Russia Travel Advice

Russia remains one of the least explored fishing regions on earth, with the Ponoi River and Kamchatka at the center of the conversation.

Russia is probably the most unexplored piece of ground left on this planet. It has some of the best fisheries anywhere for Atlantic salmon, rainbow trout, and Pacific salmon. Lesser-known species include sea-run taimen, Amur pike, and Siberian taimen. We know a lot about Russia because we have spent more than a decade fishing and guiding there. If there is one reason to head to Russia, it is the Ponoi River, hands down the best Atlantic salmon fishery on earth.

Ponoi River

We might as well start with the best there is, anywhere on earth. If you love Atlantic salmon, why would the Ponoi not be your first choice? People call it a small-fish river. Right. It has roughly 100,000 fish that average 10 to 15 pounds, fish up to 20 pounds, and about 120 miles of fishable water. Top that stat. Pretty please.

We were among the first Western guides to fish there. It is a place that never disappoints. The fish are so aggressive that it is not unusual to see a salmon run 45 feet, boiling successively on a dry, or to have multiple fish rise on one cast. We have seen fifty-fish days and Atlantic salmon fly several feet out of the water with a fly. It is unbelievable, and we have fished most of the northern rivers on the Kola before they were developed: Varzina, Varzuga, Karlofka, Drasdofka, and others.

If you hear someone badmouth the Ponoi, it is probably because they did not understand the place. We have heard anglers say they did not like the fishing because they do not enjoy boat fishing. Here is an idea: get out of the boat and wade. Each beat on the Ponoi has miles of great wading. The guides keep you in a boat because it is efficient and they can catch more fish. That is the only thing we would like to see changed. Since when is landing a dozen Atlantic salmon in a day on bombers not enough?

The outfitting, guides, staff, and food are world class. Once you have seen the Ponoi, you just have to go back for the fishing and the old Russian friends.

Kamchatka

Kamchatka is roughly the size of California and just as complex in terms of river systems. We have spent a pile of time chasing steelhead and rainbow trout there, and it is a must-do if you have the time. It is unbelievably pretty and rugged, worth the days of travel, and home to some of the best rainbow trout fishing left on earth.

Alaska is still better for huge rainbows, though the Zhupanova may have been the best trophy rainbow fishery that ever existed. Kamchatka has amazing trout fishing with not a soul around. There are several outfitters we would recommend on this front.

As for the steelhead, they are an amazing specimen in Kamchatka. The average fish we saw was 15 pounds plus, but the rivers themselves left a lot to be desired: long tundra bends without much structure unless a grass clump counts. Where it sounds exciting, and we did not see this ourselves, is when runs are so large that you see fish coming across bars or squirting away from jet boat wakes. It does happen and we would love to see it, but we have a hard time leaving Skeena country to fish for steelhead on the flats of Kamchatka. Go for the rainbows and the country, but call us first. When it comes to terrible outfitting, Kamchatka has plenty to avoid.