Will Blair, the guy who’s been leading Kamchatka wilderness trips for 25 years, breaks down the step by step on how to do a trip to Kamchatka. We find out why this place is so much different from Alaska, with lots of untouched waters you can explore today.
Will shares the story of how he and his partner Victor started the lodge during a challenging time and now have one of the most unique trips in the world. We also hear about where Will was during the 9/11 attack plus the funny story of a bear who loves taking Pepsi from their lodge. We cover it all today in the longest fly fishing podcast episode in the history of the Wet Fly Swing Podcast!
This is definitely a record-breaking episode so don’t miss this one!
Click below and listen to the Kamchatka Podcast with Will Blair:
Find the show: Apple | Spotify | Overcast
(Read the Full Transcript at the bottom of this Blog Post)
Sponsors and Podcast Updates
Kamchatka Show Notes with Will Blair
03:20 – Rick Kustich was recently on the podcast at WFS 277
04:00 – Will worked in Bristol Bay, Alaska for a decade – at Katmai Lodge
04:42 – You can find 30″ rainbows in Naknek, Kvichak, and Kenai
07:08 – Bruce King was the head of the Kenai River rainbow trout program
07:21 – Roger Bloom runs the California wild trout program for 30 years
08:08 – Ozernaya has huge hatches of stoneflies, caddisflies, mayflies
13:17 – There’s a secret spring creek in Southwest Michigan
24:03 – Will and another guy from Colorado started Kamchatka Expeditions
24:25 – Will met Victor Rebrikov who became his partner then and now
29:24 – Will and Victor started The Best of Kamchatka
34:04 – Will talks about the river down below the canyon on the Oz called The Big Bluff
37:12 – Hook size restriction is implemented to avoid killing the fish
39:21 – Kamchatka rainbow
40:00 – Leopard rainbow trout
44:25 – Steelhead in Kamchatka are considered “Redbook species” which are endangered species and you can’t just fish for them
49:00 – Kamchatka Buttercup
49:56 – Kamchatka is not the place for Salmon fishing
56:48 – Will describes how their team get to Kamchatka from Petropavlovsk
1:00:36 – In 2014, Will started a flyout program called Rainbows from Above
1:03:11 – Fly Fishing in the Anthropocene
1:06:26 – Tiger tracks were found in Yakutia for the first time in 50 years on 2021
1:06:41 – Will recommends the book, The Tiger by John Vaillant
1:09:10 – There are about 20,000 brown bears in Kamchatka
1:11:19 – Will tells the story of the bear who loves Pepsi Cola
1:13:06 – Video of Kamchatka Lycas chasing the bear off (at 3:13)
1:16:43 – Victor signed a 49-year federal lease with the Russian Government for the entire Two Yurt River Valley
01:20:51 – Dolly Lama Fly
1:22:24 – What the camp looks like
1:28:24 – There are 29 active volcanos in Kamchatka which produces geothermal water
1:42:53 – 9 foot, 7-hand, single hand, with floating line is the perfect rod for Will
1:47:33 – Will tells the story of where he was during the 9/11 attack
1:52:48 – Will tells the story of his right-hand man Yegor
1:58:30 – Will recommends ExploreKamchatka.com
1:59:47 – Kamchatka trip costs around 10-15k
2:02:08 – The Best of Kamchatka is an Orvis endorsed outfitter and works with Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures
You can find Will on Facebook @BestofKamchatka and Instagram @bestofkamchatka and their website at TheBestofKamchatka.com
Videos Noted in the Show
Related Podcast Episodes
WFS 271 – Giant Rainbow Trout Fishing Tips with Capt. John McCloskey
Read the Full Podcast Transcript Below
Kamchatka Conclusion with Will Blair
We learned about the step by step on how to do a trip to Kamchatka and we learned why this place is so much different than Alaska.
Will told the story of how he and his partner, Victor started The Best of Kamchatka. We discovered what it’s like to fish in Kamchatka as Will describes.
This is definitely going on our bucket list!
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