The Land of the Great Taimen, Amur Pike, and Siberian Salmon - Khabarovsk.

If your dream is to catch a big taimen and experience extreme fishing in the wilderness, this expedition is for you. The region of Khabarovsk has long been considered one of the best places for large taimen and lenok, as well as the home of the beautiful Amur pike.

Dalnyj Vostok, as this part of Russia is called, is essentially the last piece of land in Russia in the Russian Far East, with Sakhalin Island and the Kuril Islands further east. Dalnyj Vostok, and its part called Khabarovsk Krai, is the basin of the Amur, Ussuri, Zeya rivers, and further on the Onon River and a few more, if you count the larger ones. Looking at a more detailed map of this area reveals countless smaller rivers and streams that hide an incredible wealth of many fish species. Khabarovsk Krai is considered the kingdom of the largest Siberian taimen, and the Amur River is home to the largest population of taimen – one of the largest fish in the world, weighing up to 1500 kg. The local lenok, a species of salmon, are true giants compared to those caught in other regions of Russia. The beautiful Amur pike, an endemic species found only in the Amur River basin, is also present, characterized by unique coloring quite different from our pike. The graylings found here are slightly smaller than those in Siberian rivers, but their coloring is so unique that they always make for great souvenir photographs. Another species is the "yellow-cheeker," a fish from the carp family but much more resembling a large trout or salmon, with its torpedo-like shape, silvery scales, and characteristic yellow spots around the jaws. If we add periodically spawning salmon, a smaller relative of the sturgeon called sterlet, or the muksun, a fish from the whitefish family, and these are only the main and most valued species, then we certainly have plenty to catch. It was here on one of the rivers that the famous Russian film "River of Happiness" was shot, which has millions of views. In short, Dalnyj Vostok can confidently be considered a fishing paradise, attracting not only Russians but also an increasing number of foreign anglers every year.

The base for the expeditions is the city of Khabarovsk, from where we head into another world for a wonderful fishing adventure. During our expeditions, two options are possible: either we fly to Khabarovsk and go directly from the airport to the river or the hotel, where, after a long flight, we have the opportunity to take a shower and rest, then embark on our journey into the taiga, allowing us a brief tour of this beautiful city.

Khabarovsk, with its approximately half-million inhabitants, is a relatively young city, just over 150 years old, and it immediately charmed me with its beauty, cleanliness, and character. The stunning panorama of the Amur, seen from the viewpoint near three museums where a fortress once stood, on a high bluff, makes a beautiful impression and provides an image of the greatness and power of this river. From this place, it is worth walking along the beautiful riverside promenade to Komsomolski Square, one of the main points in the city, where in the middle stands the Uspensky Cathedral – one of the largest and oldest brick cathedrals in the Russian Far East. Both its exterior view and perhaps even more its interior are impressive. In the square, there is also a monumental monument dedicated to the Russo-Japanese War and many interesting buildings that create a really nice atmosphere in this city. It's also worth trying kvass, a traditional Russian drink, which is nothing like the bland sweet one from our supermarkets. Nearby, you'll also find numerous restaurants, as well as many points with pastries or dumplings, which are not dumplings in our sense but delicious yeast buns with various fillings. I especially like those with cabbage and mushrooms, served warm, making for a tasty snack and providing energy for further exploration. A must-visit in Khabarovsk is the Balszoy or Glavnoy Market, the main market or bazaar in the city. Its sheer size is impressive, with thousands of stalls, crowds, and merchants' calls creating a carnival of colors, tastes, and smells. A large part of the market is, as in our case, mostly Chinese goods, but you will also find real gems here. I mean, above all, the part of the market that offers food products. This is where the real cultural melting pot begins: Russians, Armenians, Koreans, Azerbaijanis, Yakuts, Chinese, and many other nationalities, whose identification I could not determine, all of them offer countless delicacies, herbs, spices, or just their national treats. Armenians offer their delicious candied fruits, Azerbaijanis offer delicious varieties of honey, and Russians and Yakuts excel when it comes to fish – smoked, salted, you name it, from sturgeon to muksun or nelma, caviar – choose from which salmon species you want it. It's mind-boggling. However, the most outstanding, in my opinion, is the Korean minority. There is a hall, right next to the fish market, where Korea reigns. A whole row of stalls with Korean food, where salads stand out. The enormity of this choice is overwhelming, and standing in front of the glass counter with trays full of wonderful colors, smells, and flavors, you're lost, at least I am. Always here, despite strong determination, I unfortunately buy more than I can eat, taking a little from this, that, and maybe a bit more from that, and then it turns out that I get something extra to try for free, and I leave the stall with a substantial package and a high bill, but the salads here are simply incomparable, so I don't mind the salty bill too much, considering it a real feast.

