A lot of wows but what a week we had!!!
We arrived on the 18th at Lower Sabacchi, with the pyramid stone about 6 inches under water and the ice all gone in the previous few days. It just doesn’t get better to find those conditions for our week. This year 25 years since I first fished this amazing system and my 22nd visit.
Into the home pool we went for a warm up cast after something to eat, getting our licenses and a briefing from Bill… barely 4 hours later every single one of our happy team including Caspar A who had never used a double handed rod let alone caught a salmon, had caught fish – 21 salmon in total…Wow!
Back in for dinner, expertly cooked and presented by Claire assisted by Beanie who was waiting to fly up to Pana. After celebrating Caspar’s first Salmon, Beanie then taught us the skilled art of Russian cutlery tossing which proved to be big hit. As you might imagine, you get better at it after a vodka or two!
Undaunted Craig & Sue C were out early but it was bitterly cold and just 1 fish for Craig P to kick off his day before breakfast. The rest of us were all out on time the following morning to be greeted by the guides and away in our boats. Big water, cold, difficult wind meant hi d lines, super fast tips and heavy flies but the rewards were great. I loved the picture of the double hook up of James and Alex A (father and son) on the blog. What a fantastic memory to treasure for them. Counting up at the end of the day, 112 salmon, beating middle who only got 83. Not a competition of course but “Na,na,nana,na! and another WOW!
Day two – this could get repetitive I’m afraid – 51 by lunch and 94 for the day. Oh and bear in mind the high water meant trying to land fish waste deep in the withies and we must of lost at least a third more again. Wow!
Day three – difficult wind and lower water meant the river was at that awkward height when the fish are further out but you cannot yet wade out to reach them. Nevertheless 74 for the day before we packed in and got ready to fly to Kitsa. Wow again.
Good to see Dennis, Chris J’s (my usual fishing buddy) and my guide from the early days joining us on the helicopter trip to Kitsa. But sadness for me with Chris not with us, still nursing a bad back in the UK this year.
I love the changeover to Kitsa! A new river, a new challenge and a change of scenery. Kitsa was high and at least a degree or two colder than Varzuga – the lake at the top still frozen. Hamish the camp manager and Bryony the chef gave us a great welcome and an excellent dinner with tales of numbers of fish for the team just gone.
Day 1 on Kitsa, as I said, high fast and very cold. Not many fish above first Island but the lower river doing the business big time and Ura and the other guides expertly showing us the hot spots. 81 for the team for the day. Wow!
Day 2. Craig P and Sue C out before breakfast opened our tally, then it was off up river for me. I love searching the Islands with Widgeon and Teal whistling past and the Sand pipers and Turnstones for Company, but I couldn’t find any takers until second Island. Still a bit cold for the new fish perhaps? Anyway the others lower down were still working away… 59 for the day. Wow again!
Final day, the river getting lower and slightly easier to fish every day and we got 68. Another Wow. Oh and I have to say that for me the catch of the day was by Pasha my guide who managed to catch a fish which I hooked and which he missed first time, three feet in the air with a shot that Andy Murray would have been proud of. Brilliant.
And so if my maths are correct. 509 salmon for our team of 9 rods an average of 57 fish each. Where in the world can you still do that?
But salmon fishing on Varzuga and Kitsa is not just about numbers. It is about fantastic people in an amazing wilderness. The fantastic Russian team who look after the camps and river, Charlie W and the ever cheerful Roxtons guys and girls who work so hard to make it just brilliant – yes in the good years as well as the tough ones. And finally, it’s about the fishers in the party that make the whole team experience such fun. Thanks everyone and I hope we will see you all again next year.
Dennis in the Helicopter
Bill and Claire setting up luch
Pasha at Kitsa
The new Kitsa Lodge
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