Salmon fishing. What fly? Orange or Blue?

One more small reporting on the season beginning. The first week of June on the river. Unusually hot weather. It is possible to fish only at night, is better to lie down in a shade in the afternoon or to talk to friends. This group of Bialystok is known for the predilection for manufacturing of refined dishes from fish. I hope that I will manage to publish and share with you secrets of preparation of a salmon on a fire on river bank. For now works Ally ` s Shrimph in various variants. The fly with prevalence of blue colour became a surprise for all. Possibly cloudless dark blue sky has affected a choice of a salmon. I saw for the first time that such a fly can be effective. They not bad worked throughout 2 weeks. But the majority of fishers has preferred checked up Ally ` s Shrimph and the majority of silver salmons has been caught on it.

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

In search of correct salmon strategy.

The first group has begun catching in the end of May on the top camp. The Water level still remained high, but the temperature quickly grew also a best part of the week has made 16 degrees. Activity of fishes has sharply fallen. The sea trout is quickly cunning in the sea, the silver salmon in the river very inertly reacted to flies. It was necessary to wait for the basic input of sea fish which usually begins since June, 5-10th. Not top sites of the river, and bottom have appeared more perspective. Near to a mouth. Though usually on the top sites of the river the great bulk of a salmon which has come into the river in the last autumn and in the early spring accumulates. Therefore the second part of tour, catching of a salmon in the basic camp has appeared more productively.

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

Salmon fishing 2011. Chavanga river results.

On the river Chavanga we have opened the Season 2011 since May, 27th. The spring of this year differed the fastest descent of snow and ice and high temperature of water. To some extent it became repetition of a season 2010 when we observed such weather anomaly with early summer and dry weather. Therefore we were ready to difficult fishing and certainly hoped for arrival of cold weather and rains. Hours of fishing should be displaced for evening and night time. At weather change, especially at a wind from the sea and rains fish was active at any time. The mass run of a fresh salmon from the sea was displaced for a week after usual, but also it proceeded longer, with a maximum from June, 18th almost to the middle of July. Here some photos which to me managed to be made on the river are presented. I hope that our visitors fishers will help me and will publish the interesting pictures.

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

"This was a journey of my life". Chavanga salmon fishing.

‘’This was a journey of my life’’

Once my father said that I am ready for that… Since these words, the trip, I have been dreaming about was closer and closer. This was so challenging, that I couldn’t wait while all those days pass and we will depart somewhere to the North of Russia, where the wild things are. Salmon fishing was a new page in my life, was a new world in my fishing days. I have fished with my father almost all the rivers in Belarus, I couldn’t say it wasn’t fun but fishing the Kola Peninsula its something you need to try before you die.

Once, in a hot June day, my trip begins… Two days of train and we are in the ‘’Kandalaksha’’ city, typical small Russian province. Couple of hours in microbus to the river ‘’Warzuga’’ where we had to get on the other side of the river and than the final distance – breathtaking path along the ‘’White sea’’ shore directly to river ‘’Chavanga’’. Still couldn’t believe that at the end of the day I will be chasing salmon, the fish that was messing my mind for so many years. And finally we got there, small coastal village ‘’Chavanga’’ lays right at the beginning of the river. Being accommodated in a small and quite comfortable fishing lodge, we started to prepare our tackles. The village was very different from those ones in Belarus, even the wild horses, they were just visiting the village sometimes and then going back somewhere else. Locals were doing something all day long, either taking care of the cattle or doing some repair works, as I noticed they were not really exited who is visiting them, cause we were not the first group of fishermen for sure.

