The season at Kangia river lodge is about to enter its last week of 2019, and what a season it’s been. With summer arriving earlier this year than the last two seasons the number of fish in the river has been nothing short of staggering. The full season report will be out by the end of September but in the meantime we have a testimonial from our friend Tommy who visited us the first week of the season in July. Hope you’ll enjoy.
Testimonial by Tommy Svensson
After a very hectic spring with way too much work my summer fishing week was finally upon me. This year I’d decided to visit Greenland and Kangia river to try and catch those sea run Arctic char I’d heard so much about.
Since I try to do at least one adventurous trip every year, either with fishing or hunting as the main objective, I’ve managed to visit quite a few interesting locations around the world. Since I actually visited Greenland in 2017, I didn’t think Kangia river was going to be that much different and thought I had a good idea what to expect: beautiful, wild, rugged and untouched nature, hard to compare to most other places.
Since Greenland is such an exotic destination, it’s important to be prepared for some smaller hiccups along the way. Flight delays etc is nothing out of the usual and you just have to be able to handle it without getting stressed out or upset, always making the best of the situation. The fact is that once you are back home in your everyday life it is usually those things that went a little crazy, the real adventure, that you remember and keep talking about. JUst to enter Greenland and to see the small villages and to meet the friendly people is a big part of the adventure and something I value high.
On the flight arriving to the small town of Maniitsoq you get amazing views of the coast line and the wild seas and landscape. Once we arrived in Maniitsoq we were picked up by a boat for the 2 hour trip to the camp in Kangia. On the way we were lucky to see Humpback whales cruising and diving. An amazing experience.
Last time I visited Greenland we stayed in tents so staying at a warm, cozy lodge with showers, toilets, and even a bar made a huge difference.
Since we were the first group of the season we weren’t sure how much fish there would be in the river but this season summer early and the river was already full of silver colored fish
To start our fishing we decided to skip the nearby smaller pools and made the 30 minute walk to the midriver camp. Here you can store your waders and gear in case you prefer to make the hike in normal shoes and pants every day. From this camp there is an endless amount of pools, one better than the other and for those who want they can walk another or two fishing pool after pool, all full of aggressive char. I made my first cast of the trip in a pool just below the midway camp where I could see bright silver bars move, and in the clear blue water and it didn’t take long before a fish hit my fly and line was pulling out from my reel. It is simply amazing how strong these fish are.
After a much needed shower dinner was served. It’s amazing how good dinner tastes after a day like this, being outdoors fishing and exploring, breathing all that fresh, clean air all day. After a beer or two and some sharing of this first days fishing experiences I couldn’t keep my eyes up and it was time to hit the sack.
The rest of the week I kept exploring new pools, hiking further and further up the river all the way to the waterfall. The fishing was consistent and I don’t know how many we ended up landing but definitely more than enough. The fact that you can try so many techniques is great as well. In some pools surface flies were great and in others swinging a bigger streamer or intruder was very efficient.
For those wondering, the biggest fish landed measured 80 cm and was caught on a weighted, olive green fly. All flies we tried worked although some worked better than others and it all depends on the pools we fished. For big fish I recommend to bring some sink 5-6 tips and heavy tungsten nymphs.
I’ve included some of my photos to this short story but they don’t really do this place justice. Kangia is a place that should be experienced. It needs to be seen, touched, smelled. But most of all it needs to be fished! If you like fly fishing and nature Kangia should be high on your list of places to visit. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited and to have this type of fishing in a place like was just a bonus.
Now I’m back home grinding at Camp MayFly again, reflecting on my Greenland experience. As always a great travel experience stays with you and gives you energy for a long time. I am still processing this trip and probably will all winter. I strongly recommend anyone interested in seeing and breathing wild, untouched nature and wants to experience fishing you truly cannot even imagine to go to Kangia at least once in your life.
Tommy Svensson, Sweden
