The Fish and Fishing in Kamchatka

King Salmon

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

King Salmon grow to be, by far, the biggest of the salmon species found on the Kamchatka Peninsula. The largest on record was 1.50m long and weighed more than 60Kg.

King Salmon found out at sea have a dark blue-green head and back. This colouration is marked with small dark spots. Their sides and belly are silvery. As the fish come upriver to spawn they take on a reddish tinge (sometimes olive or purplish), especially the larger males.

King Salmon are most frequently caught during June and the first part of July. The best spots are the deep pools where the fish stop to rest on their way up river to spawn.

King Salmon can be caught on fly (on and under the surface), on lures and with bait. You will probably want to try a variety of techniques during your fishing holiday. After all, you will rarely get such an opportunity again.

Catching King Salmon from a boat is much easier if you have mastered Back-bouncing/Back-trolling. Follow the link to read about these and other specialised techniques for catching the exotic species found on our fishing holidays.

Sockeye Salmon

Oncorhynchus nerka

Sockeye Salmon do not grow to be very big (to a maximum length of 0.84m and weight of about 8Kg) but their unusual colouration during spawning makes them an attractive proposition for anglers. Normally dark blue-green on the back with silver sides, the fish become bright red with an olive head. Females may have more of a yellowish tinge.

Sockeye Salmon are rarely caught in Kamchatka even during the main run which is in late June and through most of July. This may be because the techniques used are inappropriate. A bit of research shows that North-American anglers do manage to catch Sockeye Salmon by fishing a bottom-bouncing technique with weighted lines. This has to be worth investigating, and we will post an update here if anyone manages to master this style.

Chum Salmon

Oncorhynchus keta

Chum Salmon are an underrated fish. They can grow to 1.00m and weigh more than 15Kg, which is decent by any standard. The fish run upriver throughout July and for most of August.

Mature Chum Salmon are steel-blue with speckles of black on the back and silver, turning to white on the sides and belly.

In rivers though, Chum Salmon are more likely to be a grey-red colour with vertical bars of an olive green. The snouts on males grow considerably giving a menacing appearance.

Pink Salmon

Oncorhynchus gorbuscha

When at sea Pink Salmon are almost pure silver on the sides and belly, with a steel-blue back. As they come in to spawn they take on a brown or olive colouration. Males develop a distinctive hump on the back and their mouth deforms until unable to close.

Pink Salmon do not grow large, only to a maximum of about 0.76m and under 7Kg. The average is more like 2Kg.

Pink Salmon are best fished for with light fly tackle.

Silver Salmon (Coho Salmon)

Oncorhynchus kisutch

Silver Salmon found in the sea have a dark blue-green back with brilliant silver sides and a white belly. They will usually have small black spots on their back and upper sides. However, spawning Silver Salmon change colour completely. Their heads go an olive-green, their sides turn red and their bellies darken.

Anglers are most likely to catch fish of about 5-6Kg. You had best be prepared for an acrobatic performance. Silver Salmon will try everything to escape a hook. Since the largest on record was 1.08m long and 15Kg, the potential for an epic battle is always there.

White-spotted Char

Salvelinus leucomaenis leucomaenis

This attractive fish has a chocolate-brown body with cream spots, and a blue-grey belly. They grow to a surprising 1.20m and 15Kg, but are more commonly encountered when of a more modest size.

In rivers, this species feeds almost exclusively on insects. This makes it an ideal target for the avid fly-fisher.

Dolly Varden Char

Salvelinus malma malma

Dolly Varden Char can grow a little larger than White-spotted Char, reaching a maximum of 1.27m and over 18Kg. Again, fish of 1-2Kg are most common.

Their colouration varies with location. Adults returning from the sea have a dark blue back and silvery sides. Freshwater fish have an olive-coloured back with a paler belly - which turns bright red during spawning. Most fish have yellow spots, which change as spawning progresses to orange then red.

You can catch these fish using a variety of methods and baits. They are often taken using egg or shrimp imitations as well as with spinners. Fly fishers will find dry flies effective, especially those that imitate adult mosquitoes, blackflies, mayflies or stoneflies.

Arctic Grayling

Thymallus arcticus arcticus

Grayling have a dark back with a bronze tint to the sides. Their distinctive feature is a blue/purple dorsal fin, unusually large for a river fish. Other signs to confirm your catch are a series of black spots behind the head, in line with the mouth, and a black line in the fold under the mouth. The average Grayling is from 0.30 - 0.40 m long. The biggest found reach 0.75 m, and weigh close to 4 Kg.

Rainbow Trout (including Kamchatka Steelhead)

Oncorhynchus mykiss

The Rainbow Trout is familiar to most anglers and probably needs little description. However, those anglers who only know this fish from lakes may not realise that in its native state, the Rainbow Trout is anadromous. That is, they migrate upriver to spawn. Adults are naturally found living at sea, only returning to spawn. When encountered in this form they look very different and are often mistaken as a separate species. Locally, they are known as Kamchatka Steelhead. We will consider the two forms separately below.

Rainbow Trout

The Rainbow Trout found in Kamchatka look no different from those stocked in UK lakes and resevoirs, other than local variations. They are silvery (sometimes with an olive tinge) with a darker back which is dotted with small black spots. Spawning fish are often darker again with a red tinge, especially males.

The Rainbows caught locally average about 2-3Kg but can reach 10Kg.

The fish can be caught throughout the summer but are particularly hungry in June after the spawning season. Fly fishing is the preferred option but, since Rainbows do feed on salmon spawn, egg imitations can be very effective.

Kamchatka Steelhead

As the photo shows, the adults returning from the sea look nothing like the Rainbow Trout that most anglers would recognize. They have a dark steel-blue back, with silvery sides tending to white on the belly.

Steelheads are not caught very often in the Rivers of Kamchatka and those that are normally fall within the range 5 - 8 Kg. Since the adults do not necessarily die after spawing, much larger fish do exist. The largest on record was 1.20m long and weighed-in at over 25Kg.

Steelheads are terrific fighters and much-prized as a game fish. You will have to try drift-fishing with spinners or flies to get yours.

Other species