The Belousiha Lodge

At first I was sceptical ! An email arrived promoting a new destination for Atlantic Salmon on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, the Belousiha and Voronya rivers. My initial reaction, despite some appealing images of large fish, was to assume that someone was chancing their arm, pushing a new destination and trying to cash in on the Kola bandwagon. What made me even more suspicious was the relative proximity to Murmansk, a drive of just 2-3 hrs, and no need for transportation via the usual Russian workhorse of the skies, a MI8 helicopter. What’s more, I had flown over the location dozens of times. Belousiha lodge is at the end of the track of the most eastern road on the northern Kola coastline, a backcountry resupply hub used by the helicopters servicing the lodges of the Atlantic Salmon Reserve amongst others.

Broadly speaking the Northern Rivers are known for producing some enormous Atlantic Salmon whilst the more southern rivers are renown for prolific quantities.

After 15 years of fishing the Kola, had I really missed a significant river. It all sounded a little too good to be true! Following the collapse of the former Soviet Union in the late 1980’s, a few intrepid salmon anglers set out to explore and then to mount expeditions to fish the numerous rivers that adorned its coastline, flowing both into the Barents Sea in the North and the White Sea to the south.

Over the past 20 years rivers such as the Rynda, Kharlovka, Litza, Yokanga and Varzina, in the North, and the Ponoi and Varzuga in the South, amongst many others, have become synonymous with Atlantic Salmon fishing. Broadly speaking the Northern Rivers are known for producing some enormous Atlantic Salmon whilst the more southern rivers are renown for prolific quantities.

The bulk of the Kola Peninsula is above the arctic circle and life is undeniable harsh, especially in the northern part, an open expanse of tundra. The generally bare and rocky ground has underlying permafrost which, in less exposed areas, limits growth to dwarf birch forests and elsewhere, a suitably barren mixture of lichens, grasses, wildflowers and cloudberry. It is bare and wild but at the same time thrilling, especially from the eyes of a fishermen as it is interspersed with lakes, streams and rivers. The native Sami people etched out a subsistence lifestyle in this region herding reindeer, but the other natural and well-established asset is the Atlantic Salmon.

Geographically isolated from human habitation and with it human interference, the rivers are, in most cases, in pristine condition. Where rivers do have road access, notably the Umba in the South and in the North, beside Murmansk, the Kola River, the numbers of returning salmon have shrunk to historic lows. The Belousiha and Voronya, as with the aforementioned, has direct road access from Murmansk. Even if the salmon were around, would the experience be marred by teams of poachers or spin fishermen, a real risk in a region where the economy has stagnated or contracted, and life is undeniably hard.

The Belousiha is a small tributary river to the much much much larger Voronya!

The Belousiha is a small tributary river to the much much much larger Voronya! The Voronya was once one of the biggest river sytems on the Kola Peninsula. Originally 155kms in length it was also home to some of largest runs of Atlantic Salmon on the Kola as well as some of the biggest. Whilst I cannot verify this, it may well have been home to the largest Atlantic Salmon ever captured on the Kola Peninsula, and one omitted from what is considered the ultimate authority on size, “The Doomsday Book of Giant Salmon” by Fred Buller.

In the middle of the 20th century the Kola Peninsula underwent a huge period of industrialisation, both for its raw materials but also as a strategic military base and home to Russia’s Northern fleet. To facilitate this industry and expanding population, the Voronya river was dammed with two very significant hydro-electric power stations, located at Tumanny, approximately two and a half hours drive from Murmansk. Material and strategic might at the height of the cold war sadly but inevitably took precedence over the environment, and I do not suppose the passage of salmon past the dams entered into the construction equation. Restricted to around 7kms of length, what remained of the salmon run will have been exploited relentlessly by the construction and maintenance workers at the hydro plant as well as anyone with access to the area. It is surprising that this event was not the final chapter in one of Russia’s greatest salmon rivers.

The numbers of fish dwindled, to a point where poaching them almost ceased to be productive, although invariably still exploited as a means of putting food on the table. Salmon are undeniably survivors, and in this instance, two keen Russian anglers who had enjoyed fishing on other rivers on the Kola peninsula, thankfully recognised the predicament and equally the potential. With timely intervention they secured the lease on the Belousiha in 2012 and more recently the Voronya in 2015.

