Fishing
Guests staying at the Gremikha Camp fish the lowest 12 km of the Yokanga river starting from above the Yokanga Lake and running down to the tidal water. This part of the river carves deep into the tundra, bending and rushing through riffles and rapids moving all but the largest boulders out of its way. This is adventure fishing in the wildest of settings.
Fishing from Gremikha is a thrilling and highly specialist programme aimed towards experienced salmon fishers. With only a handful of calmer pools, the fishers focus on fishing every bay, behind every rock and any other area where a fish might rest briefly on its way upriver. If the calmer water is long enough to fit a metre-long fish – there might well be one there waiting to hammer your fly!
Fishing is by a mixture of helicopter and walking. Some beats require helicopter drop off and pick up, some closer beats are entirely by walking and some a combination of helicopter and walking. It is based on ten rods fishing in five pairs with a guide
for each pair. Fishers must be fit and agile as guests can walk as much as 4-8km per day over some very rugged and at times steep terrain.
The Gremikha Camp gives the adventurous fly fisher a chance to hook one of the Yokanga’s biggest Atlantic salmon when they are at their freshest out of the sea. It is an incredibly exciting place to fish and there is always the expectation of a fish of 20lbs or more and an excellent chance of hooking a salmon in excess of 30lbs or even bigger. Landing a big fish in the lower river is the real challenge, strong tippet and plenty of strong backing is a minimum requirement!
Accommodation
In 2020 guests will stay in brand new, very comfortable single occupancy cabins with ensuite bathroom facilities. Meals are served in the equally new large dining room and sitting room with TV and fly tying bench. There is a separate building with showers, flush loos, sauna and drying room.
Gremikha Camp is not for everyone, but those that go and know what to expect, love it and go back every year.
Logistics
Yokanga guests generally fly from their home countries to Helsinki on the Friday before the fishing week. They then overnight in Helsinki at the airport hotel – often meeting friends from previous years and so the anticipation builds for the week to come. Early on the Saturday morning they depart for Murmansk on the “Fisherman’s Charter”. This is a private Finnair charter for fly fishers heading to Murmansk to fish for Atlantic salmon. Breakfast and drinks are served onboard.
Once in Murmansk guests clear Russian immigration, are met by Yokanga representatives who take bags for loading onto the Yokanga helicopter. As soon as the helicopter is loaded, guest will embark for Yokanga Lodge (sometimes via Gremikha Camp to drop off guests), a helicopter flight time of approximately 80 minutes.
On the final Saturday of the fishing week, guests will have an early breakfast at the Yokanga Lodge, load onto the helicopter and fly back to Murmansk (sometimes via Gremikha Camp to collect guests) where check-in for the Fisherman’s Charter return flight to Helsinki commences. Landing in Helsinki around lunchtime, most guests can catch a flight home the same afternoon, usually being able to check bags through from Murmansk to their home destination.
