Atlantic Salmons

After the briefing, we get started. We gear up and take off at 18:00 with the helicopter. I'm fishing with Johannes, an artist from Berlin, and guide Sasha. Luck had decided: we were scheduled to fly to the Litza Tent Camp and stay there overnight. Johannes is a skilled angler and has been to Kharlovka and Litza three times before.

Upon reaching the Litza Tent Camp, we walk a few hundred meters upstream and start at the Spawning Pool. I get off to a great start and after just five casts, I hook a 17-pound salmon, which I manage to land. It couldn't have started better! Litza and Kharlovka are a dream for every salmon angler - a natural gem in the middle of nowhere, pristine and untouched, an unspoiled tundra landscape.

Week 25 was extremely challenging in terms of weather. Temperatures constantly fluctuate, and it's often bitterly cold. There's freezing rain, and it's generally quite wet. However, the water level is steadily receding, and the chances of catching good fish are increasing. In this week, despite the poor weather and water conditions, the 14 rods managed to catch 96 salmon. I caught 10 salmon, Johannes caught 7. Both of us caught kelts (post-spawning salmon) as well on a daily basis.

Johannes, my partner, seemed to have luck on his side and mostly caught hefty specimens: a 36-pounder (Osenka) at the Military Pool and another 30-pounder at the Snowbank Pool. The 36-pounder Osenka was particularly remarkable. I'm glad I could witness that! Almost all the salmon are silver-colored and full of sea lice, indicating their freshness in the river. The fights are at times extreme because due to the high water level, the fish have a hard time holding their ground against the current. I was supposed to spend week 26 at Rynda, but I learned that the conditions there were poor. Due to the still-high water level, the salmon couldn't pass the Home Pool waterfall and weren't able to move upstream. As a result, the rods on Rynda could only fish the lower section of the river. In that week, 30 salmon were caught on Rynda.

When a late cancellation becomes available at Kharlovka, I seize the opportunity to stay there for the second week. I'm paired with John, an American, and we both had a fantastic week.

During the first two days, the temperature becomes slightly warmer; the water temperature rises to 11 degrees Celsius, and the water level noticeably recedes. We can now wade into the river at many spots, revealing new casting angles and other opportunities.

Toward the end of the week, strong winds pick up, and it turns bitterly cold again. Nonetheless, we notice that we're catching more and more fish and encountering fewer kelts compared to the first week.

In this week, I achieve a great daily result with seven caught salmon on the Litza River, and I have an excellent day at the Golden Pool on the Kharlovka River, hooking eight fish and landing five in just one afternoon. My new personal best, a 25-pound salmon, was helped by my guide Dima. Together, we waded chest-deep to the middle of the river at the Cross Pool. He precisely guided me to the exact spot. After an extremely demanding and lengthy fight, we successfully landed the exceptional fish!

My best fly this year - a Templedog tied on a slim stainless steel tube - is named "Slim Beaty Bitch" by Dima. It's been performing remarkably well, and I rarely change it.

I'm already certain that I'll be fishing at Kharlovka again next year - it's a definite plan for me!