All camps up and running

Our season on the Varzuga is a very short one. Lower is only open for 4 weeks, Pana the same whilst Kitza fishes for 5 weeks and Middle is open for 7 weeks. The reason for this is that we try to put rods on the river only when we believe that each camp will be at its best.

Therefore, when you have all 4 camps open at the same time as we have now, it is the moment for the river to come up trumps – it did yesterday.

Tudor D just before trying to swim the river rather than wade it

Pana opened their season with 31 fresh fish to the 8 rods. Often in the opening week the main head of fish haven’t quite got to camp and you need to boat down river to intercept them but yesterday they landed fish in and around camp as well as down at Ponzoi which is very encouraging. Domingo P was the top rod with 6 fish but it was a close run thing as to whether he was happier about that or about his beloved Barcelona’s football result!



Virginia W managing to look glamorous whatever the circumstances

Kitza has started to kick in as we would hope having been a bit stubborn so far. The 9 rods over there put 34 in the book with the greatest celebration being saved for Simon H who landed his first ever salmon. Bruce B was also quietly celebrating his own day having landed 9 to his rod.

Here at Lower Varzuga our team recorded 62 fish for the day. Catches were noticeably even across the board but the top rod was Michael S-D with 13 closely followed by Jamie K and Tom M who each landed 8.

Bob M with one of 5 he landed in the afternoon

Middle continues to do very well if not, by its own stellar standards, as well as we unfairly expect it to. 75 fish to 12 rods can only be described as a great day but there was a sense that the rods were having to work harder for their fish than they have in seasons past. Nothing wrong with that as, despite the numbers, no one who has fished here will tell you that it is easy fishing.

The team during dinner last night

Today is grey with a cold wind and for the first time our water temperature, 13 degrees, is warmer than the air (around 9 at the moment) Common wisdom dictates that this does not help the fishing but that did not stop Virginia W landing 2 fish this morning in about 20 minutes or Tom M and Patrick F also landing fish before breakfast. All the camps are up and running and it is all systems go.

Charlie White