salmo
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Post by salmo on Jun 25, 2008 20:00:30 GMT
Cheers Mike,
That must have cost me about a tenner to read all that on my mobile phone ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
salmo
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Jun 25, 2008 21:34:23 GMT
Bear Junction: A very good pool in normal water heights, and where the temperature is above the 4.5 degrees C in which we fishing, you can appreciate the powerful stream of the Kola coming down the rapids (the ones we had to walk around before lunch) and the Bear River coming in rather more gently from the far side. There was no way to cross the river to fish the reportedly very good lowest pool of the Bear river. After both fishing through the fishable right bank holding area and well through & into the tailout, but without result, it was time to head off downstream once again, onto the flatter & calmer section of the lower end of the Bear beat. Looking back up at the magnificent, but, on this occasion, unproductive Bear Junction Pool. We did try a few more areas of the flatter section on the journey down, including the turbulance of this side stream running into the Kola. Fishless, we moved on down the river, and thereafter rather rapidly covered the equally unproductive cold & deep pools of the Reindeer beat. Then it was back to the camp to reflect on the day, and hope that the cold water would be somewhat warmed by the heat we had from the sun on this first full day on the river.
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hornet
Active Member
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Post by hornet on Jun 25, 2008 22:04:52 GMT
Some cracking pics Mike and a top post.
Yir a lucky mannie.
ATB,
Hornet
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Jul 3, 2008 8:39:18 GMT
Kola 08 reindeer plus There was nothing of significance to report for the rest of the afternoon’s rapid fishing down the Reindeer beat, no fish nor pulls. Early hours of next day, 2nd June, back up to the pot above the home pool The weapons used: Meiser 15’ Highlander 7/8/9, with Evotec HD 11fourteen, DDC inty head & sink tip, and a ‘lite’ phatagorva/scierragorva tube The fly in the water looked very good, just the wetted, just-out-of-water, slimmed version here A couple of hours of fishing in the 4.5°C water determined that there were no players about! Off to the breakfast table !! Mike
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Jul 3, 2008 9:17:42 GMT
Kola 08 Junction/Pump 3rd June, on our way to the start of another cold day on the Kola, AM water temp again hovering between 4 and 4.5°C. This view is looking back upstream towards the camp on the long glide down to the junction of the Kitza with the Kola. The buildings on the Right bank of the Junction pool Looking down to the Junction pool, the Kitza comes in from the Right, and the railway line with the constant long trains, to the Left Junction @ lunchtime, Pat still smiling despite the bitter weather and the lack of pulls & fish! The happy faces of Thomas (Left) & Axel, who are happy to be facing the hot soup. We were about to swap beats with them, & they would fish the junction for the afternoon, as we headed down to the Serious & Pump pools after caloric restocking Looking upstream at the falling, but still high, Kitza flow Floating down the rapids between Junction and Serious Nearly into Serious pool below Pat, into a fish in Serious’s swirls & eddies on the Right near the tailout Alexei looking to negotiate the boat to a decent landing spot. In the event, the fish managed to get into the rapids below the tailout, and the boat had to follow, and the fish was landed in some calmer water below. Photo’d by Pat, but unfortunately his Blackberry had problems communicating with my laptop in the bottom of my rubber raft (we think it may have had something to do with the low temperatures or interference from the passing trains!), so I didn’t get any copies of his pics of the 8kg strong spring fish! After this, Pat went back up into Serious to the same(ish) spot, and had another fish of the same caliber, whereas I struggled to get into any position in the pool to cover the likely taking areas, and I decided to leave Pat to it, and I headed down into the Pump pool below. Nothing doing for me in the Pump, despite covering all the water right down to the fishable tailout, and even wading to cast from the Right bank. Pat had a brief spell at the end of the day fishing from the boat on the Left side of the river, and although it appeared another likely resting area, no more fish were contacted. Alexei then negotiated the boat back across the Pump stream to bring Pat out at the end of the afternoon Beached & done for the fishless day (for me). The powerful outflow beyond the normally productive Pump tailout is seen on the Right Looking down at the Pump tailout, and the rapids below, which lead into the La Parska beat Looking upstream at the Pump pool, from the landing spot on the Right bank, and into the ominous late afternoon sky. The water temperature not budging all day! Pat just about across the Pump stream The end on another tough day on the Kola Mike
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Aug 3, 2008 14:02:29 GMT
On exiting the Pump pool, on our way to the transport van, we came across this additional transport...fully working, with a very mature driver who demonstrated its roadworthiness by disappearing off up the road on it at quite a respectable pace. The following day, we had no success at the Serious or Pump polls, and re-started @ Junction pool after lunch, meeting up with Simon... and Trevor..... The fishing, still in very cold water conditions, was slow, and I had considered returning down to Serious pool for the latter half of the afternoon seesion, and got Sergei to take me over to Pat who was still fishing the Junction tailout. The two inflatables were linked together for the short chatter about possibly moving on down, when Pat's dangled fly must've made just the right movement for a running fish, as the fish connected to his line, and held on. I claimed an 'assist' for that one, as if we hadn't been chatting, ie I hadn't distracted Pat from his casting rhythm, then that fly may have not been just dangling aimlessly for the few miniutes just as the fish passed! Pat's into the fish, with a nice bend on... The guide starting to row up & away to the shore... Another nice fish landed, as I recall, about 7 or 8kg, and fresh! Mike
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Speyducer
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Release to spawn another day
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Post by Speyducer on Aug 3, 2008 14:43:02 GMT
