Kamchatka

I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

Dave LaCourse wrote:

I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html


There may be some better established trips but I've heard some wild
stories about fishing in Russia. From the accounts I've read, it is an
adventure. The HUGE fish, the rides in the old choppers held together
with bailing wire, being stranded in the back country, getting ripped
off, etc. all contributed to very memorable trips for the people writing
about them. Not sure if they would all go back but at least, they were
sure left with some great stories.

Willi

--
"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading
these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html



Dave:

I have two friends that have been. One went for steelhead, the other (a fly
shop owner) has been twice for Rainbows. Both report that it is a trip for
adventure minded folks only. They also said that it was a serious hurry up
and wait affair - get to the airport, wait 2 hours for the next plane or
helicopter. When it finally shows up, the pilot argues with someone from
outfitter for 45 minutes about something that gives you a very uneasy
feeling. Then you ride on in a helicopter that has seen much better days -
and you seriously wonder whether you will make it. They also both said that
their trips were cut short by bad weather that was supposedly coming in fast
and would prevent their scheduled departure - but neither saw evidence of
it. Both reported that the food wasn't great (pretty bad in fact) and that
the guides would go off hunting and prepare any game they shot for
themselves.

From a fishing standpoint, the Rainbows averaged 26", and my friend said he
caught over 150 in 4 days, plus probably 200 Tilapia (I think that was the
fish he mentioned, but I am not absolutely sure - anyway, he said they were
big and fun to catch). The fellow that went for steelhead happened to be
there at the same time as a group of diehards that fished BC alot. Their
take was that BC was better fishing alll around. My friend said the
steelhead fishing was fair to good, depending upon whether you were assigned
to a beat with fish in it. The good part was that he never saw someone that
wasn't part of the group. He also said that during the time he was there,
the guide never did anyof the things that he was "supposed" to do for
scientific purposes (collecting scale samples, etc.). Apparently, they had
collected all the data they needed early in the season.

In short, the Rainbow fisherman has been a couple times; the steelhead
fisherman said it was a once in a lifetime trip (a notch on the belt, but
not one he was anxious to repeat).

HTH

Jim Ray

A couple of years ago, Try Combs told me that he thought that you got better
bang for your buck by going to Alaska. He should know


"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading
these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html









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Willi writes:

There may be some better established trips but I've heard some wild
stories about fishing in Russia.

Can you recommend another trip? From what I've been able to find out, the
Kamchatka trip is supposed to be very good.

From the accounts I've read, it is an
adventure. The HUGE fish, the rides in the old choppers held together
with bailing wire, being stranded in the back country, getting ripped
off, etc. all contributed to very memorable trips for the people writing
about them. Not sure if they would all go back but at least, they were
sure left with some great stories.

The Helicopter is the MI-8 (NATO designation HIP). It is a very reliable
machine, sold throughout the world, and the most popular helicopter used in
Kamchatka.

I am assured that we will be fishing within two hours of landing at
Petropavlovsk. What were some of the bad and good stories, Willi?

Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

i read a top book about flyfishing thru russia the writer had a lot of
experiences but the fishing was not great because of pollution
andoverfishing by a populace who have never heard of conservation apparentl
they use a lot of square hooks over there. i will post the title and author
of the book when i can put my hands on it(filed somewhere very safe)
tony
"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading
these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

tony weall writes:

i read a top book about flyfishing thru russia the writer had a lot of
experiences but the fishing was not great because of pollution
andoverfishing by a populace who have never heard of conservation apparentl
they use a lot of square hooks over there. i will post the title and author
of the book when i can put my hands on it(filed somewhere very safe)
tony

G I'm not flyfishing through Russia, Tony. The Kamchatka penisula is about
as remote as you can get, so there would be absolutely no pollution, just big
wild trout, char, and salmon. The wilds of alaska would be civilized by
Kamchatka's standards. There are NO people where the camp is.

Thanks for you input.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

Dave LaCourse wrote:

I'm thinking about a trip Kamchatka this year. Is there anyone reading these
pages that has been there or knows of someone who has? I understand the
rainbow trout are enormous as well as the char and grayling.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

Apparently one of the spey casters from the GCC has been a guide at a lodge
there.
Ill see if I can dig up some info. But the rainbows are supposedly huge and very

hungry. (There was an article in one of the latest mags.)

Svend Tang-Petersen writes:

Apparently one of the spey casters from the GCC has been a guide at a lodge
there.
Ill see if I can dig up some info. But the rainbows are supposedly huge and
very

hungry. (There was an article in one of the latest mags.)

Thanks, Svend.
Dave

http://hometown.aol.com/davplac/myhomepage/index.html

Some guys I met who went there told me a horror story. After they got to
the remote camp they were informed that the jet boat was broken and the
part wouldn't arrive for a week. This was known BEFORE they left home for
the trip. They had to wade-fish around camp, and there was no refund of any
kind. It sounded like a complete and very expensive bummer.

If I were going to Kamchatka I'd vet the outfitter very thoroughly and make
sure that the terms of the contract were crystal clear.

That said, I've heard there's some great fishing in Kamchatka.

I'm still looking forward to going to Alaska someday, if I can find a
companion who isn't terrified of the bears. :-)

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