I´m safe back home after a superior trip to Umba river – Probably my best trip ever
Diary from Umba 8 – 15 August
Saturday morning D 8 August. Just arrived to Umba Lodge. Umba Camp manager Igor Kryzhopolskiy gave me a warm and friendly reception. Coffee and drinks were ready and the nice, clean room was waiting for me. Perfect after a long journey.
After a great breakfast morning I was introduced to my guide Daniel Podolsky for the next seven days. Daniel Podolsky is son on of the legendary Nick Podolsky. We discussed the fishing strategy for the coming week, and decided to hit the lower Umba hard. We started in home pool just outside the magnificent Umba Lodge – And what a start.
After only three casts I had the first pull and in the fourth cast I had a nice pink salmon. Two casts later I was into an Atlantic Salmon, which pulls very hard and jumps four or five times. That was a nice start with 18 pounds of silver just after some minutes fishing. Before the dinner I had lost two more Salmon just on the frame of the big landing net.
Sunday: First full day – “Krivetz time”. Krivetz was running with high water, but Daniel managed to get me into the pools where we had 8 hook ups with 5 landed salmon, all between 6 to 10 pounds.
MY impression was that we covered Salmon in every pools in Krivetz.
Monday: We went back to Lower Umba and fished Junction Pool with a good result of 3 hooked and 1 landed fish around 17lb
During the day the weather changed to very hard rain and the river went up overnight around 8 to 10 cm.
Tuesday: We decide to go fishing in Krivetz again. The result of 5 landed Atlantic salmon – Just amazing. All pools besides Golden Pool produced fish – Bonanza everywhere.
The top of Long pool wassomething special. Cascade and Red Francis tied on loop hooks size 8 and 10 on a S 6 polyleader and 20 pound leader gave us 6 hook ups with 2 landed.
Mid week I had landed 12 Atlantic salmon within 3 ½ days of fishing with hard rain and high, but clear water (typical Umba) – what a great result !!
Wednesday lower Umba. Water was still high, after a slow morning we decide fishing home pool again / right side. I landed 5 Salmon 45 minutes. 6 to 12 pounds all chrome fish straight from the sea. All the fihs was caught on Red Francis, tied of loop double hooks size 10. In the afternoon the fishing was slow and I decided return to the wonderful Umba lodge as a storm was approaching.
Thursday started with strong wind and rain again – Daniel and I went back to Krivetz.
We started in Long pool where I landed a nice 6Lb salmon straight away. Late I lost a monster fish that broke my favorite spey rod. Beside that big fish I lost five other salmon of which one was another really big fish. I couldn’t bring it to the landing net, because my spare rod was far to weak in that kind of heavy water. One of the big salmon I lost, jumped out of the water three times before it took off from in a 200 meters furious run down to Golden pool where the fly came out.
Friday: Krivetz. Strong wind but no rain, thanks God for that. We started at Christers Corner where I had two pulls and manage to land a nice Salmon. Island Pool was the last pool of the day where Daniel Podolsky managed to guide me to a lovely 13Lb Chromer
What a awesome week – with 21 Atlantik salmon under the belt, plus a lot of lost fish after several epic battles, this has been my best week by far.
Tight lines to all the fortuned SALMON JUNKIES who will be fishing Umba this fall. I’m sure you will get some fantastic fishing.
Steffen. Thank you so much for a memorable and wonderful week. Also my best wishes to BIG, BIG thanks to the best UMBA guide ever Daniel Podolsky
A Million thanks to the kitchen and other camp staff at Umba Lodge. The Food and service was first class
I will come back next year in AUGUST
Kind regards
Uwe Kopp / Germany