Ponoi River

The Ponoi River is the most famous Atlantic salmon river in Russia and arguably the most productive salmon fishery remaining in the world. Flowing northeast across the Kola Peninsula for over 250 miles before emptying into the Barents Sea, the Ponoi drains a vast wilderness of tundra, birch forest, and moss-covered bogs that has never been subjected to logging, damming, or industrial development. The result is a river system of extraordinary ecological health, producing runs of Atlantic salmon that can exceed one hundred thousand fish in a single season — numbers that are almost inconceivable to anglers accustomed to the depleted salmon rivers of Scotland, Ireland, or eastern North America.

The fishing on the Ponoi is conducted from a single camp operated by Ponoi River Company, accessible only by helicopter from the regional capital of Murmansk. The camp controls over 60 miles of the lower river, offering access to dozens of named pools and runs that hold salmon from the first ice-out in early June through September. The standard technique is Spey casting with two-handed rods, swinging large flies on floating or intermediate lines through the broad, boulder-strewn pools. The salmon of the Ponoi are notably aggressive, often taking the fly with a confidence that reflects their lack of exposure to fishing pressure in the ocean approaches to the river.

What distinguishes the Ponoi from other great salmon rivers is the consistency of its fishing. While all salmon rivers are subject to the vagaries of run timing, water conditions, and weather, the Ponoi's enormous run size means that fresh fish are entering the river continuously throughout the season, and the probability of encountering taking fish on any given day is remarkably high. Double-digit days — ten or more salmon landed per rod — are common during peak weeks, and fish average ten to fifteen pounds with specimens exceeding thirty pounds caught regularly. The experience of Spey casting through a crystal-clear pool on the Arctic tundra, with the midnight sun reflecting off the water and the next salmon strike always just a cast away, is one of the defining moments in the sport of fly fishing.