Reports

Jardines de la Reina - Cuba 2018

16 May 2018

Preceding a saltwater fishing trip, there is nothing like some fairly ferocious winter weather to help maximise the enjoyment of the holiday.  This was certainly true of the March 2018 WhereWiseMenFish trip to the Jardines de la Reina (JDR).   There was a palpable sense of relief and escape amongst our team of ...

Cuba - Live Aboard Yachts

18 Apr 2018

The location of the Jardines de la Reina, 3 hrs sail from the port of Jucaro on the Southern coast of Cuba meant that access to the huge expanse of flats and mangrove islands was out of necessity by boat. The Tortuga was the original floating motherboat, centrally located and fixed on permanent moorings it has been the base of ...

Farquhar Blog Report – The New Lodge

10 Jan 2018

Farquhar Atoll was hit by hurricane Fantala in April 2016 which passed directly overhead. The effect was to devastate not only the foliage and vegetation on the atoll but also almost every existing structure. The fishing lodge was obliterated and as a consequence so were planned trips for the rest of the 2016/17 ...

Pira Lodge – The First Dorado Lodge

17 Aug 2017

Pira Lodge in the Ibera Marshlands in Argentina was where “it all started”! It was the first dedicated lodge focused on catching Dorado and was the training ground for both many of the guides and experts who have taken that knowledge to other parts of South America. It was the lodge that put Dorado on the ...

High Sticking in the Spanish Pyrennes with Salvelinus

16 Aug 2017

Salvelinus is the sort of fishing destination that not only could I convince my non-fishing, ex-wife, to join me on, but conceivably I would be able to encourage her to learn to fish. A confident statement by any means! Let me elaborate. Thirty-six hours prior to landing in Spain, at Zaragoza airport, I had been standing on ...

Alaska Trophy Adventures - Report

12 Jul 2017

For a huge country, Alaska can appear to the travelling angler rather crowded! Communities that are virtually silent and shrouded in icy darkness for 7 months of a year burst alive over the summer. This is at its most evident over the 3-4 week Sockeye run in late June/July. More than 500 trawlers and their migrant worker crews ...

Bristol Bay Sportfishing Lodge - Report

12 Jul 2017

Alaska is a VAST wilderness. During much of the year it represents a tough and totally unforgiving environment, for nature as well as those who call it home and make their living here. It is also an area with quite incredible natural resources, of which the Salmon migration is one aspect that sustains, as well as bewilders, ...

Goodnews Lodge – Alaska

14 Sep 2016

A fresh run King Salmon or Chinook is not a fish to be addressed half-heartedly! They can be fickle to take, the seasonal window to have a good chance of hooking a tide bright fish is limited to no more than a month, they have an all too frequent ability to long-distance release for no apparent good reason, they are typically ...

ASR - Three Rivers 2016

01 Sep 2016

The Three Rivers programme which runs over the final three weeks of the season on the Atlantic Salmon Reserve covers the Kharlovka, Litza and Rynda. Sixteen anglers with a huge amount of water to cover. The first of the Three Rivers weeks is preceded by a 2 week rest period when the camp is closed with no eyes on the river ...

Tsimane - Pluma Lodge

13 Jul 2016

It was our 4th day fishing at Tsimane. Marcus and I had already seen and caught some incredible fish. The fishing and environment of Tsimane had delivered not just what it said on the label but a whole lot more. Each day brought about a completely different and unique experience with too many tales to tell. However to draw on ...

A normal-sized Costa Rican Jungle Tarpon

Costa Rican Jungle Tarpon – Scouting Report

11 May 2016

Tarpon and freshwater are not two terms that are usually associated with each other. But this is no mistake, huge Tarpon migrate far up the Costa Rican watershed creating a completely unique fishing environment for a very watery rumble in the jungle! ...

Isle Of Youth - Cuba

13 Apr 2016

I cannot say that I will ever not be caught completely unsurprised by the quirks that Cuba can throw at anglers. With 9 years of Cuban travel under my belt I am accustomed to the varying levels of deviation from what might be anticipated from any given itinerary. To the average and inquisitive tourist Cuba delivers a wonderful ...