Everyone ready, and here it starts. River was in a good condition, it looked very lively, full of different types of insects around. And here you go, the first sign of fish. My first casts very quite bad, as I was really nervous. Being guided by my dad after, I started casting straight to the place I saw fish before. During my ‘’shrimp’’ fly drifting the stream, my heart was slowing down, predicting the big fight, I was very excited. After a while my father came to me and asked me for my rod, I gave it to him, and he started to guiding me, showing me how my fly should drift on the stream to attract fish. And it took two cast for him to hook the fish. He landed the fish, we took a quick photo and let him go. I got more confident in myself, I knew its possible to catch it, my father just did it in from of my eyes. I continued fishing the river, chose a small pool, looked quite deep there, and suddenly felt something on my rod, it wasn’t very aggressive but very heavy. I was trying to pick it up, I couldn’t see it, it was somewhere at he bottom, and suddenly it drag so strong that my line could handle it and broke. My hands were shivering. I ran to my father and told him the story, he smiled and we continued. First salmon was on its way, i found a fast stream part of the river, couple of casts, and I got it. He was very aggressive, going back, forward, my reel was almost burning. After 10-15 minutes of clumsy fighting I got him out of the river, dI opened his mouth and the fly went far into the throat, my father helped me with taking the fly out and I let the fish go. Then father gave me some tips on how to get fish out of the water, and how important it is to do it in shorter time, to prevent death of the fish. . We needed some sleep, cause we were still tired from the long journey, I had one more fish at the end of the day, and we went back to the village, sharing our fishing stories with each other. I was the happiest boy ever. Next morning I took a quick walk around the village, went to smallest shop I ever seen in my life, by the way it was the only one they had here. Local cemetery was on the small hill just next to the village. Its amusing, how people live here, everyday they are doing their routing works, they don’t even think to leave this place, the place of their fathers and grandfathers. They live here and die here…

On the third day of fishing we took and off- road track to the highest parts of the river, where the waterfall is. It’s the most beautiful place I ever been to. The river was covered with mountains from each side. It was a time of my triumph. I had couple of salmons, then we switched to grayling fishing which was also a great fun.

At last I can just say ‘’This was a journey of my life…’’

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

Salmon season starts! Kola fishing

In a month starts a new salmon season on the Chavanga river. Therefore it is possible to talk about suitable tackles, flies and about fishing methods. This set can be considered from the point of view of personal preferences. As well as among spinn anglers , there are fly fishermen who aspire to catch the most delicate tackles. And there are those who moves in an opposite direction, choosing more powerful tackles. The second direction in a choice of tackles is defined by their practical efficiency in concrete conditions. The season beginning, as a rule is characterised by the raised water level. The first days of June, it is frequent to the middle of month a water level exceeds average on 30-50 cm. The Chavanga river see at this time bears in 3-5 times more waters, than in the middle of summer. It limits wading ability on water and forces us to use longer and powerful tackles or distant casts. Considering that week is too small term to give it only on training, it is possible to dispose of it more correctly. Fishing tackles to which you have got used and own in perfection. Probably, it is the most correct approach to a choice of tackles for fishing on the river. Now it is necessary to learn to understand the river, to find the best places accessible to catching at present. Here the help of our guide is necessary for this purpose. This moment will define the further result. After all the localised fish can be caught in many ways. The way of catching is most extended to provocative salmon flies. Here at all has no difference, on what carrier the fly is connected.

Efficiency of presentation depends on our possibility correctly to pick up a complex tackle \ method - a line, an leader, a fly with cast techniques and fly presentations. In huge degree the success depends on possibility of replacement of this complex, replacement of components. In practice of fishing of a salmon this mobility is limited to flies change more often. But efficiency of catching depends on all complex, from its conformity to character of concrete fish. Salmons are different, different at a choice of places of parking, on temperament, on age. Therefore techniques change (methods of catching and flies corresponding to them) gives the chance to catch not only over aggressive at present fishes. Tackles of middle class of weight are represented by the most mobile and perspective. The river even in the season beginning seldom exceeds the reasonable sizes.

Here I will result good, in my opinion, complete sets of tackles, techniques and flies on the season beginning.

The typical provocative techniques with a salmon flies are:

- single hand fishing-rods 8 classes, 9 - 10 foots of length.

-double handed rods # 8

- lines WF or shooting heads with the sinking ends, intermediate type too.

- leaders heavy butt style, or S\FS to 1 metre, 0.27 – 0.30 mm

- flies on any carriers, the size 4-8, ranging from simple single, double or treble hooks, short or long in the shank, barbed or barbless; snakes and needle flies; cone heads, bottle tubes and turbo discs. For example - Ally’s Shrimph, Cascades, Willie Gunn, Red Francis and many other flies in red-orange colours with silver both gold and black details.

Cast - Standard cast down and across on a current. Mending is added, more often upstream. The most characteristic part of conducting - fly deduction on the straightened line directly dawnstream.

It is the most usual, habitual method of fishing in high water.

It is necessary to remember only that depending on conditions on the river, depending on the chosen place of catching, other methods can be more effective and interesting. Many streamer techniques, variants on the wet fly, many methods of nymph will be effective for a salmon. All business in a correct choice of a complex tackle \technician for the given place of catching on the river.

Our guide Jeorge in action. Early June, hight water lever in 2010 spring.

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