A couple of friends suggested over a beer one day it was about time we all went on a fishing trip together. All of us being fans of salmon fishing, I suggested we all visited Russia. I’ve been lucky enough to fish the Kharlovka now for quite a few years and it never fails to disappoint me. Obviously Russia can be expensive, let's face it the best fishing normally is. But, if you’re willing to take a gamble maybe very early on in the season you might just grab a bargain.
It’s May and the first week of the season on the Kharlovka and Litza rivers. Now at this time of the year in Russia it can be a little bit on the cold side. When landing at Murmansk military airport we weren’t disappointed. Snow covered the airport; I’m feeling pretty smug that I packed my very warm thermals. I’m with my friends George and Campbell; we all board the helicopter at Murmansk and fly into the snowy home camp at Kharlovka.
It soon became apparent that our early week gamble was beginning to pay off. The group were catching fresh fish in the high teens and lower twenties. Springers of this size in this fast, big flowing river really were a handful and were truly prize specimens.
A few days into the trip, George and I were being flown on to the Litza. We then had to walk down to Military pool. Now everyone was looking forward to fishing the Military pool. It was pretty much the first holding pool entering the Litza and everyone who fished this pool seemed to be getting into good fish.
George fished the head of the pool as I was making my way down to the tail when Georges’s rod doubled over. You could tell he was into something special. Dima our guide and I rushed over to assist him. For 20mins George tried to tame this beast but just as he thought he had it under control and close to the bank, the fish just turned into the main flow of the river and took off, there was nothing he could do about it. After another couple of lunges, he eventually got the fish under control and Dima slid the fish into the net. A bright bar of sea-liced silver weighing in at 26lb. George's personal best fish, and what a beauty it was.
Right, my turn! As much as I love to watch friends play and land fish, you still like to have a go yourself, right?! Second cast and I was into a decent lump too. Mine also being another sea-liced bar of silver and weighing in at a respectable 22lb. My personal best Springer too. Is there anything better than friends both catching fish of a lifetime in a special environment like the Litza River?
We were both walking back to the pick up point awaiting the helicopter discussing the day's fishing and how amazing both fish were. The wind was getting up, in fact that’s an understatement; we had to lie down to stop ourselves being blown over. We now realised the helicopter was late in picking us up. This never happens, the 'copters are run like Swiss clockwork. I noticed Dima having a radio conversation and that’s when we were told that the helicopter was unable to pick us up due to the really strong winds. So we’d have to spend the night on the mountain. Now you might remember me telling you that there was snow on the ground, and the extra strong winds put a bit of an extra chill on things. I’m not saying it was cold, but if there were a polar bear in sight it would’ve been wearing a fleece.
Obviously we didn’t fancy staying on the mountain out in the elements. We knew the tented camp was a few miles up river if we wanted to try walking it in the blizzard conditions. We discussed it and all agreed within about three seconds flat that it was the right thing to do. We commenced our walk along the river, climbing the mountainside, winds and snow blowing in our faces. In a situation like this, you’re concentrating on finding shelter but every now and then you just had to look up and take in the scenery, It was breathtaking. The river had white horses running down it, heavy snow fall, quite stunning. After three hours of walking along this mountain top, we still had time to take photos. It was an opportunity not to be missed. I remember walking for about 4 hours when we finally crossed the brow of a hill to see the tented camp. The camp manager was forewarned about our arrival and as we approached we were greeted by coffee to help warm us up. Luckily earlier in the day I’d also caught a sea trout, which was pretty rare for these parts so we decided to take it for the table. I don’t think we realised at the time what an amazing decision this turned out to be. I can’t tell you how good that meal was, granulated coffee, stale bread and fresh sea trout cooked on the BBQ, better than any London restaurant.
After a few drinks George and I were taken to our tent, the stove in the room had made it nice and cosy, and we sat there laughing like schoolboys about the day’s events. How often do you have an adventure like that, not to mention our two personal best fish of a lifetime? Definitely a fishing day that will never be forgotten by either of us. How many sports give you the opportunity to live days like these?
Brett O'Connor has fished for just about everything but salmon are his passion. He is an AAPGAI instructor and guide operating in London and the South East. For more details visit his website.