Every season we have two weeks where clients spend 3 days at Lower and then 3 days at Kitza, or vice versa. This offers a great opportunity to see two camps and two totally different rivers in the same week.
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| Maryke off to fetch more drinks before we got on the helicopter |
Yesterday was changeover day and the format is that all of the clients have their bags packed and out on the veranda before they go fishing in the morning which allows the team here to change the sheets, towels, soaps etc for the new clients coming in that evening. After fishing everyone stays in their waders and we have a few beers whilst the helicopter is being loaded.
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| Drinks before the changeover flight |
Many clients say that it feels like two holidays in one week and yesterday was no exception. The flight to Kitza is only about 5 minutes but in bright sunshine, as it was last night, it is a stunning flight as we skirt the White Sea coast before dropping down into the camp.
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| The new dining and sitting room at Kitza which has really enhanced the camp |
The team who fished Kitza yesterday had a slightly slower day and finished on 19 between them. Andrew W-D had 5 of those but perhaps the best moment of the day was a double hook up for father and son team William and Tristan P-S, both of whom landed their fish.
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| Looking upstream from Kitza camp - still boating all the way to the top |
The rods who fished Lower landed 10 before breaking open the beers and a small contingent decided to sacrifice their afternoon fishing for a walk to the village. It can feel a bit of a wrench leaving the fishing as obviously that is why everyone is here but it is something that we actively encourage. To arrive in a helicopter into an extremely comfortable camp can sometimes make it difficult to imagine just how remote we are here and how tough our local friends’ lives can be – a trip to the village puts it all into perspective.
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| Downstream from Kitza camp |
Middle Varzuga had another great day with 65 in the book. Catches were very evenly spread between all of the rods but Jeremy H had a cracking 16lbs fish from Scott’s to be the talk of the day. They are boating all the way up to the top of their beat but it is beyond doubt that we will need substantial rain for that to be the case for much longer during the season.
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| Jamie K with one he had in the morning before going up to the village |
Pana had another slightly strange if productive day. They ended up recording 32 fish between their 7 rods but as was the case the day before, nearly all of those were landed in the morning with very few in the afternoon. At some point, the afternoon sessions will be as productive as the morning ones and we will start to see bigger numbers being recorded I am sure.
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| Brendan G just slightly pleased with one of 30 he landed on the Kitza in his 3 days |
My predicted (i.e. longed for) break in the weather has come to nought and it is “El Scorchio” today but Brendan and Mark have both landed a fish before breakfast to give us all a lift and our new rods were ready and waiting for the guides on the dot of 9am.
Charlie White