ASR - Three Rivers 2015

01 Sep 2015

  Nationalities UK, Ireland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway Number of Salmon: 158 Number of Anglers: 16 BIG Fish 1 x 30lbs-Litza, 1 x 28lbs-Rynda Rynda: 56 salmon of which 2 over 20lbs Litza: 59 salmon of which 5 over ...

ASR - Mid Season Report 2015

15 Jul 2015

Whenever I travel to the Kola, via the Helsinki charter flight to Murmansk, as anyone will know who has made more than one or two overseas fishing trips there is always a good chance of seeing a few familiar faces. That said I am usually happy travelling relatively incognito although that is not always possible when your name ...

Tarpon Fever in Cuba

10 Jun 2015

Expectations are the hardest thing to control on any trip, whether it be to a tried and tested favourite location or somewhere completely new. Amazing ‘lodge libraries’ of pictures with huge fish from past trips, inflated tales of success or previous ‘selective’ memories can play a wonderful role in ...

Sea Trout & Stelhead in Argentina

08 Apr 2015

Organising fishing holidays may seem a little sedate compared to the experiences I had gained in almost a decade’s service in Her Majesty’s armed forces of the British army. That said, two or three weeks spent in Argentina every year was just about enough to satisfy at least some of my sense of adventure and the ...

Middle Camp on the Grand Cascapedia

28 Sep 2014

The Grand Cascapedia in Canada’s Gaspe Peninsula represents the crown jewels in terms of Atlantic salmon fishing in North America. No other river has the prestige or exclusivity that the Grand commands. It has an extremely distinguished history that stretches back hundreds of years and an even more distinguished clientele ...

ASR - Three Rivers 2014

01 Sep 2014

  Nationalities UK, Holland, Russia, Sweden, USA, Switzerland Number of Salmon: 174 Number of Anglers: 14 Fish over 30lbs: 1 x 36lbs, 1 x 35lbs, 1 x 31lbs Rynda/Zolotoya: 73 salmon of which 4 over 20lbs Litza: 55 salmon of which 10 over ...

Summer Salmon on the Kola Peninsula

13 Aug 2014

North of the Arctic Circle the fishing season is compressed into a tight four-month window. On the Northern Kola the fishing starts in early June and closes in September. Over that period, on a normal year, you can expect the rivers to change from a cascade of water following the snow-melt to lows during the mid-summer and then ...

Dean River - British Columbia

10 Jun 2014

"Steelhead – pound for pound the hardest fighting sea run fish". Bold statements such as this are repeated time and time again, applied to any number of different species of fish and used over and used repeatedly in advertising bumph and over zealous fishing reports. Rather like a prized card in a game of ‘Top ...

Cuban Missle Crisis - Tarpon Style

11 May 2014

ANTICIPATION. I hope everyone who is reading this, keen anglers or passionate travellers alike is suitably afflicted to some degree. It of course all starts with The Idea Commitment The wait Preparation Departure Some are able to mask the surge of excitement until they board the plane or even arrive at the ...

ASR - Three Rivers 2013

14 Sep 2013

Week 36, the second of the 3 Three Rivers week’s and the penultimate week of the 2013 season, was almost a very enjoyable but steady week’s fishing on the Atlantic Salmon Reserve. Six national flags were flying from the Kharlovka lodge to welcome the team of 14 rods who arrived at camp; 4 from the USA, 4 Spain, 2 ...

ASR - Three Rivers 2013

12 Sep 2013

It is simply impossible, when faced with the privilege of travelling to fish three of the world’s finest Atlantic Salmon rivers not to reach a degree of mental turmoil leading up to the event. To wives left behind this may be nothing more than a holiday but to the typical salmon angler this is probably the best chance of ...

Angler Rule No.1 - Never Give Your Rod to the Guide!!

