Fishing, techniques and flies

Fishing in Varzina is catch and release fly fishing only. All fishing is with barbless single or double hooks. Spinning fishing is prohibited. Fishing is done by foot, moving up and downstream from the camp area. Varzina fly fishing instructor will help you to plan your daily fishing and show you the way to the "hot spots". If you have any questions about fishing, please do not hesitate to turn to our fishing instructor. As we have only one instructor per 10 clients it is obvious that he cannot spend many hours per day with all members of the group. Trout fishing area is more than 5km up and downstream from the camp up to the neck of the lake Enozero (Pls. note!Varzina House/Enozero Channel Pool does not anymore belong to Trout Camp fishing stretch). There are dozens of pools, strong rapids and some shallow water areas. Other than a trophy size trout, you have a great chance to hook anything between 2-15 kg salmon as well as some arctic char, which is very common there with average size about 35 cm.

Most fishermen prefer to bring their own equipment, a quite understandable preference and a one that we highly recommend. To help make the trip a successful one, the equipment should fit the needs of the season and rivers.

Varzina is not a very big river. However, there are some pools that are rather wide and it is always favorable if you can cast your fly line out easily. Sometimes there is a strong wind blowing straight from the Arctic Sea and then the casting can be quite difficult. That is the main reason, besides the fact that the brown trout are big, why so many of the anglers are using modern fast action graphite rods in AFTM class 7 or 8. One additional reason for using these heavy rods, is the fact that there are usually some Atlantic salmon in the same pools - it is very difficult to land a 10 kg salmon with a class 5 rod in fast water. The reels used in Varzina Trout Camp usually have good disk drag and a large capacity of backing line. There have been occasions when a 70 cm (~5 kg) brown trout has taken more than 100 meters of line while running downstream. The fly lines that are used are mostly floating lines but it is always good to have at least one fast sinking line or sink-tip for exploring the deeper holes of the pools. The most critical element of the tackle, however, is the leader. In many places in the world you can easily use 0.25 mm tippet for big browns, but in Varzina there is no reason to go under 0.30 mm when fishing with streamers. The reason is not that these browns would be super strong, even though in many cases they seem to be, but the fact that there are numerous stones and cliffs with almost razor sharp edges. It seems that the bigger the fish get, the better it knows how to cut the leader in half. If you are using 0.35 mm, you'll have at least a slight chance to land one of those old and wise ones.

The list of the best brown trout flies in Varzina Trout Camp varies a little year by year, but some flies are always among the best producing ones. These include Black Marabou Muddler (streamer), Super-Tinsel (big flashy streamer), Goddard Caddis (adult caddis), Elk Hair Caddis (adult caddis), Parachute Adams (mayfly), Montana Nymph (stonefly), Rhyachopila (a caddis specie) pupa imitations and various mouse/lemming imitations. More important than the fly itself is the right fishing technique. Especially, when fishing with a caddis pupa, the presentation, i.e., the cast and the direction, the speed and the pauses of the movement has to be perfect before the fish start to bite. Also, mouse imitations are producing best when the natural arc of a swimming mouse is imitated. Some of the biggest browns are especially attracted to very large and bulky mouse imitations. The scenes from the movie "Jaws" come easily into your mind when seeing a monster size brown coming after your mice pattern. When fishing with a large streamer, you have to vary your casting angle and stripping methods according to the conditions of that particular place. Generally speaking, it is very good technique to cast your streamer slightly up and cross the main channel and let it come freely downstream. Add some twitching time to time with your rod tip, and you can be sure that somebody is trying to eat your fly before it swings back to your side of the river.