Fly Fishing in Russia Kola Peninsula Salmon Fishing on Ponoi River.

Kola Peninsula, Russia Fly Fishing
Ponoi River Salmon Fishing

Kola Peninsula Ponoi River Fly Fishing

Ponoi River has gained worldwide recognition as one of the most productive Salmon Rivers on earth and you will have to search hard to find such a unique and un-spoilt Salmon stock

The Ponoi River with an overall length of 400 kilometers is the longest river on the Kola Peninsula. It flows parallel and just north of the polar circle, through the largest nature reserve on the Kola. With numerous lakes in the system, waterflow is very stable and remains nearly unaffected by rain or dry conditions.

Ponoi is regarded as a big river with 60 to 150 meters from bank to bank, but it is quite shallow with an average depth of about 1, 5 meters. The fishing is therefore possible and productive both wading or from boat and in many places you will find pools and holding places side by side across the river as if two or three rivers were braided together.

Wildlife is prolific and from May through the summer the area is practically invaded by a variety of birds of all kinds from ducks and songbirds to falcon and eagles. Actually one of our best pools on the beat below Acha camp is running close to a steep cliff where the falcon has made a fine penthouse-like nest construction hanging some 20 meters above a very nice salmon run - that's a view to envy.

The area is sparsely populated mostly by descendants of the ancient northern Sami people. A few miles west of Acha camp you will find a village with around 60 residents through the year. Their main occupation is in line with the ancient traditions of "Caribou - farming" and their trapping fences can be seen on the south side of the river below and opposite the village. The residents have permission to fish for salmon in certain areas, but this allowance is restricted to rod and reel fishing only. So in that respect we are in the "same boat" except for a small difference in choice of tackle!

1. Pacha camp!
Lax-a club will operate this newly built extremely luxurious timber camp. The main building is a communal building for eating and relaxing. Accommodation is in cabins with twin beds and heated by log burning stoves. The catch records show similar returns to those at Acha camp. Fishing is both from the bank and from stabile jet boats.

2. Acha camp
It is situated at the junction where the very productive Acha River enters the Ponoi and you will also be able to walk up and fish the beautiful lowest pools in Acha River just beside the camp.

There are 6 new wooden cabins wit-all with twin beds, stove and The dinning tent is the well know safari - style containing kitchen and separated cozy dinning room with bar, fly tying corner and sofa for relaxing.

3. Acha River boating program
The explorative alternative for the challenging guy, who likes a bit of sweat with his salmon! The helicopter will drop of the team with two welltrained guides and you will be able to fish the pools from about 30 km upstream of the Acha camp and all the way downstream to Acha Camp. These exploratory visits are highly successful and you will discover premium fly-fishing water with numerous holding pools in the most beautiful countryside with abundant wildlife. Accommodation will be in portable tents which our Russian guides will move regularly in rubber boats.

4. Porog camp
Porog camp located 15 km upstream Pacha camp consists of 5 Sami style timber huts with twin beds in each. The camp contains also a larger central dinning / socializing house plus Sauna shower. Daily fishing and transport from new jets boats.

Our Staff

Russia Salmon Fishing

In both our camps you will find a friendly and organized staff that will take care of you both when fishing and recovering in camp.

All our guides will have passed our own training program and furthermore carry between 3 and 9 years of guiding experience in their vest. They are all capable of communicating in English and they will surely have a genuine fly-fishing interest.

The daily organization of the fishing and guides is managed so that each of the guides is appointed to a certain beat and there they will show you the melody of the situation. This way you will rotate between the guides and you can rest assure that the guide will be on top of the actual situation on his home-court?

Fly Fishing in Russia

On the Ponoi you will encounter a week of Salmon fishing that you will never forget!

When you arrive you may think that this is one hell of a big stream, but after a few hours on the river you will soon discover that it is readable and very accessible water featuring all the classic salmon-domains from riffles, glossy glides to stream edges, bars and big rocks scattered in a curving pool. Okay there is no fall pool stopping the fish in a aquarium-like situation, but some days you may face so many fish that it feels like someone has sneaked a waterfall in above our beat during the night!

Each guide has his own spacious alu-boat and this is both for transportation and fishing - but if you prefer fishing from the bank or wading you will find this very possible on all our beats so just ask your guide for directions on that matter. Of course there are pools that are best covered from boat - but there is definitely equally many pools better covered from the bank or waders!

The lower part of the tributary Acha river that runs out in Ponoi in Acha camp will be included in the fishing rotation! So be ready with your single hand rod, dryflies and skaters - and be tuned for a short-lining salmon-rush.

There are rivers on the Kola where you have a chance of catching bigger fish and there are maybe also places where you can get bigger numbers of smaller fish - but the unique mix of quantity and quality that you will find on the Ponoi is unparalleled!