Strict anti-poaching measures were enforced with security guard huts and patrols posted along the length of the rivers. The only question that rested in my thoughts was whether they had been in time?

Murmansk has developed considerably over the last 15 years. The airport has received several facelifts and whilst passport control remains a steely affair, the feeling of nervous trepidation as you approach the stern looking security guards is no longer as evident. Following an overnight stay at the Meridian Hotel in downtown Murmansk, a flying visit to the local tackle shop to find some half reasonable waders, our party of three set off to the lodge. About half of the car journey is on tarmac, the other half on a dirt road, neither of which could be considered a smooth ride. Regardless, keen anticipation certainly helps smooth away the worst of the bumps!

Although we were fishing over the last week of July, potentially a low-water period, the river had more than enough water to make all the pools fishable and interesting.

During the final leg of the journey we first drove alongside the upper lake, formed by the hydro and then along its dam wall. The remnants of the original path of the Voronya river can be seen below, now a dry riverbed. It is a visceral scar on the landscape with exposed trucksized boulders strewn along its now arid course, an indication of the awesome power of the river and the reason one supposes for its sizeable salmon. On arrival we were shown to what must be the most sophisticated looking ensuite fishing cabins on the Kola Peninsula, complete with hi-speed wi-fi and mobile reception!! Maybe one of the advantages of having an old cold war radio listening station and hydro power plant on your back door!

The fishing on the Belouisha is all done by foot. Despite an unusually cold summer, the weather had turned just prior to our trip. Although we were fishing over the last week of July, potentially a low-water period, the river had more than enough water to make all the pools fishable and interesting. There are few rivers on the Kola as intimate or as scenic! This is 100% single-handed fishing territory and although a slightly larger rod might be useful at the start of the season in mid-June, when sink lines and heavier flies are required, for now it was longer leaders and surface flies. Max, the lodge manager and Russian guide started me off on a cascade which remains universally and internationally effective and resulted in my first fish on the lip of a waterfall. Following a swirl by another fish I then moved to a hitch fly and from that point barely deviated from them for the rest of the week whilst fishing the Belousiha.

Fishing with a hitch is one of the most exciting means of fishing for Atlantic Salmon. Widely practiced in Iceland, it is a technique that can be used anywhere. Not only is it very visual, it is also exceptionally effective at eliciting a reaction from salmon. A half-hitch knot is either tied around the eye of a standard salmon single or double. Alternatively, the leader is threaded via a purpose made hole in the body of a tube fly. The end result is that the leader is attached to the fly at right angles in the upper 1/3 of its body. The result, when cast, is that as the fly swings it skates across the water surface with a seductive V wake. Salmon, which may have been totally unresponsive to any other means of presentation, can rise up and deftly sip at the fly, as a Trout would take a size 16 dry or react angrily with a pronounced take or swirl. Very often a salmon will move at the fly but not always take. In such a situation, after having tried again, reverting to a swung wet fly may result in the take, having enticed the fish into action with the hitch.

On a river as small and as intimate as the Belousiha, at this stage of the season, Icelandic fishing tactics can rule the day. The river runs clear throughout the season and will never significantly colour up. Over our week the clarity was mesmerizing and although it carries a hint of the peaty tannins typical of all rivers on the Kola, on a sunny day, from a vantage point, you could count individual fish where they lay. That said, cloud cover will always benefit a salmon angler and that was what we had on our first day and the fish behaved accordingly. I landed 4 fish and lost two more. Above all I had the rare pleasure of first rising a salmon on a small hitched sunray and then having it launch at the fly a second-time, leaping several feet out of the water as it took, somersaulting in the air and then tearing off downstream, all within the confines of a gorge. Spectacular to say the least.

There are two distinct beats on the Belousiha, with the river typically being fished by two pairs of rods. The middle section below the camp has a much slower section, although it also has some quite distinct holding spots and at times of the year the salmon can back up here in significant numbers. The lower beat on the Belousiha lacks some of the ruggedness of the upper section but has an equally beautiful section of consecutive falls, interspersed with seductive pools. The very bottom section of the river has some quite slack water. Max, on the first morning, explained to me with a wry smile that although salmon angers do not usually like that sort of water, when they start catching fish they change!! One section we fished was packed with salmon and although this also included a significant number of Pink’s, amongst them were some very good-sized Atlantic’s. It required an element of perseverance to work out how to get them to take but take they do, and it resulted in our best sized fish on the Belousiha for the week.

