Steffen has arrived in Kola Camp for a quick pre season visit before leaving for Umba and Grand Varzuga. Camp looks great and lots of improvements. New Rubber Boat with jet motors has arrived, fishing police patrolling the river with their new fast boats. Ice is gone and the river has stabilized/dropping, we have a good feeling:) Water temperature 5c.

There is now WIFI in the camp!

All the best

Kåre

Skeena Steelhead – Join us for the hottest and strongest freshwater fish in the world where they’re at their very best – in the lower 20 miles of the Skeena river.
Back home after a fantastic BC. Trip where Columbus Leth and I managed to land 30 big Steelies (Most fish was Sea liced). Two fish was 20 lbs and with a 22Lbs. for Columbus as the biggest. Beside the twenty pounders, we managed to land 21 Steelhead between 13 – 19 Lbs. Smallest fish was a couple of 13lbs chromes. Many of the fish stripped us for more than 200meters of backing in the first run, and most of the time we had to jump behind a hot Chromer 200 – 300m downstream before we managed to land the fish.
We have over the years developed salmon programs that are among the best in the world today. In that tradition we are tailoring one of the most awesome steelhead programs on the market. We are very excited to announce that in 2014 we will offer 3 prime weeks (Exclusively) where you will be able to fish Skeena mainstem and select tributaries in a full 6-day package – not the usual 5 days package – in company of some of the best and most hardcore Canadian steelhead guides available.
Skeena. It is a powerful and evocative word. To the indigenous peoples of British Columbia’s north coast region it is the “River of Mists.” To fly fishers around the globe it is a dream destination offering nearly boundless opportunity to pursue what are among the largest sea-run fish on the planet.

Spring Fishing – A Hidden Gem:
While the river’s 100-pound Chinook salmon may be its biggest, the most desired and iconic Skeena fish is the steelhead. The Skeena is justifiably world-renowned for its summer and fall steelhead fishing. But perhaps the hidden gem in the region’s treasures is the spring fishery in the lower valley tributaries around the town of Terrace. Here, as the alders bud and ruffed grouse drum in the forest, fresh steelhead push into pools to join the nearly year-long run and the fly fisher has an opportunity to connect with what are often the largest steelhead of the year.

The season is our friend:
We’ll concentrate our efforts on the broad main channel Skeena in its lower reaches between the town of Terrace and tidewater, where steelhead hold surprisingly close to the river’s edge in shallow tailouts and riffles. Also on the program is one of the Skeena’s well-hidden and protected treasures. Commonly referred to as the Kalum, the mysterious Kitsumkalum River, fed by a 500-foot deep lake, courses furtively through the shadows of a densely forested valley to meet the Skeena just downstream of Terrace. Channelized by eons of constant flow and running heavy and deep over a large cobble substrate, the Kalum breeds its fish on a larger scale. The majority of the Skeena’s giant Chinook — leviathans reaching 100 pounds — are Kalum fish. Similarly, the Kalum’s steelhead are built thick and strong.

Also in our focus will be the lower Zymoetz (Copper) River as well as a few other tributaries and small coastal rivers that may hold spring-run fish in this period. In all cases, the season again is our friend. The relatively low flows of late winter and early spring give the fly fisher access to classic runs, riffles and flat-water glides that are typically obscured by the higher, glacial flows of summer and fall.

Award-winning Nicholas Dean Outdoors:
For guiding and outfitting services in our steelhead program we have partnered with award-winning Nicholas Dean Outdoors. Based in Terrace and named Fly Fusion Magazine’s Canadian Lodge of the Year for 2012, NDO features a roster of guides whose knowledge of local rivers and fish are unrivaled in the area. Accordingly, NDO enjoys a well-earned, loyal following of spring steelhead anglers. We are confident you will find their work to be exemplary.

What to expect?
Besides having the hottest, strongest Steelhead around, there is so much to describe that is part of the total experience at the Skeena. We hope that we with our small film will give you a flavor of what to expect from this remarkable place.

Please watch our NEW Steelhead short movie from our trip and you can judge yourself. Check out http://salmonjunkies.com/steelhead-movies/skeena-the-biggest-and-meanest-steelheads-in-the-world/

Program dates:
We will only be 6-8 rods per week – depending on week.
Week 1: March 22 – March 29, 2014
Week 2: March 29 – April 5, 2014
Week 3: April 5 – April 12, 2014
Please join us for the meanest and strongest Steelheads on the Planet. If you are interested please make your reservation now at sj@salmonjunkies.com
For more info about our Skeena program visit www.salmonjunkies.com

Please note I am leaving for Russia 21st May and won’t be back until 1st July.

