Dear fellow fishermen
Salmon Junkies have managed to get some of the most attractive and enjoyable salmon fishing on the Kola Peninsula.
Salmon Junkies now have access to two of Varzuga’s most popular and fantastic fishing programs – The charming Kitsa tributary and the program that combine the best from Varzuga watershed – The Pana / Middle Varzuga program
Join Salmon Junkies in our new Varzuga Watershed program, and believe us when we say that you can learn more about Atlantic salmon fishing in a single week on Varzuga and Kitsa than you will in a lifetime fishing Norwegian or Scottish rivers.
Pana River
Pana is a very popular river with anglers from all over the world. No wonder considering the catch records, amazing scenery and wonderful fly fishing pools.
Pana is a tributary of the famous Varzuga River. It is a medium sized river, 30 to 65 metres wide with numerous fast runs and rocky parts that are awesome holding spots. There are also slower and deeper parts, where some of the larger fish tend to hold.
Near the camp there is plenty of good fly fishing water. A much smaller river, the Indel, runs into the Pana near the camp and provides spawning grounds for the salmon. Not all of the pools have been ‘discovered’ yet, and this small river provides great fishing in June, when the run is at its peak.
On the Pana you will also have the opportunity to float from the top beat down to the camp during a wonderful day trip. You will enjoy amazing scenery and have wonderful pools to fish throughout the entire length.
When the season starts the river often runs high and cold. It can be quite coloured from snow runoff, and it is best to use a double-handed rod at this time. In June the temperature usually rises quite quickly giving way to Russian arctic summer, which can be surprisingly warm. Anglers will then be changing to floating lines and flies fished near or on the surface, e.g. riffling hitch or dry flies. Single hand rods or Switch rods (light double-handed rods) is the prime choice for many guests during this period. Clear water and easy wading conditions add to the enjoyment.
Pana is an outstanding river for all salmon junkies no matter the conditions, and therefore very popular with many guests from all over the world. If you want to go for the bigger fish, you should aim for the early weeks. If you favourite sport is dry flies, bombers, riffling hitch and small flies on light tackle, then try the end of June, where summer conditions make the river perfect for this type of fishing. Dry fly fishing is an adrenaline inducing sport, and with its stunning scenery Pana is hard to match.
Pana is a very versatile beat on the Varzuga system accommodating the wishes and dreams of all anglers, whether fishing single or double handed rods.
Middle Varzuga
The middle beat of Varzuga has over 10 km of prime fly fishing water with more than thirty named pools. There is both fast water in places like Clarke’s Corner and the deep pools like Fortress running into wide, smooth bottomed stretches such as Peartiha and down around both sides of the island. This is some of the finest water Varzuga has to offer.
In the early weeks of the season, when the salmon cannot run through the Yovas Rapids in high water conditions, the middle section is often one of the most productive beats on the river. This long rapid will hold most of the salmon below in this area, until the water level drops enough for them to run past the rapids and up onto the upper parts of Pana.
Home Pool on Middle Varzuga is called Generator, and this is possibly the most productive salmon pool in the world today yielding unbeatable amounts of rod caught salmon throughout the entire season.
There are wonderful stretches on the river for dry fly fishing and many anglers have had their fishing of a lifetime using skated bombers. Conditions change very quickly on the Kola Peninsula, as do the seasons, so there are ample opportunities for anglers to experiment with different fishing techniques from sinking lines with big flies to full floating lines with small flies with light rods.
The Middle Varzuga camp takes a total of ten rods and transport up and down the river is by jet boat. There is plenty of superb fishing water for everyone. Classic ‘text’ ´book salmon fishing water, almost like someone had chosen to place all the best pools in one single river!
A trip to Middle Varzuga is at the top of any salmon fishing experience with incredible catch numbers and fishing that offers the best this wonderful sport has to offer for all who visit.
Kitsa River
The gorgeous Kitsa River is a different kind of river than Varzuga. It is smaller and running through dense Russian taiga pine forest on its way to the White Sea. It is indeed one of the most charming rivers on Kola, flowing from large inland lakes, which provides for relatively stable water levels all season, much like the Umba River in fact. Most pools are within a short walking distance from the Kitsa camp. Kitsa offers easy wading and superb fly water along its entire course.
The Kitsa Camp consists of five log cabins, each with two beds and shower and toilet, as well as two new cabins with single rooms and a shared bathroom. There is a central dining room and comfortable lounge with a fireplace, where you can rest with a drink and listen to all the stories after the day’s fishing. Kitsa also has a Russian sauna, called ‘Banya’ – completely rebuilt in 2007 -to help you relax those tense muscles after a whole day landing fish…
Salmon Junkies are proud to offer the Kitsa camp as it is a very popular destination with many regulars returning year after year. In fact Kitsa holds the record not only for the total number of fish landed in a single week, but also the highest average catch per rod per week on Russia’s entire Kola Peninsula!
Believe us when we say that you can learn more about Atlantic salmon fishing in a single week on Varzuga and Kitsa than you will in a lifetime fishing Norwegian or Scottish rivers.
Please note that the price is only half of normal and it will be “first to the mill” . Moreover, for coming seasons you will have the first right of refusal.
Kitsa 18/6 – 25/6 – 10 rods – Euro 3400 per rod
Kitsa 25/6 – 2/7 – 10 rods – Euro 3400 per rod
Pana/M. Varzuga 25/6 – 2/7 (3 days each camp) – 10 rods – Euro 3400 per rod.
For more info please contact Steffen – sj@salmonjunkies.com