The start of sport fishing in the Drammen River

Robert D Hutchinson

In 1839, Robert Dalton Hutchinson published the first textbook on fly fishing in Norwegian: "Fluefiskeriets anvendelse i Norge". This small book, only about 40 pages long, was written at the request of the many who had seen how elegantly he mastered this form of fishing.

Hutchinson's book has undoubtedly had a lot to say for fly fishing in this country, and perhaps also for sport fishing in the Drammenselva. He may not have been the first to fish with a fly in Norway, but he was certainly the first to so willingly pour out his knowledge for the benefit of everyone else. Hutchinson's book says very little, if anything, specifically about salmon fishing in the Drammenselva. The book is a textbook on fly fishing and not a description of salmon rivers. But there is no doubt that it is the Drammenselva that is referred to when salmon fishing is described.

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