Rafting the Uda River

This summer, record floods swept the Uda River valley, and all the is fish still hiding far from the main river bed, in the tributaries and side channels. In the main channels along which we were rafting, there was hard to catch even grayling or lenok. No food - no predators... In general, the trophy taimen, this time, remained uncaught.

The direct route from Briakan airport is crossing high mountains

At this altitude September 21 is already winter

The fog is covering the mountains

Flying in the “milk”

We have found some river and landed to wait the fog over

While we were waiting, I decided to go fishing. A blunt-nose lenok has eaten a pink nymph.

The forest is covering the hills as a bear skin

Finally this is the Uda!

We see dark forest water, lots of water..

Landing at the pebble bar

Far-eastern elk is crossing the river

Fall colors

The lenok in the Uda is something in between the sharp-nose and blunt-nose species. Is it a hybrid form?

This strange lenok has no black dots at all

The river is rather complicated in some places; it’s not so easy to drive the cargo raft along it.

Today we have the sauna

Evening chatting

The gees are flying south; we also have to go home

We are packing our gear - the helicopter should come today

Farewell Uda - till the next season!

You ask: what about taimen? The trophy taimen Uda decided to postpone the meeting with us for next year.