports of salmon fishing here go back to 1440, and customs papers from 1571 record a lively export of smoked and salted salmon from Trondheim to Denmark and Holland.
The modern sport began in 1825 when the first English fishermen arrived with greenheart fly rods, silk lines, and hand-tied salmon flies. Norwegians called them "salmon lords" because of their apparent wealth, though many were industrialists and traders rather than actual nobility. By 1848, the Gaula was described in the Jones Guide to Norway as a "noble stream" where "wondrous has been the sport met with by our Countrymen." Winsnes farm has hosted visiting anglers since 1882, and the English pilgrimage continued right up until the First World War. The tradition left its mark: some of the oldest fishing lodges in Norway still stand along the Gaula, including the "English House" from 1837.
The modern sport began in 1825 when the first English fishermen arrived with greenheart fly rods, silk lines, and hand-tied salmon flies. Norwegians called them "salmon lords" because of their apparent wealth, though many were industrialists and traders rather than actual nobility. By 1848, the Gaula was described in the Jones Guide to Norway as a "noble stream" where "wondrous has been the sport met with by our Countrymen." Winsnes farm has hosted visiting anglers since 1882, and the English pilgrimage continued right up until the First World War. The tradition left its mark: some of the oldest fishing lodges in Norway still stand along the Gaula, including the "English House" from 1837.