We had a group of anglers from Farlows, Pall Mall fish the Varzina River on the North Kola Peninsula in Russia in mid July this year. Chris Ward has kindly provided a report on the fishing during his week.....
Varzina Fly Fishing Report
We get our first view of the Varzina as the helicopter banks hard to the right on its final descent towards the camp.
Even from two thousand feet up the river is an imposing site as it cuts an impatient dash through the wild tundra of Russia’s northern Kola Peninsula.
Long foaming stretches of boulder strewn rapids are interspersed with mouth watering glassy pools and immediately I’m reminded of the advice from our Farlows representative. “Don’t expect to catch 50 fish in a week here but make sure you have strong tackle because this is a powerful river where you may just catch the fish of a lifetime,” I was told.
The camp sits on a hill with commanding views of the Varzina at its junction with the River Penka. The river is tidal here and it’s possible to see fresh fish entering the home pool on rising water. It also makes for some excellent fishing after dinner just a few minutes walk from the main lodge in the endless arctic daylight. We’re already too late in the season for the Penka’s impressive run of 20lb spring fish but our week from July 10-17 is considered a peak time for the Varzina. Even before leaving London we’d heard rumours that runs of salmon right across the Kola were down on previous years but I chose to banish negative thoughts and fish as hard as I could in the week ahead.
On the first morning my fishing partner and I were first to be dropped off by the helicopter at Finn Pool – one of the most consistent and productive beats on the river. Either side of lunch I lost two good salmon, one of them right at the net. Mastering the art of playing such powerful fish in heavy currents is all part of the learning experience. Towards the end of the afternoon my guide, Volodya, ferried me over to the right bank and within a few minutes of casting into the tail of the pool I hooked and landed a lovely fresh 13lb fish right on the lip of the rapids. Simultaneously, my fishing partner was into a better fish on the left bank and I enjoyed the theatre as our guide rowed back across like an Olympian to net what turned out to be a cracking 16 pounder.
And so the week continued with each day a new fishing experience on a new beat. The visiting angler can expect a mixture of rock hopping, different grades of wading, some easy casting and some not so easy. If, like me, you’re relatively new to salmon fishing it will pay to put in the hours back home to finesse your spey casting – preferably off both shoulders so you can cope with all circumstances.
I ended the week with 14 fish to 19 pounds. There were bigger fish to 25 lbs for some of my more experienced fishing friends and we saw plenty of grilse in the river which must auger well for future years.
For more information on rods available on the Varzina River in 2011 please email us or call on +44 1621743711
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