11 Sep 2013

Despite the ravages of jet lag from our transatlantic journey there was a palpable sense of excitement the moment our domestic flight from Vancouver to Terrace took off. No books or films required on this flight. Looking out the window provides an unparalleled visual spectacle and goes to reinforce the feeling that you are ...

Salmon on the Gaspe

01 Sep 2013

Faced with the option of a domestic flight from Montreal to Bathhurst or Gaspe, an overnight hotel stop followed by a 2-3 hr drive, the 'romance' of an overnight train which would drop us less than 10 mins from Salmon Lodge on the banks of the Grand Cascapedia seemed like the obvious first class option. Of course ...

Las Buitreras - Rio Gallegos - Argentina

15 May 2013

Following on from a week at Jurassic Lake, Lago Strobel with an outlandish tally of 1,100 Trout, in 6 days averaging 6-10lbs in weight Paul and his team of three head to the equally rewarding but infinitely more challenging Rio Gallegos River. ...

Jurassic Lake - Argentina

15 May 2013

"After three amazing weeks fly fishing two of the hottest fishing destinations in southern Argentina, my cup is full. Before these action packed recollections fade into lifelong memories rich on emotion but scant on detail, I am writing to reflect on what we experienced, consolidate new found knowledge and perhaps help others ...

Los Roques - Six Days of Saltwater Fishing Karma

13 Feb 2013

We touched down into Caracas on October 29th, the same day Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the Eastern Seaboard of the United States causing havoc, devastation and misery. The tail still had a sting as driving rain rocked the plane on its landing gear as we came to a halt opposite the terminal buildings. Mark Wengler, renowned ...

ASR - Three Rivers -2012

16 Aug 2012

I am sure I am not alone in saying that the quest for big fish is for many fishermen a mix between addiction and obsession. If you fall into either category then a week on the Atlantic Salmon Reserve may well be the drug that drives this lust to new lengths. Concerned…you should be for this week; the first of the ‘Three Rivers’ ...

Spring week on Rynda

08 Aug 2012

It would be an understatement to say that the veterans amongst the team of anglers that arrived at Rynda camp this week were suitably astonished to see quite how far progressed the season was in terms of fishing conditions, water levels and the growth in the tundra. Any thoughts of heavy sinking lines and large tubes were ...

Top 10 'Wise Men' Tips for Spring Salmon Fishing - Kola Peninsula

19 Apr 2012

Fishing in late May or early June on the Kola Peninsula along the Northern Rivers is all about catching the biggest brightest silver Atlantic Salmon. Average fish weights around this time are 18lbs and much larger fish can be expected. To enjoy your fishing at this time and to improve your chances you must come prepared. ...

Las Salinas & Cayo Paredon

18 Apr 2012

For the last decade almost all saltwater fishing in Cuba has been focused along the south coast, the fabulous Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen), Cayo Largo (arguably where it all started) and Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth). This is not to say that fishing has not been conducted elsewhere or indeed that there is ...

Salmon Fishing In Iceland - Tips, Techniques, Observations and Advice report

06 Sep 2011

I first fished in Iceland in 2007. We were to fish a small river on the Northern coastline called the Fljota, which, common to almost all Icelandic Rivers, flows with water that is incredibly clear. This would necessitate the use of flies far smaller than one would normally expect to use whilst salmon fishing in almost any ...

Kola Peninsula -Three Rivers - 27 August-3 September 2011

04 Sep 2011

This was to be the first of the Three Rivers Weeks with our team of 16 anglers fishing 2 days each on the Kharlovka, Litza and Rynda Rivers. Grouped into teams of 2 or 3 there were miles of river to be covered and for this week the knowledge that the rivers had been unfished over the previous fortnight. As with any week on the ...

Bonefish in The Bahamas

11 Jan 2011

The great thing about the Bahamas is that on suggesting a fishing trip to one’s better half (providing of course that ‘she’ is invited) you stand a very good chance of receiving clearance to go. Not that tropical bribery is or should be a necessary prerequisite for a fishing trip, but it undeniably has a ...