Next day, it was to La Parska...a part of the river I hadn't fished the previous year. Air temp OK, water temp steady as all week hovering about 5 degrees C! After unloading the van, & the boats, a short steep descent to the riverside, and Pat's already tackling up. Looking upstream at the rapids coming out of the Pump pool above and the view downstream, where we would start fishing... Sergei at the readied boat Off into the boat, heading a bit downstream and on into position although the water looked good, and the fly fished round well, no offers or pulls resulted We continued down the whole stretch, covering likely lies and taking areas, with no result. Pat's boat was a little ways behind mine. We then came to a stop for a coffee/lunch break at this spot; looking upstream... ...and downstream to a sweeping tail of the main river before heading over a natural rocky falls, but there was an interesting slack developing off the main current towards the right bank which Sergei indicated I should have a few casts into. Working down this area carefully, and noting the heavily weighted bottle tube was fishing rather deeply - in excess of 6 feet - as it came round into the slacker water, I did get a good pull, and a fish on. Straight away I knew it was a decent fish, as it tried at least twice to forge the strong current and head off down the rapids into the next pool, but I managed to persuade the fish otherwise. After 10 minutes or so, and with the expert netting of Sergei, the fish was beached. A nice fresh Kola springer, not a mark on it, but no lice either. 35" long, 19" girth, and @ 10.5kg (23lb in old money!). A quick underwater shot or two as the fish was reviving prior to release. gear used - 15' Norway, HD11fourteen reel, IntyDDC connect head & tip, and 15mm silver bottle with orange/red hairwing with fluo green tips, and two added medium HMH cones. Views of the fly underwater.... Mike
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Speyducer
Advisory Board
Release to spawn another day
Posts: 4,123
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Post by Speyducer on Aug 3, 2008 15:17:23 GMT
After lunch, we headed down to the La Parska pool, Pat with his guide, and myself with Sergei I fished down a likely area off the left bank (from the boat) but no pulls... As we passed under this wooden footbridge, we swung back towards the right bank, and fished just below the bridge, now at the top of what's called the Cemetery pool @ the bottom end of the La Parska beat. Again, no offers, and no fish for either of us. Pat & his guide took a different line down the pool... and we ended up the day spending quite a good couple of hours concentrating on the best portion of the beat, the tailout of Cemetery - all to no avail....no contact withg fish at all. After return to camp, and then some supper, I went back out to drown a few more flees, but the best I could do was to capture the action of fly similar to the successful fly from earlier that day, except tied on a plastic tube with no added weight. However, I would say that if you are going to try to get some underwater shots of your flies to observe their swimming action, it will be less cold and less expensive by using a Kalax tester than venturing into the arctic circle with the 4.5 to 5 degrees C water we found there! Mike
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hf
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Post by hf on Aug 3, 2008 15:39:34 GMT
speyducer... excellent post and as always very thorough. What a lovely looking salmon! Cheers hf
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Post by G Ritchie on Aug 3, 2008 16:41:34 GMT
Cracking photos there Mike and that is a great fish. It must take some dedication to take underwater shots at that temperature.
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Speyducer
Advisory Board
Release to spawn another day
Posts: 4,123
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Post by Speyducer on Aug 3, 2008 19:09:24 GMT
And so, to the last day...the last day to have the opportunity of meeting a monster.... We were off to Monica beat, with Ahab's pool, and the Monica run. Ominous weather greeted us on arrival; not perturbed, we tackled up.... Pat had decided to depart from his usual flees, and put on a bright green turbo cone..... and we tested this in a small sidestream flow.... It brightens up some, and Pat sets off.... soon to be followed by myself & the solid if stern looking Sergei... There was a lot of water to cover... and Sergei....?bored already....prospects not great, water temp still hovering between 4.5 and 5 C. Then the snow starts! ...and just as I was getting to the sweet spot for taking fish, had to ship ashore for the call of nature, getting desperate! The weather was definitely getting worse.... and then brightening up again! Not for long!!!! A welcome break for lunch, still in the snow showers! Back to the river....hope still there.... but the afternoon, despite good water, and the weather holding off somewhat, no joy! A last goodbye look upstream @ Monica's.... and then it was heading home, back to camp for the final time of the week.... Down through the rapids, our last little whitewater rafting spin... It was even snowing in the camp on & off!... Looking out over the Home pool for the last time that evening.... A good night was had by all, with plenty of liquid refreshment, and even a scientific study was conducted on hook-hold / knot / line strength testing against the beams of the mess hall....whilst the results of the tests are a bit fuzzy now, they were also very fuzzy at the time (can't think why ), the overall conclusion was that 1. line breaks at below its stated rating, 2. knots fail however you tie them, and 3. there was very little difference to choose for the hook holding and the overall strength between salar hooks and the loop tube doubles. Very late was retiral time, and in consideration of the call to breakfast @ 5am-ish, very little time for the needed packing. Indeed, one of the Team Scotland was still eating his breakfast cereal on the way to alight the van for the airport! Mike
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Post by tynetraveller on May 23, 2009 16:03:46 GMT
A little bombshell added to Arni's weather forecast on the Kola that all beats on the Kola river will be open to the public this year- I think the dinghies will be punctured by all the spinners flying across the river..
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W Mair
Active Member
Posts: 81
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Post by W Mair on May 23, 2009 19:31:20 GMT
I believe that might be the least of his worries
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