All the best

Steffen and Kåre

PS: Both Steffen and Kåre will be joining you for our new Skeena program 2014.

More than 150 kg ready to be shipped to Russia for the upcoming season. Waders, Jackets, boots, beanies, fleece and lot of other cool Vison gear have neatly been packet today.

Vision represents some of the coolest and most innovative brand in the fly-fishing tackle industry today. Vision clothes have been international awarded several times, and Vision fly lines and Spey rods represent “Best value for the money”

Vision has a wonderful twisted and very different approach to Fly-fishing. Last but not least – The Vision guys are a wonderful bunch of true Salmon Junkies

A damp morning yesterday so we decided to have lunch back in camp. At 1 p.m. the boats came in and it had clearly been a productive morning for most of the rods. There was quite a bit of tackle talk and various lines were changed and adjustments made before all set off for the afternoon session. As we thought, the best combination at the moment is a floating line with an intermediate or slow sinking tip and a brass or aluminium tube fly of 1” – 2”.
The water dropped a couple of inches and Sharks Tooth rock, here in Heli Pool at Lower Camp, is just beginning to show. By the afternoon the water temperature was up to 6⁰C, after a hard frost again last night it is back down to 4⁰C this morning.
At Lower Camp we landed 89 salmon to our 11 rods with four guests getting into double figures, notably Richard M with 16 and Robin M, who had not caught a salmon 24 hours ago, with 13. Indeed four of our rods caught their first salmon – a really encouraging start to the season.
Above us at Middle Camp they had at least 60 fish to eight rods in addition to the 20 landed on Saturday evening, several had fished late last night (Sunday) and Hugh did not have a final score this morning but was more than happy with the first day. The ice walls have not hindered fishing to any significant degree and only the lower half of Clarkes and a section of Party are affected.
In a similar vein to last year, a number of regular rods commented on the size and great condition of the salmon this season. Michael H had a super fish of about 14lbs and there were several other real trophies in the record book at the end of the day.
The rods were off promptly this morning – keen to make the most of the river in such good condition. After a reasonably mild day yesterday everyone is well wrapped up, the air temperature is 5⁰C although with a chill wind from the North East it feels quite a bit colder than that. We will have lunch on the river rather than haul back into camp and Maryke is busy preparing lashings of soup and a hot meal that we will run down the river for them.
An encouraging start!
Christopher Robinson / Roxtons

http://www.roxtons.com/fishing/news/2013/5/7/Varzuga_Blog_Now_Live_!

The water level remains steady; last night we had another really hard frost and the puddles in camp had a good ice covering on them by 11 p.m. At dawn this morning the water temperature was down to 3⁰C. A floating or intermediate line with a slow or medium sinking tip will work well. Flies of 1” to 2”, the colours of choice here always being red and orange, black works well too and there are others who swear by a Green Highlander. In any event, the spring salmon are here in good numbers.

Christopher Robinson

The Varzuga Shrimp

Butt: Fine oval gold Tinsel

Tag : Orange

Tail: Black and sunburst Tanuki

Body: Golden  Flatbraid

Ribbing: Medium oval gold Tinsel

Bodyhackle: Black barred sunburst hackle

Wing: Black Tanuki

Throat: Black barred sunburst hackle

Sides: Jungle cock

Head: Black thread

Hook: Partridge Double Wilson/ Low Water Size 6

A warm bright morning, turning to heavy rain this afternoon, topped off by a chilly evening and brilliant sunset. The river was a touch up today and is now at 4⁰C and still raising.
Thankfully the flood only reached just over the level of the floors in the main lodge and cabins at Lower Varzuga Lodge, so no serious damage done and things are drying out well. The ice bergs parked themselves on the edge of the Island opposite the Varzuga Village, but luckily not in main camp, but leaving some very impressive ice walls in places
Two cracking Chromers from Heli Pool caught test fishing on fast sinking tip and large bright fly yesterday.
No Arctic Terns yet, they are due any day to feast on the smolt run having completed their annual 17,000 km round trip to Antarctica.

Christopher Robinson