Fly Fishing for Peacock Bass at Aqua Boa Lodge

14 Nov 2010

I first fished for peacock bass in the Southern Amazon basin the best part of ten years ago. It was a fantastic adventure, and I caught hordes of peacocks that really did fight like demons – but the fish, whilst almost embarrassingly obliging weren’t huge. The were predominantly the fogo or “fire” ...

Mahseer Fishing in India

10 Nov 2010

The opportunity to fish on the Saryu River in Northeastern India was truly a dream come true. As a child, I had eagerly read about Jim Corbett’s exploits hunting the great man eating leopards of India. When The Angling Report announced they were seeking volunteers to evaluate this fishery, I immediately jumped at this ...

Final Kharlovka fishing summaries for September 4th – 18th

19 Sep 2010

With a suitcase full of DVD’s and silver glint in his eyes, Justin thanked the Russians for another unforgettable season and set off for America to spread the good news about our special "Home for Salmon". This left our good friend Sean in charge of refereeing and keeping track of all the big fish action for the next ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, Sept. 3rd 2010

04 Sep 2010

If there is one thing that all fishermen have in common, it must be our infatuation for the really big fish. And as the great Northern Rivers have become a Mecca for giant multiple sea winter salmon, last week they traveled in from around the globe to live out their fishy fantasies here on the mighty Kharlovka. Representing the ...

Autumn Madness - An August Week on Rynda

01 Sep 2010

The one thing that is certain about a week on the Atlantic Salmon Reserve in August is the total unpredictability of what to expect. What is certain is that on any normal season at some stage in August or September the summer high’s will give way to cold fronts that will bring much needed rain to the rivers and steady the ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week 34 ending Friday, 20-Aug-10

22 Aug 2010

Last Saturday as the big blades circled to a stop and we stepped out of the helicopter, a giant golden eagle swooped slowly across the valley over the Home pool sending them all scrambling for their cameras. It was obvious from the very beginning that this was going to be a week to remember. With the coast of the Barents Sea ...

Bonefishing at Tiamo Resort in South Andros

14 Aug 2010

Ask most anglers about saltwater fly-fishing, and chances are, they’ll start talking about bonefish. These sleek, silvery speedsters are the quintessential saltwater quarry, and the fish that got the whole thing started back in 1924, when Holmes Allen caught the first bonefish on fly. I’ve got a bit of an admission ...

Kharlovka, Litza & Rynda Report Week 33 for the week ending Friday, August 13th 2010

14 Aug 2010

Managing expectations for most guests coming to fish Kharlovka and Litza is an almost impossible task. Tales of epic battles fought, both won and lost, permeate every week of the season and it is with those thoughts and aspirations that our mixed team from Norway, Russia, Denmark, Scotland and 'Yorkshire' arrived this week. The ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, July 30th 2010

31 Jul 2010

 Early highlights included Richard’s three salmon on the opening evening, dancing back into the lodge a couple hours later to declare that his adventure was already made before we had even gotten started. Things were about ready to get a whole lot better for Richard, and his fishing partner Richard, returning back a ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, July 23rd 2010

24 Jul 2010

Speaking of the weather, it appears that 2010 is shaping up to be an unforgettable year of extremes for us all. From the concerning amounts of snow and ice that accumulated during the long, dark winter months, to those record cold spells across the northern latitudes, to our early arctic spring that nearly melted the entire lot ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, July 16th 2010

17 Jul 2010

Coming off a tricky, barometric week of veritable conditions here along the north coast, our latest team arrived just in the nick of time before the weather began to close in again on the delayed state of the Murmansk airport. Loading up the helicopters at a record pace, we were then treated to 20 additional minutes of flight ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, July 9th 2010

10 Jul 2010

What do you get when you introduce a couple of fine Spanish amigos to a pair of proper English gents and then mix them all together with a room full of Russian fly fishing fanatics? A grand celebration – That’s what - Nastarovia! Without question, every season more and more of the locals here are getting hooked on ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, July 2nd 2010

