Ponoi News:28 May-4 June 2011

First Week Pandemonium

For newcomers and veteran anglers alike, Ryabaga camp opened this week for another season of superb salmon angling. The buzz in the big tent at the first dinner could only hint at the excitement that lies in store for the beautiful months ahead. The laughter at the guide table, the inquisitive tone of new clients, and the recollection of past trips shared by former Ryabaga attendees filled the air on this very special first evening. Victor Sherbovich and nephew Semyon added luster to the atmosphere as all enjoyed the season’s first toasts!

Tireless preparation for the first week of the 2011 salmon season merged with unseasonable conditions to yield a fine week of angling on Ponoi.  The presence of birch leaves by May 31 promises great things for this summer’s angling. This year we began with water levels nearly 2 meters below seasonal average on Ponoi.  From the very start, fish were taken with floating lines and dry flies.  Rumors of a sea-liced fish flooded the camp on night 3 as a bar of silver was landed on the bank by angler Daryl Ewer. This led to great conversation and belief that an early arrival of summer run fish is imminent.

Our week of angling in Ryabaga went off “without a hitch”… well, not exactly; hitched flies and tubes were in order last week due to the low-ish river conditions and rising water temperatures.  Floating lines and dry flies offered Ryabaga anglers superb action. Ferocious takes from aggressive fish were the norm for the week.In order to tie the riffle hitch, the angler can use whichever knot normally employed to secure the fly to the leader (i.e. the improved clinch, turle knot, etc). Then, a simple half hitch is dropped around the head of the fly, with the half hitch applied in such a way to ensure that the leader trails off the proper side of the head to make the fly “wake” head-first through the swing.  Which side do I hitch?  I face the river and hold the fly with eye upstream, then I place the hitch with the line coming off of the bank side. The fly then appears to be swimming out to mid-stream as it is swinging toward shore. This orientation is important because as a fish follows and takes the fly, he often turns back downstream in an attempt to return to his lie with the least energy expenditure. By turning downstream with the fly facing midstream, the salmon will be fairly hooked in the corner of the jaw. This technique also creates a fantastic “V,” generating a lot of “noise” through the swing, all of which has proven irresistible to Ponoi salmon under the current river conditions.  Hitch tubes have been developed for this technique as well. The hitch tube has a hole in either side of the plastic tube just behind the head. Threading the tippet through the hole before securing the hook creates the same action for the tube fly as the aforementioned half hitch.

Our team of anglers last week included the Joe and David, paired with Damian and Tony. I couldn’t resist the urge to blast off from the office to join the quartet, and motor up to the Kolmac tent for lunch.  Anitoly, Machnev, Barrett (guides) and Isaias (our new resident photographer) prepared a colossal “disco” steak lunch (an Argentine technique of using a disc from a cultivating harrow to roast meat and vegetables over an open fire). Having worked through a bottle of wine, the group was ready to once again cause top-water mayhem on Ponoi salmon… an experience not soon forgotten. Victor, our chief’s father, and Semyon found favorable early-season conditions and dutiful instruction by Ryabaga guides to be instrumental in a very successful first week. Figures for week 1, 2011 exceeded 780 salmon landed. Percentages continue to hold strong: an average of 46 salmon were landed per angler and we anticipate a strong summer run.  With flora and fauna documenting the early advent of summer this year, Ponoi promises great results for 2011. Stay tuned for weekly reports throughout the season.

All the best,

Matt Breuer