Air Temp: -2 > 10 degrees C
Water Temp: 9 > 7 > 8 degrees
C
Water height: -12 > +3 > -6cm
cm
Number of rods: 8
Number fish caught: 66
Biggest fish: 37lbs Chris Ballard
No 30+: 5
No 20-29: 22
No 8-19: 39
Grilse: 0
Weather: Generally fairly-to-very cold with medium to heavy wind and two days of rain.
Manager's comments: Really a great week, with fishers all returning to Yokanga Lodge and making it feel like a house party! When we arrived the leaves were half out, but the weather froze them in time. It will take a few days of sun for spring to appear in full.
Another beauty landed from the left bank of Lyliok
The lodge team and guides were ready to go to work and provided great service on and off the river. Russian chef Yury is doing well and Icelandic chef Andri (seconded from Sela lodge in Iceland) is helping bring up the food several notches and there are now two waitresses, Nada (from 6 years ago) and Ana.
Good grub on Yokanga 2016
In terms of the fishing – we could not really have asked for any better. Yes it is spring fishing so searching for fish all day long and many, many casts. However when connected these fish have been of a fantastic average size and the best condition I have ever witnessed on the river. You will see from the numbers that a staggering 40% of fish were over the 20lb mark. Brutal fights have led to a fair number of fish lost down rapids etc. However, every fisherman has landed a number of memorable fish in a mixed walking/helicopter week.
Biggest fish of the week. A cracking 37lber
All in all a great start to the season, it will be very interesting to see what the first normal week of operations brings (11-18 June) when we fish beats like Sand Island. Cliff, 7 Islands, Crow’s Nest etc – all of which are as yet untouched since the ice broke!
Peter Rippin
