KINGS OF THE KOLA

JIMMY YOUNGER TIES FIVE HIGHLY POPULAR FLIES FROM RUSSIA'S KOLA PENINSULA.

Over the past few years I have been tying flies for anglers making the long haul to fish the rivers of the Kola Peninsula. This special area in the north-west of Russia has become one of the most popular destinations for the travelling salmon fisher, mainly due to its prolific Atlantic salmon runs. Since it became accessible to western fly fishers in the late 80's, many and varied are the flies that have been tried, but, after checking through our records, it seems five patterns seem to be among the most productive and have stood the test if time. Styles can vary greatly, with the wings being tied extra long - like the Collie Dog - and bits of additional flashy materials being added here and there. These flies seem to work consistently over there, so why not over here? Perhaps we should tie a few and give them a fair trial. These patterns are not too difficult to tie - in all probability, they were devised at the camp side, inspired by experienced guides and enthusiatic fishers, undoubtably with the assistance of a few lashings of vodka!

The materials are readily available and inexpensive. You'll see that the flies are tied on big singles - in accord with the catch-and-release policy which exists on these Russian rivers. There are now a number of British salmon rivers which insist - or at least advise - on the use of single hooks, rather than trebles or doubles, and it would be encouraging to see this becoming more of a trend on British rivers.

These fly styles are highly versatile; they can be fished on the full range of lines - sinkers, intermediates, floaters, you name it. At the beginning of the season on the Kola rivers - late May until the end of June - these flies will be fished mainly on sinking lines in conjuction with short leaders to get them down deep. Conversely, at the height of the Kola season they work equally well on a floating line, riffle-hitched to the leader and cast square to the current, when they can evoke explosive takes at the surface - this really gets the adrenalin flowing!

Tying Instructions

In my dressings, I state squirrel tail for the hair, but any suitable hair will do, depending on how you interpret the pattern, for instance the Yokanga Gold can be tied with either goat (for a long wing), bucktail or Arctic fox. Hook used are mainly sizes 2 -8, mainly singles.

Ponoi Green 1. Tie in a suitable length of fine oval silver and form the tag, five to eight turns, depending on size of hook. 2. Select a bunch of black hair for the tail, and bind in with smooth even turns of the tying silk. Form the butt with fluorescent green Glo-brite floss or Multi-yarn. 3. Tie in lengths of black floss silk and medium oval silver. Form the body with the black floss, and rib with five or six turns of the oval silver. 4. Upturn the hook in the vice, tie in a bunch of medium blue cock hackle fibres to form the throat. Right the hook and tie in five or six strands of green crystal hair or Krystal Flash, extending to the end of the tail to complete the fly, 5. select a suitable bunch of black hair for the wing. Bind in, form a neat head, and whip-finish. Give the head a coat of clear varnish. Leave to dry, then add a coat of black. Ponoi Red Tag: Oval silver. Tail: Soft black hackle fibres. Butt: Red fluorescent floss. Body: Black floss. Rib: Oval silver. Throat: Soft black hackle fibres. Wing: Red bucktail. Six strands gold Krystal Flash. Black squirrel over. Head: Black. Ponoi Green Tag: Oval silver. Tail: Black squirrel. Butt: Fluorescent green floss. Body: Black floss. Rib: Oval silver. Throat: Blue hackle fibres. Wing: Black squirrel over six strands of Krystal Flash (green). Head: Black. Ponoi Red and Green are off-shoots from the butt fly series, which originated in the States, with additional flash in the wing. The Ponoi Green and Red, named after the prolific Panoi river, produce a nice silhouette in the water and they offer an alternative to the brighter styles of fly. They are well worth trying over fish that have moved to a brighter patttern, say a Garry or Ally's Shrimp, on the first run down the pool; these darker flies are particularly good 'taking' flies and often elict a postive result from interested fish. Both these flies work particularly well in gin-clear water and are highly successful on the Upper Ponoi.

Murmansk Killer

Tag: Oval gold.
Tail: Yellow bucktail.
Body: Flat copper tinsel.
Rib: Oval gold.
Throat: Yellow hackle fibres.
Wing: Dyed orange squirrel. Three strands yellow Twinkle over.
Head: Black.

This is basically a variation of the Munro Killer with added flash. It has proved its worth in peaty water, and is particularly successful on the Varzuga River.

Yokanga Gold

Tag: Oval gold.
Body: Flat gold.
Rib: Oval gold.
Throat: Orange hackle fibres.
Wing: Black squirrel over six strands gold Krystal Flash.
Head: Black.

This fly was originally tied by a Norwegian camp manager on the Yokanga River. It is a variation of the Shiela (a popular Beauly fly) although it has a longer tail, and it probably owes some of its origins to the Temple Dog.

Copper Shrimp

Tag: Flat copper tinsel.
Tail: Red bucktail and gold Krystal Hair.
Butt: Black ostrich herl or wool.
Body: Flat copper tinsel.
Rib: Oval gold.
Wing: Orange and yellow bucktail (mixed) with some strands of gold Krystal Flash.
Head: Red.

The Americans have had a strong influence on the Kola peninsula patterns, probably because many of the guides hail from the States. This is another fly with USA origins, which has made its mark.

FF&FT would like to thank Farlow of Pall Mall's Brian Frattel for supplementary information provided in this article.

Article taken from May 2000 issue of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying
Computer generated flies by of Chris Mann, co-author of 'Beginners book to fly tying' (Merlin Unwin).