05 Jul 2010

While it is true that nearly 80% of our guests have been coming here to the ASR for many years, most of them returning every season, last week more than half of the team choppered into camp wide-eyed, not having ever experienced anything like this before. And even though they had read all the printed information that they could ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, June 25th 2010

30 Jun 2010

Click here to see a video taken by the super Swede Mikael of himself with his 42-pound sea liced salmon landed on the Litza this season! Sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for! After battling through a couple of cold tricky spring weeks up here to open the season, we have experienced days on end of bright ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, June 18th 2010

28 Jun 2010

On the back of a rather cool blustery start to the season, we touched down in Murmansk last Saturday to bright sunny skies with warm temperatures in the mid twenties. For the third week on the trot, our eager guests have leap off the charter and took one good look around at the lush green forests thinking we have arrived back ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, June 4th 2010

16 Jun 2010

Following a winter of record setting conditions straight across the northern latitudes resulting in above average levels of snow and ice, not to mention the unseasonably cool spring that seemed reluctant to arrive further to the south, we were all a bit surprised to touch down in Murmansk last Saturday to the lush green state ...

Kharlovka Web Report for the week ending Friday, June 10th 2010

16 Jun 2010

Where the tundra meets the sea above the Arctic Circle, you simply cannot do anything about the pace of the season - especially attempt to predict it. Stubborn winter-like conditions seemed reluctant to give up their grip last week along the far northern coast of the Kola Peninsula. Considering we finished up our opening week ...

Early Season Salmon Fishing Report

13 Jun 2010

Global warming was not invited to the Rynda this week - although conditions on arrival in Murmansk suggested a very different story. Despite the Kola Peninsula having one of the coldest winters in recent times a prolonged spell of Mediterranean weather in April had unquestionably heralded the early arrival of Spring and warm ...

Salmon Fishing in Russia - Picking the Right Week

19 Oct 2009

It may be that taking the mental step to make an overseas fishing trip is the biggest hurdle for most people. Having made the initial decision it would be nice to think that one simply picks out the appropriate week within your price range. At its simplest the cost of the week’s fishing will reflect the catch statistics ...

Silver King Lodge

15 Aug 2009

I had been warned that the Tarpon fishing off the coast of Costa Rica, where the mighty Rio Colorado enters the sea, was something to behold. I had also been warned by a confidant that he would never go back...not because of a lack of fish but rather, conversely, because it was simply too much. Over 3 days they had hooked ...

Kanekotok River - Alaska West Fishing Camp

30 Jul 2009

We flew out on 1st July with BA via London and Seattle, then Alaska Airways to Anchorage, where we stopped two nights at the Millennium Inn to catch our breath, enjoy their impressive gantry of single malt whiskies, and visit the amazing Mountain View Sports emporium for a bit of retail therapy. "I think I'll buy my wife a ...

Three Tales from the Open Ocean at Manda Bay

17 Jul 2009

Sailfish - First time on a Fly? - Fishing Report onboard Shakina It was a world apart from my previous experience of big game fishing. Gone were the usual array of lines, hooks, baits, rods, reels etc which typically trail out the back of a sport-fishing boat. The setup by comparison was blissfully simple. Two rods with ...

Fishing for Sea Trout in Argentina - Rio Grande

25 Apr 2009

To my mind the Sea Trout fishing in Argentina has no equal. Each year the Rio Grande and Rio Gallegos Rivers entice anglers to travel an unquestionably long distance in the hope of securing what will almost certainly be a personal best fish whilst staying in some of the finest fishing lodges on the planet. As with all fishing, ...

Fly Fishing For Golden Dorado

02 Apr 2009

"Dorado are either the Argentineans best kept secret or else travelling anglers, hell bent on pursuing the admittedly excellent Sea Trout fishing, simply miss out on the opportunity." In fairness neither of those statements are quite true. Argentineans absolutely love their Dorado fishing and happily boast about it. On the ...

