Fisherman's guide, calendar

Kamchatka Fisherman's Calendar

Weekly schedule of fish movement in the rivers of the Western coast of Kamchatka:

Types

May

June

July

August

September

October

Chinook

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Salmon

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Sockeye Salmon

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Pink Salmon

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Chum Salmon

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Coho Salmon

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Char Mikizha

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Grayling

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Kunja

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Weekly schedule of fish movement in the rivers of the East coast of Kamchatka:

Types

May

June

July

August

Septembe

October

Chinook

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Salmon

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Sockeye Salmon

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Pink Salmon

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

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Chum Salmon

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Coho Salmon

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Char Mikizha

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Kunja

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Necessary personal equipment

You must have with you Identity documents, insurance policy.
Personal belongings and equipment:

• backpack or bag for personal belongings,
• hydrobag,
• sleeping bag (t up to -10°C),
• inflatable mattress or polyurethane mat (carimat),
• waders (slippers) or swamp boots,
• change of shoes,
• windproof waterproof jacket with a hood,
• set of warm clothes (jacket, sweater, pants, socks, hat, gloves);
• rain cape,
• light headgear,
• swimming accessories,
• personal hygiene items,
• sunglasses,
• protection against blood-sucking insects,
• protection against sunburn;
• personal first aid kit.
• fishing rods and tackle (oscillating and rotating lures (spinner sizes: 3, 4, 5), sinking wobblers (colors: white with red, orange with red), flies, mouse, etc.)

Fishermen can leave things that are not needed on the route for storage either in the hotel storage room or with a representative of the travel agency. Valuables must be left for storage in the hotel safe.

Catch and release rules

Guide to catch-and-release fishing and gentle handling of your catch.

Fish is the most valuable renewable resource of Kamchatka, and only careful treatment of it will help preserve it for future generations. Catch-and-release fishing gives you the opportunity to use the fish wealth of Kamchatka without the fish dying and can be exploited again and again. The concept of this type of fishing is to follow a number of rules that give the fish a significant chance of survival. By practicing catch-and-release fishing today, you will ensure yourself good fishing in the future.

Fishing tackle

• Do not use natural baits and lures for catching fish that you intend to release later. Mortality from wounds in fish is much lower if the fish is caught on an artificial fly or spoon instead of bait.
• Make sure that the hook size matches the size of the fish. Too large hooks can cause unnecessary damage to the mouth and eyes, and small ones can penetrate the fish's tissue or be swallowed too deeply.
• Use only single hooks and barbs when you want to release the trophy. Such hooks are easy to release. If you do not have smooth hooks in your arsenal, use regular ones, having previously pressed the barb with pliers. As a rule, factory-made spoons are equipped with treble hooks. Using them, first bite off the excess hooks at the base with pliers.
• Avoid using stainless steel hooks, as they do not dissolve as a result of metal oxidation, and therefore can remain in the cavity of the fish's body for a long time. There are situations when the hook is swallowed too deeply, and it is better to cut the leader than to cause serious injury by releasing the tackle.
• Use rods and line, a leader or leader of sufficient strength to reliably catch the fish.
• It is advisable to use a landing net sparingly. If you cannot do without it, the net should be made of knotless nylon. The use of landing nets with knotted nets or nets made of coarse fiber can lead to damage to the scales of the fish and, as a result, to infections, ulceration of the skin and death.

Fishing for fish

• Try not to drag out the game with the caught fish, taking it away from the rapids to calm and shallow water. Fish out and release the caught fish, if possible, as quickly as possible, without bringing it to exhaustion. Exhausted fish may not survive.

How to handle the caught fish

• When handling fish, try to keep it in the water at all times. The longer the fish is out of the water, the lower the chance of its survival. When handling fish, do it carefully and with both hands. One on the belly, and the other on the caudal peduncle. Holding the tail is not recommended.
• When holding fish, avoid touching the gill covers and gills. The gills are extremely important and vulnerable organs. If the fish has gill bleeding, it will most likely die.
• Try not to squeeze the fish. Pressing on vital organs is often fatal.
• When handling fish, use soft, wet gloves (without a hard abrasive coating) or at least wet your hands with water.
• When fishing from a boat or raft, try to release the fish without pulling it on board. The fish can be seriously injured when it is lifted by the line or starts to thrash around in the boat. If you want to take a photo of a fish, do it quickly, having prepared your camera for shooting in advance. Get someone to help you hold the fish or take a photo of you with the trophy.
• Try not to let the fish thrash around in shallow water, among rocks or on the ground.

Releasing the hook and releasing the fish

• Always try to remove the hook quickly and carefully, holding the fish in the water. Firmly grasp the hook with your fingers, or better yet, with pliers, release the hook and remove it from the fish's mouth.
• If the hook is deeply embedded, do not try to pull it out or yank the fly or lure with force. It is better to cut the leader as close to the hook eye as possible, and then restore the fish as recommended below. Experience shows that the hook will eventually release itself or dissolve as a result of oxidation of the metal inside the body.
• When fishing from a boat or raft, use a landing net to reduce the time it takes to release the hook and make the process of restoring the fish easier.

Fish recovery

• Never throw or kick a fish into the water. Lower it carefully, making sure that the gills are in the water. 
• Recover the fish by placing it in the water with its head against the current, thereby creating a pressure ventilation in the gills, until the fish can independently hold itself in a natural position and until the gills "start working", i.e. the gill covers begin to rise and fall rhythmically. In some cases, fish need to recover by "walking" for several minutes. To "walk" the fish, move upstream from other fishermen to an area of ​​clear water, lower it into the water and, holding it by the sides or tail, slowly move the fish back and forth. As soon as the fish has recovered, the gills will begin to move rhythmically, and the fish will independently hold itself in a natural position. When the fish begins to beat in your hands and break free, release it. Don't be alarmed if the fish swims away slowly. This is normal.
  

Amateur and sport fishing

in Kamchatka: current status, problems

and approaches to their solution, development prospects

I.V. Shatilo, V.N. Leman.

Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, 2008.