The contrast and variety offered by the two very different rivers is part of the attraction.

Although the Belousiha is superbly charismatic to fish, has its share of good-sized salmon and is entirely comparable to what might expect of a small Icelandic river, the draw of the big and typically short and powerful fish of the Voronya was none the less appealing. The contrast and variety offered by the two very different rivers is part of the attraction. This year the summer had been especially cold with the river running at 6C for much of July. For any anglers who had fished through the heatwave of 2018 this would seem like a blessing, but naturally, as is often the case when fishing, it was too much of a good thing. As a result, the salmon appeared to be holding back from running the river in greater numbers.

The Voronya is huge in relation to the Belousiha. From what I could ascertain, lack of water is never an issue, and certainly the body of water above the dam does not change by much more than one meter all season. This is an encouraging feature, especially for someone perpetually terrified of extreme low-water conditions. I would far rather search for a fish amongst an expanse of water than find fishing restricted to a puddle with a few sedentary uncooperative salmon. Water is released by the power station and this does mean that the level can vary from what one might consider low-water summer conditions, to full spate conditions over less than an hour. Change plays on an angler’s confidence and the low ‘ish’ water we experienced on the first day was replaced with high water on the second. Trying to interpret this is difficult, especially in such a big and powerful river. Do you fish small and high or deep and slow? Not that one fishing technique ever fits all situations, not knowing if you are in the right ballpark can be disconcerting.

On my 3rd day fishing the Voronya, my final day of the trip, fishing the upper section I received a strong pull and a heart-stopping swirl on my first run down the pool. I tried to tempt the fish again with several other flies, but to no avail. Over the next 60 mins the river rose by approximately one meter. Running short of time and with the memories of what felt as if it had been a goodsized fish fading, I searched for success elsewhere, but to no avail. On the previous afternoon whilst fishing the Voronya salmon had been showing everywhere. That activity had all but vanished.

With the clock ticking down to my departure, I decided to do one last run down that stretch, starting from the very top.

With the clock ticking down to my departure, I decided to do one last run down that stretch, starting from the very top. Just as I got going, I saw a large splash in the exact spot where I had the take at the beginning of the of the morning. With time against me, I skipped the middle section with an eye to determinedly targeting that fish with everything in my flybox. My instincts were rewarded without having to resort to a carpet-bombing approach! As soon as I covered the spot the salmon took. What followed was spectacular. I have only once had a fight as acrobatic as the one that followed. Somersault after breath-taking, heart skipping, stomach churning somersault ensued. I do not normally feel the need to cry for assistance but cry I did at the top of my lungs until Max appeared. In fairness this was as much for him to grab my camera, although I was equally happy to see him bearing the net! The salmon when landed was only a little more than 15lbs, but it was as short, deep and solid as you would ever want a salmon to be. After the fight it had given me, I would have doubled its size if I had lost it!

The Voronya has only been fished over the last 3 seasons and much remains to be understood about it. Like any large river, when it is not producing on a regular basis it can be dispiriting. When salmon fishing the mind plays tricks like few other sports and the mix between sight-fishing on the Belousiha and then casting a long-line on the Voronya, especially when the former was showing and producing, and the other less so, is an interesting combination. Having caught two fish on the Voronya on my first day I was mentally reinforced to cope with a blank period. Like a flood, confidence returned on my final day and with luck it will stay with me until my return in July 2020!

I unashamedly love exploring new locations and the challenges of a new river (s). Belousiha lodge has much to recommend it. It is well run with diligent ownership and a mix of good guides, both Russian and Argentinean, all with good or excellent English. It is easy to get to; the accommodation and food is good and for those who dislike Russian helicopters a welcome relief to travel by road. Our fishing week was better than some but less good than others. By contrast to the 2017 season it was poor when both rivers were on fire, but fishing is a long-term game and you cannot expect to pull the lottery winner on every draw, especially when fishing a new river!

Above all, for good quality salmon fishing, on rivers with a track record of producing some very large fish, it is also exceptionally good value!

TRIP CONTACT

To book a trip at BelousihaLodge contact, JustinMaxwell Stuart:

justin@wherewisemenfish.com

wherewisemenfish.com