Osenka-bonanza i Umba

When the plane lands at Murmansk Airport, you know you have arrived in the kingdom of Atlantic salmon.
This is my second trip to the **Kola Peninsula**. Joining the adventure are Mattias, Lasse, Christer and Troels – the same crew as the previous year. Back home the salmon season ended a month ago, which makes the excitement even stronger.

On the Kola Peninsula, bright chrome Atlantic salmon are still entering the rivers in large numbers and we have booked the prime time of the prime time – historically the best weeks of the season. Outside the airport the lodge owner is waiting with a bus – fully stocked with snacks and cold beer.

Despite arriving late in Murmansk nobody wants to sleep. The anticipation for the coming days of salmon fly fishing on the Umba River is simply too strong. Eventually we reach the lodge where the staff welcomes us with dinner.

Unpacking the fishing gear, checking the catch reports and settling into the room that will be home for the next week feels incredible. Everyone has their own room with bathroom and shower. Naturally a few drinks in the bar follow before it is finally time to sleep.

The alarm rings at 07:45.

Normally I hate mornings, but this time I jump out of bed immediately. We gather for breakfast with pancakes and plenty of good food.

The first day of  salmon fishing on the Umba River  is always special. You are filled with excitement and anticipation. All you want is to get the fly into the water. The group before us had excellent fishing – especially toward the end of the week – which makes expectations even higher.

Unfortunately our rods were lost somewhere during the flights. Luckily we manage to borrow equipment and hear that our rods should arrive later that afternoon. I begin fishing together with Troels, and we start the day in Home Pool.

Home Pool is a large pool that often holds big salmon. After a short while we see movement in the water – a clear sign that a new run of salmon is entering the river. Suddenly the line tightens hard. The rod bends and the fish is on.

Landing the first salmon of the week is always special. A short time later a bright chrome Osenka salmon with sea lice lies in the net. Absolutely incredible. After the first fish a calm feeling arrives – but also a hunger to experience it again. This becomes my only fish on the first day, although several others in the group also land salmon.

The day ends with a great dinner, cold beer, Russian vodka and of course a sauna.

Troels, Lasse, Mattias, Christer and David

David with a fantastic fish

Incredible high salmon here

The day starts in Junction Pool, which has a strong central current that always holds fish. Both older salmon and freshly arrived chrome Osenka salmon rest here.

The Dane hooks a nice fish almost immediately, but after that nothing happens until lunch. It is always exciting when the boats return to the lodge for lunch and everyone shares how the fishing has been.

After lunch we head back out again.

Now it is time for one of my favourite spots: Lower Rat Pool.

This is a large, shallow and wide pool with many perfect holding spots for fresh salmon. I get dropped off on the bank while the guide points out where to start fishing. However, a section slightly further upstream looks even better, so I walk about 30 meters up.

After only a few casts the line tightens hard and a big splash appears far out in the river. This feels like a big fish. Could it be a 20-pound Atlantic salmon (around 9 kg)?

After an intense fight the fish comes close and I see that it is a beautiful salmon. Not quite 20 pounds, but close. When it finally reaches the net we weigh it: 18 pounds (just over 8 kg).

The shape of this fish is unlike anything I have ever seen in an Atlantic salmon. Enormously thick and powerful — exactly how a salmon should look.

Later we drop Troels off at Brad’s Pool, a large and exciting outlet current. I decide to try faster water further downstream and ask the guide to take me to Lohkinka, a fantastic pool. Since I landed a fish there the previous year my confidence is high. At the very top of the pool there is a deep back-eddy. I make a cast almost without extending the line fully. The fly barely touches the water before the take comes. Three or four seconds later the fish is 60 meters downstream. There is simply no way to stop it when it charges downstream like that.

After a great fight the fish finally lies in the net.

The guide tells me that they almost never fish that exact spot — which proves that sometimes it pays to follow your instincts.

The group lands 9 salmon that day.

Fish from Lohkinka

Lasse with a fish from Home Pool

According to the weather forecast strong winds were expected during the night. Unfortunately it was correct. We wake up to a river that is coffee-coloured and muddy.

The strong winds have stirred up the bottom layers of the large lake from which the Umba River flows. Not a good sign for salmon fishing. And unfortunately the guides are right. Not a single salmon is landed that day. The strong winds also make casting extremely difficult. But this is something every salmon angler must be prepared for.

Fortunately the wind drops during the evening and by the next morning the water is almost clear again. My guide and I head to Junction Pool. Fishing deep with sinking lines and heavy flies is effective here.

Once again I hit a fresh run of salmon entering the pool. The fishing is incredible. It feels like salmon heaven. The fly barely touches the water before another fish takes. Three salmon are landed in the morning session alone.

On the way back we try Upper Rat Pool where I land a strong male salmon around 8 kg.

After lunch we head to Lohkinka Pool again. The speed of the water here makes the fishing extremely exciting. Soon I hook another fresh salmon, almost transparent with sea lice. Even my guide wants to pose with this beautiful fish. In the last hour we fish Brad’s Pool, known for large salmon.

I am still hunting my 20-pounder. With only 30 minutes left a powerful take comes. Both my guide and I desperately want to land this fish. After a tense fight we finally get it into the net. We are convinced this is the 20-pound salmon. But the scale stops at 19 pounds. So close.

Still the most beautiful fish of the week.

In total I landed 16 salmon with an average weight of 7 kg.

An absolutely incredible week.

Friday – Departure Day

On the final morning we only have a few hours of fishing left. The group lands a few more salmon before we stop around lunch to pack our gear and prepare for the journey home.

An incredible week on the Umba River is over. But we already look forward to returning again next season to chase the legendary Osenka Atlantic salmon.

If you want to join the adventure:

fiskeresor.nu/Umba Contact mattias@fiskeresor.nu