The next day, around noon, we leave Khabarovsk to head to where civilization ends and our expedition begins. We have about 650 km to cover, and it's not an easy road, plus a lot of equipment to take, which will be essential for our journey. Two Jeeps with a trailer loaded with equipment, plus a bus or another off-road vehicle, and we're on our way. Initially, we'll be driving on an asphalt road for about 400 km, then it's a dirt road, which late in the evening or even at night will take us to a village located on the banks of the Amur. Here we'll spend the night, and in the morning, after breakfast, we'll take a ferry to the other side of the Amur. The crossing takes about three hours, and we arrive at the next village, where our phone communication with the world ends, leaving only the satellite phone. We usually reach the river around 3:00 pm, leave the cars here, launch our boats, attach the engines, pack up, and head out onto the river to set up our first camps. Guides set up the tents quickly and efficiently. Anglers have professional two-person tents with a vestibule at their disposal. Each angler receives a sleeping bag, pillow, and a large waterproof bag for their belongings. In addition to sleeping tents, we also set up a large tent that serves

 as a dining room for everyone and another that is the realm of our chef and also serves as a storage for food products. Camping tables and comfortable chairs will definitely enhance the comfort after an exhausting day of fishing. After setting up the camp and arranging ourselves, we can start fishing. The place where we set up camp is a very good spot for taimen, lenok, or grayling. During our entire expedition, we usually set up three or four such camps at different sections of the river, starting from its upper course and finishing right at its mouth into the Amur. It is from these camps, using our excellent pontoon boats with jet engines that allow us to navigate even the most challenging sections of the river, that we will depart every day to the best fishing spots. Each boat will have one guide and two anglers. In the camp, the chef remains, who will take care of our meals. Three meals are served daily, along with coffee and tea, and snacks. Alosza, one of our guides, will make sure that we try "sea delicacies" and caviar. There will also be game and, of course, fish from our catches. The famous "kotletosy" from our chef's lenok will also surely appear on our table.

As for the river itself, firstly, it's not easy to reach, and secondly, it's quite challenging in terms of navigation. The river is not large, with a width ranging from 50 to 20 meters, and there are narrower places where the width does not exceed 10 meters. The depth in the main current, depending on the water level, does not exceed 3-4 meters. The bottom throughout the upper stretch is rocky, only changing to sand and some mud in the lower part. The river meanders incredibly, creating a mass of branches, islands, bends, and wild rapids, so swimming and navigating it require experience and the best equipment, which, in some cases, allows swimming almost over rocks. However, thanks to this, we can reach places where other anglers do not reach. The surroundings of the river itself are also beautiful and diverse, sometimes flowing through rocky and mountainous terrain, sometimes through the wild taiga. However, everywhere, we are dealing with a completely wild river, where we may encounter fallen trees, branches fallen by the river, and wild animals. Therefore, due to its wildness and beauty, and the abundance of fish, we do not disclose the name of this river and refer to it by the code name Burlit, which in translation to Polish means "Murmur." We would like it to remain in this state for as long as possible. A large population of taimen guarantees successful catches of this trophy, with specimens weighing up to 40 kg. The local lenok is not to be scoffed at, with weights reaching up to 7 kg. An additional attraction is the Amur pike, which occurs in the lower reaches of the river – an endemic species of pike with unique coloring found only in the Amur River and its tributaries. The feisty redfin (completely different from ours) reaching a weight of several kilograms and the beautifully colored grayling further complement the picture of this wonderful place. In June 2017, I realized an expedition on this river with some of the best fly fishermen from Korea, and during its duration, a program for Korean television was shot, which will soon be broadcasted. I'll just add that the water from this river can be drunk without boiling, as I have checked many times, without any stomach sensations, and its taste is such that I would like to have such water in the tap; then I certainly wouldn't buy any other.

Itinerary: Medium and low course of the Burlit River
Fish species: Taimen (catch and release), lenok, Amur pike, grayling, salmon
Expedition length: 10 days
Group: Up to 8 anglers with a Polish guide
Optimal season: Second half of May to the end of October

Expedition Program:

Meet with guides at the Warsaw airport, departure to Khabarovsk, transfer to the hotel if the arrival is planned one day before the expedition; otherwise, transfer to the hotel, overnight stay, free time, city tour.

Day 1: Transfer to the river, departure from Khabarovsk in the evening, off-road vehicles, about 650 km of which about 450 km are on asphalt, the rest on dirt roads. Meals on the way in restaurants, possible overnight stay in a village awaiting the ferry the next morning.

Day 2: Breakfast, board the ferry, crossing the Amur River (about 3 hours). After getting off the ferry, further transfer to the river (about 50 km on forest roads), reaching the river, boat transfer (Wydra 480, Yamaha 40 jet engine), setting up the first camp, the opportunity to fish.

Days 3-9: Fishing in optimal locations combined with moving downstream, camping along the river.

Day 10: In the morning, return to the starting point of the rafting, pack equipment onto cars, return to Khabarovsk in the late evening. End of the expedition.

Equipment for the expedition: 3 guides (1 boat with a guide for 2 anglers), chef, all necessary equipment for the expedition to ensure the safety and comfort of its participants: boats for anglers and for transporting equipment, two-person tents from Maverick, a large tent serving as a dining room, a kitchen tent, a bath, a power generator, Therma-a-rest mattresses, Therma Cell sleeping bags, pillows, waterproof bags with a capacity of 120 liters for each participant. Life jackets, first aid kit, satellite phone, radio in each boat, camping tables, chairs, electronic devices for repelling mosquitoes (1 per tent).

Catering: From the moment of departure from Khabarovsk until the return from the expedition, full catering during the rafting and fishing: fish dishes, seafood, caviar, game.