ULF NORDSTROM – A MAN SERIOUS ABOUT SALMON

Given the scale of the collection of rods, reels and, in particular, fully dressed salmon flies assembled by Ulf, we felt it would be interesting to look more closely at the man behind it all.

The following notes come from Freddy Johannsen, a great friend of Ulf’s, who was bequeathed the collection.

“Ulf Nordström was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. He worked at Göta Verken, a boatyard in Gothenburg. All his vacations – 5 weeks during the summer each year was used for fishing in Tana and Börsälv in Northern Norway. 

On weekends and free time, Ulf tied classic salmon flies and they were always perfect. Ulf was meticulous in his fly tying, everything down to the smallest detail had to be perfect. A great fan of Hardy Fully Dressed Salmon Flies in the era of the likes of Ken Middlemist it was Ulf who curated the amazing collection we have here now. 

Ulf was also a big collector of English reels and rods. Favourites were Hardy and Bruce & Walker. 

Ulf passed away from cancer in 2011 and according to his wishes, the ashes were scattered in Ulf’s beloved river Driva in Norway”

The story continues as I investigate one of the most powerful salmon reels I have ever handled: a Tana Spey 1 made by Reijo Savolainen. Measuring 5 inches in diameter, it has quite possibly the most powerful drag of any reel I have handled.

Ulf was fishing with Reijo on the Jalva beat of the Teno River in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Reijo was fishing an 18-foot rod and made the reel specifically to balance it. Only five examples were produced, and Ulf managed to secure the unnumbered fifth reel, complete with two spare spools and a superb leather case. The reel is similar in construction to Bringsen’s Black Shadow, and Ulf later had it engraved in his hometown of Gothenburg. It will remain in my cabinet for the foreseeable future.

Our main task with this collection has been the cataloguing of the vast number of salmon flies. Remarkably, this includes around 2,000 original Hardy flies, 134 by Belarmino Martinez (considered by many of his peers to be one of the world’s finest fly dressers), and many thousands tied by Ulf himself — a remarkable tyer in his own right.

We plan, in due course, to list a selection of these flies, with some being framed, perhaps alongside interesting artwork. Please contact us if you have a particular interest in acquiring some, or if you are looking for a truly special gift.

ULF NORDSTROM TIED FLIES Green Highlander, Silver Wilkinson and Torrish