Life in the fish farm

Written by Ola Hobbelstad

We were at the river for 8-9 hours almost every night, so we needed to come home to get a cup of coffee and some food. Especially on bitter autumn evenings it could be cold down by the river, so it was good to come inside.

Previously, when the owners fished for a day as we said, i.e. they each had their own fishing days after rotation, then Ullern and Hobbelstad each had their own fishing hut. Kruke lived so close that they went home. This was on the east side. In more recent times we fished together on a party basis, i.e. we share after a party when the fishing is finished. The Hobbelstad hut had eventually become dilapidated and bad, so Ullern hut became the natural haunt. The hut has been restored and stands there to this day.

The fishing hut consisted of one room and was 15-16 square meters. It had wooden benches along the sides, a table, a stove and a couple of chairs. Here we relaxed, dried clothes, ate and warmed ourselves. There were windows facing the river and a lot of time was spent sitting and watching the river and seeing if the salmon were swimming on the bottom.

And then we had the "Beer Hook". It was an iron ring about 5 cm in diameter that hung from a string from the ceiling. In the wall there was a large iron hook. It was a matter of throwing the iron ring so that it stayed hanging on the iron hook. It took a lot of training and good technique to do it.

Otherwise, it was coffee drinking and maybe a game of cards. There was net hanging on the wall and up under the ceiling, a couple of spare oars and spare blanks for stakes and hooks. When the fishing was over in the fall, we had a fishing hut.

Then we decorated with birch leaves and cooked fresh salmon, and then it was a little good after that.

Harald Skretteberg (he took the picture) - the boots (leather putting gaiters)

Ingar Berg's father

Hilmar Olsen