Autumn salmon fishing on the Kola. Little summary of Chavanga & Strelna fishing tours..
Salmon fishing in Russia.
Salmon fishing in Russia.
Autumn - the best time for catching of a salmon! For me always was a riddle why some my colleagues obstinately try to start at the beginning of a season, the end of May and the beginning of June. I assume that they are entered into error by catching practice on the rivers of pool of Barents sea where stand super expensive camps stand and advertising foam is carried worldwide. On Terski coast of Kola peninsula, on the rivers of the White sea, beginning from Ponoj river and further on the southwest, the great bulk of salmons enters into the rivers in the autumn. Therefore in the spring we catch those fishes who remained in the river since the autumn. In my opinion, it is more logical to catch fishes when they full of strength and health enter into the river from the sea.
Usually I argue in this way, when somebody ask me about the best time for fishing. Certainly, happens, the river gives different surprises, and I rejoice each time when fishing turns out successful.
This year on Kola there was a dry and hot summer. Already in the first days of June water has got warm to 14, and by the end of decade to 16 degrees. It is unusually high temperature for this time. As the indicator of extremely early approach of summer can serve the fact of occurrence of mosquitoes and a midge not in 20 , 25 dates of June, and already on the first week of summer! All fish has fallen into a trance and did not submit life signs. According to local experts on problems extremely severe winter with a fast descent of ice has added also. On my own supervision for 14 years seasons 2010 and 2011 have developed extremely adversely for salmon fishing. So after difficult summer we assigned all hopes for the autumn, we waited for autumn rains, cold winds and, of course, the storm promising the beginning of a mass input of salmons from the sea.
Village site of Chavanga river has a lot of good holes and spots for running salmons.
The first parties of fresh fish were pulled in Chavanga from the middle of September. We lived in our guest house in hundred metres from the river and every day, going on fishing, went along coast. From a footpath all falls and river rifts were well visible. Water even now, in second half of September, remained low and unusually pure. With each inflow the new party of fish came into the river. About that, how much they have entered into the river, it was possible to judge on jumps and splashes in shallows and river bottlenecks. Here fish did not stand, and aspired to pass above, in holes under the next falls or on reaches all time upstream. Probably, because of very low water level fish behaved carefully and not too willingly attacked flies on quiet water. In my opinion, places of time parking, in poles or ditches above falls or on rifts were at once the best. In some places fish accumulated very much, such holes among thresholds we began to name aquariums
Autumn fish has some distinctive features. If to compare it to spring fish or with fishes of summer run, the difference in standard of fishes at once is visible. The autumn salmon is wider, is thicker, more powerful than the spring. It did not stand yet in the river the whole winter and had superfluous 2-3 months for feeding in the sea in comparison with summer fish. So on a hook these fishes battled adequately. The average weight of fishes was within 3.5 - 5 kg. Some salmons could pull on 6 kg. But, unfortunately, quickly to weigh, without having caused harm to fish, we could not. As always, the greatest fishes have broken from a hook. It is an old story, we always lose rather large salmons in the autumn. More often it is connected by it is necessary to fish at a small water level and on a close distance. In such conditions sometimes it is impossible to stop the big fish when it suddenly as the torpedo will rush away. In 2-3 seconds under squeal of the coil such monster exhausts a line under stones, jumps from falls and breaks a tippet. Sometimes so we lose line, it is necessary to climb under falls and to take the rests of a line from under stones. Therefore I, for example, do not put leads thicker 0.30 mm, let fish will tear off a tippet, than will pull out to itself a jaw or will hurt a line. And fish pecks on thin nylon better in pure autumn water . In the spring, please, a nylon 0.30 0.35 will fit for fishing.
Top Camp Chavanga site. The main spawning part of the river. Its very easy for fishing , but we try to stop fishing here in autumn.
The low water level influences not only diameter of tippets. It was necessary to cast on a short distance, to fish concrete holes, ditches and shelters of fishes. In such conditions there was no sense in far casts with diagonal drift of a fly. The role was played not by a distance, but by cast accuracy and a manner of presentation of a fly. I was once again convinced, what even fresh sea fish happens carefully and legible in the conditions of pure and small water. She perfectly sees all around and instantly loses interest to a fly at errors in presentation. The most important - the first cast. If you have guessed with a position of a salmon and the fly became into position right after falling on water then the salmon does not deliberate and attacks. Repeated casts, slaps of line on a water quickly kill interest of a salmon to a fly. It is difficult to count on attack when he sees a fly which over and over floats by it in non-working position. So happens, when the fly falls on water on not straightened tippet. While the current will pull a tippet - passes 3-4-5 seconds passes. It is enough of it, that the salmon has lost interest to a sound of falling of a fly on water and to its kind.
