For many hours the helicopter carries us straight eastwards. Through the small windows we watch the mighty and endless Tundra. Beneath us we see herds of reindeers and occasionally a big Brown bear – A true adventure and definitely the onset of a lifelong memory.
Ponoi emerges as a silver band just under the horizon. Since the dawn of time the heavy current has cut its way through the landscape creating one of the biggest canyons in Eastern Europe. From up here the Ponoi looks almost intimate, but once we are down and into our waders, we realize that Ponoi River is a king size river. Salmon angling with a fly is true passion, and in a river like Ponoi all your dreams come true.
Ponoi River is probably one of the most productive Salmon rivers on earth, and you will have to search very hard to find such a unique and unspoiled Salmon stock. The Ponoi River with an overall length of 400 kilometres is the longest river on the Kola Peninsula. It flows parallel and just north of the polar circle, through the largest nature reserve on Kola. With numerous lakes in the system, the water flow 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 productive both wading or fishing from boat. Ponoi has several runs of salmon, but we focus on and offer the most prolific weeks in June and July.
We are proud to offer our Ponoi program– In the Acha Camp you will find our cozy camp located right at the awesome junction of Acha River and Ponoi river. Probably the best pool in the entire Ponoi River system.
For the fit salmon bum we offer our “Acha River Explore Program” – 8 days in the most breathtaking environment in all aspects – Both programs are top notch stuff and priced near one third of other programs.
Why Ponoi? There are rivers on the Kola Peninsula 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.
We have guests, who have caught more than one hundred salmon in one week fishing on the Ponoi, when conditions were perfect. But the unpredictable tundra weather can mean a 30 – 50 fish difference or more from one week to another, when optimal conditions recede. Ponoi offers the best of two worlds; a wonderful combination of great numbers of salmon with attractive sizes up to 20 – 25 lbs. Acha camp average 26 salmon per rod during June and July.
In addition to liberal hours of guided fishing each day, there is unlimited productive fishing right at your doorstep at the Junction Home pool – or why not some hot action in Ponoi best tributary – the small and very productive Acha River, which almost literately runs through the Acha camp.
The comforts of the cosy Acha Camp; the comfortable wooden huts with electrically and wood heated stove, and a relaxed and warm camp atmosphere, provides a welcome respite each day you are there – Welcome to Salmon heaven!
Available dates – Acha camp
22/5 – 29/5
29/5 – 5/6
5/6 – 12/6
19/6 – 26/6
26/6 – 3/7
3/7 – 10/7
10/7 – 17/7
17/7 – 24/7
24/7 – 31/7
Available dates – Acha explore
28/5 – 5/6
18/6 – 26/6
For booking and more information please contact sj@salmonjunkies.com
With best regards
Steffen