This doesn’t mean that you just have to show up at any given time and situation and the just hurl fish out on a row. No - luckily this is still Atlantic salmon fishing with all the edges and challenges so water, weather, skills and good old fishing luck still influence the outcome of the day and week, but you will have to look hard for better odds than here.

The fishing starts in late may when the usual spring flood is running of and the white polar nights normally create a euphoric and exhausting fishing trance among our guests. As may moves into June we see a period that must be considered prime time. The fishing is extremely reliable as both the over wintering non-spawners and fresh fish from the sea start to respond to the increasing temperatures and steadily dropping water. If wind and weather also plays along these are weeks where the salmon-ceiling is popped of like corks from our Russian champagne.

Some guests have had up to 60 fish in June and we are not talking grilse on a string. The ratio salmon to grilse is about 2:1.

The fishing is mostly carried out with double hand rods or heavy single hand outfit and the usual choice of line would be intermediate or slow sinking, but as soon as you face a day of good rising temperature it will be very smart to get the floater sorted out and start to fish faster.

As June moves into July the summer will manifest itself with high-pressure weather and sunshine sometimes 24 hours pr. day.

Needles to say that these conditions will can affect the fishing, but you may be astonished to hear that it sometimes can improve catches.Dryfly tactics is very worthwhile and it can be absolutely essential in July

The amount of fish on our beats is probably peaking in July and the reason why the catch pr. rod is a bit higher in June is probably that weather and temperature is more suitable for the salmon to get hooked. Regarding the fish - two major things happen during July. We see an increase in fresh grilse so that the salmon to grilse ration moves towards 1:1 But we also face some of the over wintering fish that are bound to stay in the river for 1,5 years before spawning and you will not be in doubt when you hook one of them. Being up to 25 % heavier pr. length these bombs will make your lower jaw smack the bank.

The average summer-salmon will be between 7 and 15 lb. but every week there will be landed some bigger fish - usually males, sometimes well over 20 lb.

Kola River -- The Destination for Trophy Atlantic Salmon. The Kola is the largest river on the Northern Kola Peninsula emptying into the Barents Sea. No wonder the entire peninsula derives its name from it. The camp is situated about 250 miles above the Arctic Circle just below where the Kitsa (a major tributary and a very fine salmon river in its own right) joins the Kola.

The Kola/Kitsa fishery is renowned for its exceptionally strong, large, and numerous salmon. The season opens in June and the entire month is dominated by the fresh run of the multi-sea-wintered fish averaging between 17lbs – 30lbs, with some monsters in excess of 40lbs.There are no grilse in the river at this time. The early weeks of June will see high and cold water conditions, characteristic of the early season dictating the use of heavy tackle, fast sinking lines, large flies and tubes. Normally towards the 3rd week of June, the fishing is done with floating lines and lighter rods because the water levels drop and the temperatures rise, creating optimal conditions for both fish and the fishermen.

Very often we are asked what rods should be used, double or single-handed. Our opinion is that the double-handed rods are a definite advantage, especially in the early season. During the latter part of June one can successfully use the single-handed rods. The fisherman should expect to catch 3 to 5 fish daily and given their size and strength, they provide one with more then adequate doses of adrenaline to get through the day. Also it's good to remember that being this far North, you can fish 24 hours a day and double these numbers. Your guides will take you daily to fish the different pools and the boats prove very helpful as there are many miles of water to cover. Most of the salmon ascending the Kola end up in the Kitsa -- their spawning grounds -- and the Kitsa provides superb fishing in more intimate surroundings, as it is somewhat smaller than the Kola.

The night air temperatures around this time range between 45 degrees Fahrenheit and reach into the 70-ies during the day. The water temperature is typically between 45–60 degrees Fahrenheit. The first weeks of July sees higher air temperatures and lower water conditions. The grilse run begins, adding numbers to the caught fish and sheer joy so typical for these juvenile leapers that eagerly grab your flies. Towards the end of July the run tapers off, however the fishing remains strong as fish are plentiful throughout the entire river system, but rising water and air temperatures can combine to create more challenging conditions. Smaller flies and stealthier approaches are the order of the day.

Dry fly fishing and the riffling hitch techniques come highly recommended at this time. The accomodations at the camp are in cottages with private bathroom and shower. The dining/sitting area is in a separate building with a beautiful circular shaped veranda, serving as a bar overlooking the Home Pool. Here one can relax after the day's fishing, enjoy a drink (or two) with your fellow anglers and watch the salmon leap. This sight invariably ends with the urge to run back to your cottage, grab your tackle, and go after the teaser. Well, whatever you do, while in the camp you are never too far from fish as they are always within a cast, 24 hours a day.

Angling Club Lax-a Russia
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