For this reason, during this autumn on Chavanga one-hand fishing-rods successfully have appeared successfully more mobile and effective from the point of view of quality of presentation of a fly in such extreme conditions. Despite all our attempts to find the most effective fly, the salmon was landed on all flies gradually. Among popular were Ally ` s shrimp in various variants, Cascade also in variants Machine and Green Machine. I advised sometimes to try variants with black collar instead of a habitual orange feather. Black flies with accent from a feather jungle cock worked also.
It is necessary to notice that all these flies have seemed attractive and for black salmons. Since the first falls on the river spawning areas are located. Everywhere it was possible to see backs and tails of spawning fishes. It is surprising that all these small reaches between falls on the bottom site of the river were considered as the empty. Here all the summer long there were no life signs, and we diligently ran upwards on the river, considering that all fish stays far away from the house. But is not present, set of salmons have staid here not noticed since spring and all the summer long. On a hook came across kelt fishes with characteristic darkly brown, almost black coloring, with plentiful black-red divorces on a body.
Top Camp Chavanga site. The main spawning part of the river. Its very easy for fishing , but we try to stop fishing here in autumn.
Nice holes at the waterfall site of Strelna river.
Last days of September have gone long-awaited rains, the river began to be filled with water. Every day fishes in the river became more and it was caught more actively. We still had some more days off. Last years we practice fishing with change of the rivers. That is, part of time we are fishing on Chavanga and some days on Strelna. Strelna it is the river which proceeds in 50 kilometres on the east from Chavanga. It is larger in the sizes. The valley of the river that is clamped in rocks leaves in a wide valley at the sea. At Strelna other character, other atmosphere in comparison with Chavanga that looks chamber, intimate especially in small water.
An unique territory for fishing and for observing running salmons.
In the morning, after the next night rain with the strongest wind, we have gone to Strelna. Here too there was a drought, but the sizes of the river have very much pleased fans of two-handed rods. Here really is where to be developed. It was visible that water has gone upwards after several rainy days. Constantly and everywhere on rifts, on falls fish going upwards jumped. It was possible to become with the camera and to do on a picture of the jumped out fish each 2 minutes.
We used different flies, changed color and the size. Here process of creation of a fly on a compounding of Rafal is presented. Clops is well known salmon angler everywhere and all over the world. He used plastic tubes and a brass head as a fly basis, plus - wool of a goat. This fly has appeared very productive for catching of a salmon in holes at falls and on rifts with shelters where salmons gathered.
We have dispersed on the river. There are much places convenient for fishing, it was possible to cast directly near camp in which we have stopped. Above and above on the river falls with reaches and rifts alternated. The river convenient, we threw from bank, without coming far into water. Abrupt rocks from a granite go down directly to water. On them it is convenient to go, but it is necessary to be careful, the river is serious.
Unlike Chavanga where it was necessary to search for places of parking of a salmon to track down fish, here on Strelna there was enough to take a convenient place and fish will approach itself . One, two, six salmons pass by a fly, at last, the tenth attacks! To keep a salmon in powerful water stream is very difficultly, and on rocks not so you will run about. But great volume of water helps us to struggle with fish. If it did not manage to fall down quickly from falls then it already has no place to get to, it is necessary to constrain only its pressure and to wait. Here we have not lost any salmon while on Chavanga every second fish left in stones from us in stones . On the statistic one of groups has land 65 fishes in the summer and has lost 42 salmons. Probably, the salmon in small pure water took a fly very delicately. Now on the river Strelna the salmon attacked very aggressively. We have tried the same flies that well worked on the river Chavanga. To select them any more there was no big sense. When it was possible to submit a fly to fish nose correctly , attack followed. Fish was marked reliably for an internal part of a mouth or in a corner of jaws.
The basic problem was made almost by a gale-force wind. Fortunately it was possible to take cover behind high rocky coast which has closed us from a wind. Besides in the evenings the wind abated, and it was possible to catch without problems in the pleasure. In the end of day we were waited by a convenient chimney hall, a plentiful supper which was submitted by two lovely girls. We still were going to be ill for Russian football national team which tried to make the way on the European championship. But a dream toook us, it was necessary to gather in a way back in the morning. It`s a nice river, good fishing.
Clops in action, next good salmon fly.
Here is a step-by-step tying of Clop`s salmon tube cone fly.
I hope that the coming winter will not be difficult for a salmon. Two winterings of 2010 2011 were heavy because of a low water level and strong constant frosts. But on the statistic the probability of repetition of such abnormal seasons is small. The season of 2012 should be normal, with the water average level, the average level of temperatures and good salmon fishing
Another main things in fisherman life- good dinner, good drink and talking about ......
Chavanga,
Czawanga, Strelna river, salmon fishing in Russia, peche au saumon Russie,
pesca de salmon Rusia, pesca del salmon in Russia, fiske lax, lov lososu v
Rusku, fang von lachs in Russland
