Fly fishing the Varzina River for Atlantic Salmon is one of life’s truly remote wilderness experiences. In the middle of this rugged beauty sits the finest salmon fishing camp in Russia, the Varzina River Lodge. The Varzina River Lodge is the fishing headquarters of the Varzina River Company.

Accommodation in the camp is in eight two-person cabins and one four-person cabin. The Varzina experience is limited to twelve anglers per week. The lodge is equipped with electricity, cold and hot water and heating.

The Lodge main building contains the gourmet kitchen, a spacious dining room and a fully supplied lounge bar. It is also equipped with a satellite-operated TV, phone, fax and a WIFI zone. There are two separate saunas with hot showers available daily.

The camp is in a true wilderness setting, and staying there is an experience in itself.

WIFI is available at the camp.

Within a radius of twenty-four kilometres from the lodge are some of the most productive fly pools ever fished. Daily helicopter flights take fishermen to different pools of Varzina and Penka rivers to catch the Salmon of their lifetime.

The powerful Varzina starts high in the upland tundra from Lake Enozero which feeds cool oxygen-rich water down the Varzina all season long. Atlantic Salmon run all thirteen miles of Varzina proper, but the most fished pools are on the lowest sections. Clearly defined pools include classic glides, runs, riffles and deep holes that hold very large fish every season. Many fish over thirty-three pounds are hooked, some are even landed. This is the true spirit of Atlantic Salmon fishing. While most of the fishing is reached by helicopter, some of the very best pools are within a comfortable walking distance from the lodge. Many an evening outing after dinner has produced a Trophy Salmon within sight of the Varzina lounge bar!

Fly Odyssey also offers rods on the Drozdovka and Sidorovka rivers which have small tented wilderness camps. These rivers offer a unique salmon-fishing experience, camping next to two rivers which famously hold Atlantic Salmon in excess of thirty pounds. For small parties looking for a wild salmon river to themselves, this is the ultimate experience.

Fly Odyssey runs hosted group trips to the Varzina River Lodge during the prime months of June and July. Sean Clarke of Farlows, Pall Mall, a previous camp manager, ensures all aspects of a trip to the Varzina River runs smoothly. Our clients have managed their personal best Atlantic Salmon from this lodge with a thirty-pound Salmon caught each season. For individual rods or group bookings, Fly Odyssey can provide the ultimate trip to the Varzina River.

Check your gear over and make sure your kit is up to the job before leaving for Russia. Strong double-handed 14-15ft 10/11# rods and reels with a powerful drag are essential along with shooting heads in various sink densities. Also, strong fluorocarbon leaders and good hooks are vital. The fish are strong, and many are big, and they take some stopping. It’s also worthwhile bringing a midge net—not normally a problem, but if the weather warms up, midge will come out especially late July and into August.

There are international flight options to Helsinki or direct flights to Murmansk Airport. Transfer to the river is one-and-a-half hour helicopter flight.

Passport with a minimum of six months validity and photo ID to purchase a fishing license.

A Russian Tourist Visa is required to gain access into Russia, along with a new requirement of finger-print scans.

A Certificate of Disinfection is required for your fishing gear and equipment.

Let us do the groundwork for you.

Our tailored fly fishing and accommodation itineraries are designed with you in mind to suit your preferences. They are also quoted in your local currency with very favourable exchange rates.

Fly Odyssey has access to the best guiding and lodging rates, suitable tides and updated availability to this destination which can vary throughout the season.

This includes flight bookings, transit accommodation, transfers and a host of non-angling activities and experiences.

We specialise in group stays to the region, and our long involvement with our partners on the ground in Russia will ensure you are well looked after both on and off the water.

This includes extended stays in Murmansk and Helsinki.

Please enquire for the latest rates and availability, including information on any applicable special offers.

CONTACT OUR AUSTRALIAN OFFICE

• M: +61 (0)499 900816
• E: travel@flyodyssey.com.au

CONTACT OUR UK OFFICE

• M: +44 (0)7936 708305
• E: enquiries@flyodyssey.co.uk

Creating and sharing memorable travel experiences with our clients and friends provides us with genuine satisfaction. All of our trips are bespoke, tailored to your needs, and we always love hearing all about the adventure on your return.

Our knowledge of travel logistics saves you time, and our highly experienced team is here to ensure it’s spent on the water and not at the desk or on a long flight connection that you didn’t require. Since 2006 we have developed a valued client-base that has travelled to all corners of the globe.

We are a fully-accredited travel agency, where all of our flights, accommodation and associated travel bookings are made in-house, which means that you pay less. We have access to a huge range of specials, deals, great volume pricing and excellent currency exchange rates, allowing us to pass these benefits directly onto you.

On the fishing front, our extensive expertise and experience around prime seasons, species, moon-phases, tides and personalised customer service is centred around one principal – preparation. This includes detailed gear and equipment lists, the fly patterns, transfer details, up-to-date fishing reports and some of the finer aspects that can often be overlooked.

We travel extensively and understand that your free-time is important. Just as we all understand from experience, that the key to a successful trip is pre-trip preparation.

Our highly experienced team has fly fished the world for the last 25 years, and we understand the considerations and gear needed to turn a good fly fishing trip into a great one.

Fly fishing and travel is our passion. It’s all we do.