Salmon Junkies

The last two days in Umba have produced 21 Salmon between 6 rods. Biggest fresh salmon has been a 18lbs.17,5Lbs 16Lbs. 15,5Lbs and 2 x 12Lbs. Most of the fish have been caught in the lower part from Junction pool down to Doc. Pool. Water Temp. 10C and Air Temp daytime 10C – 15C. Top flies have been Green Highlander, Red Butt I size 6 – 8 / Floating line

I will be heading Umba tomorrow where I will stay until 11^th October – can’t wait for my return to this gem. During the next Six weeks a lot of old friends and Umba lovers will swing there flies through Umba’s gin clear water, chasing one of the finest trophy a salmon angler can catch. I really look forward to see you all.

Umba River is one of those places, where you may lose your soul forever, but you may very well also discover it there.

See you in Umba

Our bonus day yesterday produced salmon to all in the group. Some fall biggies were also recorded in the logbook (More specific details will come tomorrow). This season Saturday has a bonus day for those who travel alternative routes, like St. Petersburg, Moscow or over Kirkenes – an offer almost all our many Umba have been using.

Our first autumn week this year is finished – in general it turned out to be a perfect week, where all in the group experienced the magic moment when a really big salmon take the fly in a powerful turn and both lines and lungs are stretched.

The mixed group of “hard-core” Umba fishermen (and ladies) found the Umba in perfect shape. Autumn glowing trees, low and gin clear water and a very inspiring run of fresh biggies.

The group manage to average 12 salmon per rod.  With some nice Twenty pounders between.

Biggest salmon during the week was landed by Jan Della Porte. A magnificent 24 lbs chrome sprinter. Beside his 24 pounds fish, Jan lost 2 + Twenty ponds fish.

Lady of the week was Julia Wagner that joined our community for the first time. And she was pushing her Spey rod to the limit. Her final score was 10 Salmon with some beautiful fish around 14Lbs to 18Lbs. Once again the supernatural Women/salmon phenomenon was proved. Congratulation Julia

Best flies still seams to be small flies like Red Butt, Billy Butt, Black Sheep, in sizes 6 – 8 on double hooks fished on a floating line combined with a sinking poly leader

Latest report tells that the fishing is very good right now. A high number of big chrome salmon have started to run the last days. So far our guests average 10 salmon per rod. Yesterday Jan Della Porte lost a huge fish that pulled him the whole way from Home pool down to Doc. Pool where it came off. Jan estimate it to 25 – 30 lbs. Today Jan have caught 3 very nice salmon – a 22 Lbs. 18lbs and 12lbs. All fresh salmon in the well-known Umba “football shape” Just awesome….

Purchasing a Spey rod in today’s market is not an easy proposition. Each rod manufacturer now produces anywhere from 3 to 23 different Spey rods with varying lengths, line weights and rod actions. With so many options, determining the rod that is best going to fit your fishing needs can be terribly difficult. So how does one go about sifting through the barrage of rods now available? Deciding which rod is best suited for your fishing style, the rivers you fish, and the conditions you are typically fishing in can be narrowed down by asking yourself a few basic questions. This article poses those questions in hopes that the answers will help you narrow down the search and guide you toward the perfect rod for your needs. (more…)

Simms new line of clothe – a category of product that is maybe not the most technical but pretty cool nonetheless – camo gear!

Does camouflage really matter that much when you’re fishing? Probably not.  Does camo gear look cool? Hmmmmmm??? Anyway its nice to have some gear options that aren’t olive or khaki or dark blue?  Heck yeah.

Simms is showing some serious dedication to camo in their 2011 product line. total 12 items will be available in camo in 2011

In the picture up top you see the Rogue Fleece Hoody, a super comfortable top made of polyester with a DWR coating and a really soft lining.  This is not a particularly technical piece but will be great for layering and lounging around camp.  Also tucked in there are the 6-panel Washed Twill Cap and the new Sungaiter (think Buff but cut a little different).  Expect to see that hoody on a lot of pieces of water and at associated nearby watering holes.

Note to those of you who hate camo and are currently choking on your morning cup of coffee: all the items mentioned in this post are also available in non-camo colors as well.

During the last two days Umba have produced a average of 4 salmon per rod. Jan Della Porte manage to hook 11 salmon of witch he manage to land 6. Biggest fish has been two magnificent salmon on 15lbs and 19 Lbs. All fish have came to small black flies in size 6 – 8. Air temp. 12 C. Water Temp. 11 – Really autumn. That is great and encouraging news. During the next weeks we will get the really Umba whoppers.

The “Spey” or two-handed fly rod has become the tool of choice for salmon anglers looking to swing flies. Two-handed rods take the drudgery out of swinging flies by minimizing casting effort, maximizing swing time, and allowing for incredible mending and line control. Two additional benefits: 1) they can chuck BIG flies and sink tips; 2) they can chuck LONG casts. Best of all, Spey rods are fun. But with all the rod and line options on the market today, it’s hard to know where to begin. So here are some pointers for getting started with two-handed fly-fishing:

1. Commit to it. If you are considering a Spey rod, you need one. If you think you might need one, you probably need three or four. If you are destined to become a Spey junkie, you will probably end up with as many two-handers as you have single-handers. It’s time to get on the wagon. If money is tight, there are some excellent options out there. If you can budget $500 for your first outfit, you’re home free. If that’s too high, you can still find a way.

2. Start with a full-sized rod, not a “switch” rod. Budding Spey fishers often fall for the dainty switch rod. The shorter, lighter rods seem like a good transitional step between the old single hander and those really long ones. And switch rods are exceptional nymphing sticks, but they are not the best way to learn Spey casting, nor are they the right tool for traditional salmon fishing. The long rod is the way to go. (more…)

Camp manager Jan Della Porte wired me this small Umba report just some minutes ago. Jan told me that several Sea lice 7 – 9 lbs salmon was caught today. Best flies seams to be the usual stuff, like Red Butt, Billy Butt, Black Sheep in size 6 fished on a floating line. The condition for the next weeks looks great. Jan Della Porte could also report Gin clear water with Water temperature around 12 degree Celsius. We can’t ask for more at the moment. Stay tuned for more Umba reports

Great news – Our Head guide Nick Podolsky have just called me with the latest information from Umba – The first really big run of fresh autumn salmon have entered the river. Great timing as we have our first group arriving on Saturday.

The weather forecast for Umba looks promising for the next 5 days. Cloudy weather with a bit of sun + 10 – 12C – During the weekend rain and the temperatures will drop to 7 – 9C in the daytime. During nights the temperature will get close to zero.

We have now 8 cracking weeks in front of us – the very best of Umba