Big water

The first full day of the season saw a tough morning with the river still rising and the tundra streams bringing dirt and grass with them, making it tough for the fish to see our flies.

It was frustrating as we could see the salmon head and tailing through the withies but trying to catch them in the trees was not that easy!  We saw a lot of fish which kept everyone going all day and bodes well for the forthcoming season.

Gareth C with a beauty from Clark's

However, the afternoon saw a change in fortunes and we finished with 7 fish to our 7 rods here at Lower and 33 to the 11 rods at Middle Varzuga.

Paul O’D was Middle’s top rod by a distance as he landed 12 fish with Donald S and Tom A chasing him up with 5 apiece.  The best news of the day however was that Stuart M landed his first salmon on a fly and followed it with a second of over 15lbs - a very good introduction to Russian salmon fishing.

Donald S with one as fresh as they come

This morning has dawned bright and warm with air temperature of around 15 degrees and water at the 5 degree mark.

The water levels have held steady overnight and the margins seem a little clearer so we hope for a more productive day.

Lower Varzuga this morning

A quick blog today as I am shortly off to the village to meet the mayor and I don’t want to be late!

Charlie White