Fly fishing for Sea Trout at Las Buitreras Lodge

28 Jan 2009

It was the most expensive day trip I’ve ever taken: Tweed Angling Fair, May 2007. Jaw-droppingly effortless casting exhibitions then a wander through the trade stands. Drawn as if by magnet to the WhereWiseMenFish fish stand. Hooked! Sea trout fishing on Patagonia’s Rio Gallegos. I’d seen Paul Young’s ...

Fly Fishing for Golden Mahseer in the Indian Himalayas

27 Jan 2009

Since I was a little lad in short trousers, winkling a procession of hapless tiddlers from the Grand Union Canal, the Mahseer has been swimming through my feverish, fish-filled dreams like stardust. My younger brother, Olly, and I caught the fishing bug early, and armed with the crude tackle that we acquired at the local pet ...

Norway - Gaula, Orkla and Namsen Rivers

27 Aug 2008

The great salmon rivers of Norway such as the Alta, Gaula, Namsen and Orkla were probably responsible for the earliest breed of travelling anglers. Primarily it was sportsmen from Great Britain who travelled to Norway in pursuit of the finest salmon fishing available. Not only were the numbers of fish high but maybe more ...

Venezuela - Los Roques

07 May 2008

He goes by many names – Houdini fins, uptown sucker, John Mariggle – but to me the bonefish (albula vulpes, if you’re some kind of college professor) is the grey ghost of the flats. My favourite sporting quarry, I have chased him from Cuba to Christmas Island; but this year I found the finest place of ...

Argentina - Jurassic lake

24 Apr 2008

It started off with the most inauspicious beginning imaginable and ended up being one of the greatest fishing ‘finds’ in recent times. It was the angling equivalent of finding a Picasso in a car boot sale. This is a place where wild Rainbow Trout grow to gargantuan proportions; a place where Trout were introduced ...

Belize - Turneffe Flats Lodge

09 Jan 2008

Taking a non-fisher on a fishing trip may seem to be a fairly unwise move. Taking your girlfriend/wife or partner on a fishing trip may well be considered the equivalent of relationship Kamikaze. It is a problem that has vexed many a fisherman as he tries to find a way to combine the annual holiday with a fishing trip, whilst ...

Royal Coachman Lodge - Sight Fishing for King Salmon

12 Sep 2007

Each lodge, destination and species of fish has its own characteristics and more typically one often arrives with a set of preconceptions of what to expect. The Royal Coachman, in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, is a fly out lodge which offers a slice of everything. Absurdly good food, very comfortable accommodation and of ...

Akula Class Salmon Fishing!

03 Sep 2007

Having pursued a career in the army I suppose I knew what to expect or rather what not to expect when being given orders to proceed to some far flung destination on the other side of the world. From someone who was organising a trip this might sound a little odd. I should after all have been overflowing with information. Of ...

Southern Chile

04 Jul 2007

A fishing trip to Southern Chile is much more than just another bit of piscatorial madness that will see you pack your bags and travel half the way around the world just for a chance to feel the convulsive shake of a trout’s head and get a solid bend in your rod. Of that you will have plenty however truth be told there ...

Jurassic Lake

17 May 2007

Although only in my mid 30’s I have been an avid fisherman since childhood. During that time I have spent much time listening to older generations reminiscing about days gone by when our home rivers teemed with vast quantities of fish. My generation has, however for the better part seemed to have been blighted by tales ...

Los Roques - Venezuela

24 Apr 2007

Saltwater fly fishing, whether it be for Bass off the coast of Donnegal or Marlin in the Indian Ocean, is as different from freshwater fishing as cane rods are from the modern high tech Carbon Graphite rods of today. The surge and power of salt-water species can give the unaccustomed angler a hedonistic taste for the sport in a ...

Saltwater fly-fishing, Cuban Guides & the Stockholm Syndrome

24 Apr 2007

Prior to a recent trip to Cuba one of my close friends mentioned in passing that despite a fishing experience par excellence he had been somewhat taken aback by the brusque manner of his fishing guide. Now, as he was of an artistic persuasion, I mused that maybe this was on account of his occupational outlook on life; however I ...