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Kamchatka
First encounter
By Jurij Shumakov

Part three

Some advice, based on my experience, which I would like to give to those who dream of travelling to remote and exciting areas of Kamchatka:

1) If it is not King Salmon or Steelhead of the prize size, there is no need to use rods over class 7-8. On rivers with dense vegetation on riverbank, short double hand rods of class 8-9 would be helpful. Particularly when using big and heavy flies and for comfort of underhand cast in places with restricted space behind you.

2) There is no need to fish with a tippet less then 0.35 mm in diameter. I didn't find much difference in amount of takes relating to tippet diameter. The whole week, I fished tippet 0,40 mm and felt confident while playing fish.

3) When preparing your fly-box, make sure to include flies tied from strong materials. Tube flies with a short body and a free swinging hook, or assembled with the help of soft silicone tubing, proved to be the creatures with the longest life fishing Pacific salmon. Additionally, you will benefit from tube flies, so as not to carry hundreds of hooks, just flies and a few hooks to combine with them.

4) If you are allowed to use double hooks, use them! The reason is that even big singles very often couldn't hook the fish properly. Dense silicone tubing on tube flies allows you to assemble hook point up, so you can fish very deep, close to bottom, without big risk of losing your fly.

5) Better to have fly-lines of all densities of course, but if you would like to minimize the weight of your travel stuff, floating lines and floating lines with a sink or intermediate tip will cover all needs. For fishing deep pools, I used whole slow sinking lines and heavy tube flies to achieve the right depth.

6) You definitely need stuff to remove hook from fish mouth. The teeth of Pacifics are very sharp and full of bacteria. Wounds made by those teeth quickly inflame and are slow to heal, so take care of your fingers.

Violetly Happy

Tube: Eppendorf plastic lab tippet.
Tag: Holo Silver flat tinsel.
Butt: Chinese red Uni-stretch floss.
Tail: bunch of barbs from cock feather in purple colour.
Body: Roman Mozers ghost-fiber dubbing in deep purple colour.
Rib: flat silver holo tinsel.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou; small bunch of silver fox tail fur; magenta, purple and silver holo Angel hair; bunch Icelandic horse hair died in lilac over the wing a few strands of black holo flashabou.
Front hackle: cock and guinea dyed in purple.
Head: black.

Purple Stranger

Tube: Eppendorf plastic lab tippet.
Butt: fluor green floss.
Tail: fluor green floss.
Body: rear half: dyed over pearl "metallic purple" gift tape; front half: mix 1:1 of UV Black ice dub and purple Ultra Holographic dubbing.
Rib: front half: Lagartun oval french "pearl peacock" poly-tinsel, small.
Body hackle: front half: black cock.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou, small bunch of polar bear fur died in purple, magenta, purple and silver holo Angel hair; bunch of naturally white polar fox tail fur; over the wing fine purple ripple flash.
Front hackle: cock dyed in black.
Head: black.

Purple Red Coneheader

Tube: Eppendorf plastic lab tippet.
Tag: flat silver holo tinsel.
Body: braid pearl mylar tubing.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou, small bunch of polar bear fur died in purple; purple and deep blue twinkle, lilac and pink flashabou; bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in black; 4-6 barbs from peacock feather dyed magenta; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in black.
Front hackle: cock dyed in deep purple and teal flank dyed in purple.
Head: Orvis hot red conehead in medium size.

Pink Toy

Tube: Eppendorf plastic lab tippet.
Butt: magenta floss.
Tail: magenta floss.
Body: braided pearl mylar tubing.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou; bunch of naturally white polar fox tail fur; lilac pink and silver holo flashabou; bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in peach; pink and silver holo flashabou; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in hot pink.
Front hackle: white and hot pink cock.
Head: red.

Deeply Yours

Tube: brass, type Long Range, 4 mm in diameter, 1/2 inch long; inner plastic tube 1.5 mm in diameter.
Body: furrows dyed with Glow red varnish.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in pink; ripple flash dyed over pearl in pink; bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in pink; magenta and deep blue ripple flash, black holo flashabou; magenta and deep blue twinkle, black holo flashabou; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in light purple; magenta and deep blue twinkle; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in black; over the wing a few strands of black holo flashabou.
Front hackle: cock dyed in purple.
Head: black.

Barbie Fly

Tube: aluminium, type Long Range, 4 mm in diameter, 1/2 inch long; inner plastic tube 1.8 mm in diameter.
Body: furrows dyed with Glow red varnish.
Wing: silver holo flashabou; small bunch of naturally white polar fox tail fur; dyed over pearl in pink ripple flash; bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in pink; ripple flash dyed over pearl in pink; small bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in hot pink; over the wing a few strands of fine crimson ripple flash.
Front hackle: white and hot pink cock.
Head: red.

LR Silver Taker

Tube: aluminium, type Long Range, 4 mm in diameter, 1/2 inch long; inner plastic tube 1.8 mm in diameter.
Body: furrows dyed with Glow red varnish.
Wing: pink lazer flashabou; small bunch of Icelandic horse hair dyed purple; dyed over pearl in pink ripple flash and pink mirror flashabou; bunch of naturally white polar fox tail fur; over the wing a few strands of fine crimson ripple flash.
Front hackle: cock and guinea dyed purple.
Head: glow red.

Steely #1

Tube: brass, 2 mm in diameter, 1 inch long.
Tag: oval silver tinsel.
Butt: magenta floss.
Tail: magenta floss.
Body: rear half: strip of purple holo gift wrapper, front half: UV Black ice dub.
Rib: oval silver tinsel, small.
Body hackle: front half: deep purple cock.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou, small bunch of polar bear fur died in purple; magenta, purple and silver holo Angel hair; bunch of polar fox tail fur dyed in black; over the wing 4-6 barbs from peacock feather dyed magenta.
Front hackle: cock dyed in black.
Head: black.

Purple Overtaker

Tube: Eppendorf plastic lab tippet.
Tag: oval silver tinsel.
Tail: fluor green floss floss.
Body: mix 1:1 of UV Black ice dub and purple Ultra Holographic dubbing.
Rib: small oval silver tinsel and fine flat holo red tinsel in parallel.
Body hackle: black cock.
Wing: lilac Mirage flashabou, small bunch of polar bear fur died in purple; 4 strands magenta holo flashabou; small bunch of polar fox died deep purple; over the wing fine purple ripple flash.
Front hackle: guinea dyed in violet.
Head: black.

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Text and photos by Jurij Shumakov 2004 ©