Atlantic salmon
7–12 kg (15–26 lb)typical trophy · records over 15 kg (33 lb)
The river’s main fish, with two runs: from mid-May and from early August. We fish for it with spinning rods from the bank and from the boat.
Fishing · Northern taiga · 65°59′ N · 41°47′ E
The Megra. Salmon of a taiga river
Arkhangelsk in the morning; an hour later, a river where your beat holds only you, your guide and salmon fresh in from the White Sea. Forty kilometers of water, with new pools and rapids every day. In the evening, a banya by the river and your catch cooked by the chef.
Trip
All-inclusivehelicopter, chef, banya, guide and tackle
Length
5 days / 4 nightsback-to-back 5-day trips
Season
May 24 – October 19break July 15 – August 4
Transfer
Helicopter, 1 hourfrom Arkhangelsk: R66, Gazelle or AS350
Where
Megra River, taigaMezensky District, Arkhangelsk Region
Lodging
Heated cabinswood stoves, shower, toilets, banya, restaurant
Guests
Up to 12 at the lodgesolo travelers welcome
Fish
Atlantic salmon, pink salmon, sea troutplus pike, brown trout, grayling, perch
Method
Spin fishingfrom the bank and by boat, 3 guests per boat
Tackle
Providedspinning rods, reels, lures
Permits
Not neededpassport needed only for the contract
Connectivity
Satellite internetno cell coverage
The river
Forty kilometers of river and not a single road
The Megra runs through the Mezen taiga to the White Sea: rapids, deep pools, quiet stretches and a chain of lakes. Atlantic salmon enter it in two runs, from mid-May and from early August; in between, the river belongs to sea trout, grayling and pike.
The lodge stands on the riverbank, an hour’s flight from Arkhangelsk. For dozens of kilometers around there are no villages, no roads and no other boats. Our stretch of the river is 40 kilometers long, so you can fish new water every day.
- Salmon of 7–12 kg (15–26 lb) are a typical trophy in June and September
- Pike of 5–10 kg (11–22 lb) in the lakes and backwaters
- Besides salmon: sea trout, grayling up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) and perch over 600 g (1.3 lb)
- White nights from June: you can fish even at midnight
Catch on the Megra
Megra salmon in our guests’ hands
Photos from our guests and guides on our rivers—shot on phones, not staged, not retouched.
Season 2027
When to fish the Megra
Temperatures are long-term daytime averages. Choose a trip to see all the dates.
May 2 trips
+9° … +11° by day
- Season opens: Atlantic salmon start running in mid-May
- White nights, daylight almost around the clock
- Cool—bring warm layers
- Few insects yet
June 8 trips
+11° … +19° by day
- Summer run of Atlantic salmon
- White nights—light around the clock
- Mosquitoes and blackflies—a head net is a must
- The taiga in full leaf
July 3 trips
+18° … +20° by day
- The warmest month of the season
- A good time to come with children
- Still some insects—a head net helps
- Break from July 15 to August 4
Break on the Megra
July 15 – August 4, 2027
- Trips resume on August 4
August 7 trips
+9° … +15° by day
- Fall run of Atlantic salmon from early August
- Fewer insects
- Darker nights, better sleep
- The taiga turns yellow by the end of the month
September 8 trips
0° … +9° by day
- Fall salmon—the biggest and strongest
- No insects
- The taiga in fall colors
- Northern lights on clear nights
October 4 trips
−4° … 0° by day
- Last trips: an empty taiga, first frost, silence
- No insects
- Northern lights on clear nights
- Warm layers are a must—we’ll send a list
Fish atlas
Seven species on one river
What you can catch on the Megra and its lakes, and how big the fish get.
Sea trout
2–5 kg (4–11 lb)river and sea-run
Holds in the rapids and deep pools. Sea-run trout are the strongest fish on the river after salmon.
Pink salmon
1.5–3 kg (3–7 lb)July – August
Runs in schools at the height of summer. Active and quick to take a lure.
Pike
5–10 kg (11–22 lb)and bigger in the lakes
Lakes and quiet backwaters. While the salmon rest in the middle of the day, your guide takes you to the pike spots.
Grayling
up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb)on the riffles
A lively fish with an iridescent dorsal fin. Great sport on light tackle, and a fine dinner.
Brown trout
up to 3 kg (6.6 lb)upper river and tributaries
Clear tributaries and the upper reaches of the river. Fished with a light spinning rod.
Perch
600 g (1.3 lb) and morelakes
Big taiga perch from the lakes near the lodge. A favorite with children and beginners.
Atlantic and pink salmon are fished under license, which we arrange. Some fish go back, some go to the kitchen: you decide what to take home, and your guide will pack it.
How a day goes
A day on the river
We adjust the schedule to the water and the weather, but this is the rhythm of the day.
7:30
Breakfast
Porridge, eggs, fresh pastries, coffee. Your guide goes over the plan for the day and reads the water.
9:00
Out on the river
By boat or tracked vehicle to the spot. On your stretch of river, it’s just your group and the guide.
13:00
Lunch on the bank
Ukha from the morning’s catch, tea with cloudberries, a campfire.
14:30
Afternoon
A new stretch: a rapid, a pool, a river mouth. The guide changes lures to suit the water and the light.
19:00
Dinner from the chef
Your catch grilled or served Pomor-style. Game, northern berries.
21:00
Banya
A hot banya, then a dip in the river and an evening by the campfire. White nights in summer, northern lights in the fall.
Kitchen
Restaurant food, because we are restaurateurs
The NORVEL team’s first business—and still a running one—is a chain of restaurants and cafés. Cooks we know and trust run the kitchens at our lodges, and the food on the table is restaurant standard.
At the lodge
Breakfast and dinner from the chef: grilled salmon from the morning’s catch, lightly salted salmon with caviar, game, blini, home baking. Your catch, the way you like it: ukha, grilled or smoked.
At the fishing spot
Lunch by a fire on the bank: ukha from the morning’s catch, salmon over the coals, hot tea. No need to go back to the lodge—the fish won’t wait.
We go through the menu with you before the trip: what you love and what you don’t eat.
The lodge
Cabins on the riverbank: taiga outside, warmth inside
From outside it looks like a tented camp, but these are heated frame cabins: rigid walls, 15 cm of insulation and a heavy canvas cover. Inside are proper beds and a wood stove, and at the door a deck overlooking the river. A restaurant with a bar, a banya by the water, hot showers and toilets, and a reliable power supply. In the evening the lanterns come on, and the camp looks like a small village on the riverbank.
- Cabins for 2–4 guests; groups stay together
- Restaurant for 12 guests, with a bar area
- Banya on the riverbank every evening, with the river right after
- Fire pit and evenings looking out over the river
- Satellite internet and charging for your devices
Short videos
Fishing the Megra in short videos
Atlantic salmon, sea trout, pike, grayling and perch: the take, the fight, the fish in hand.
Rates
On request5 days / 4 nights · all-inclusive, helicopter included
No extra charges at the lodge: lodging, chef, banya, guides, vehicles, fuel, tackle and licenses are all included. The only extras are flights to Arkhangelsk, a night in town, alcohol and personal insurance.
A 50% deposit secures your dates; the balance is paid on arrival in Arkhangelsk.
Rates for your group
Tell us how many of you there are and when you’d like to come—we’ll send rates and available dates within a day.
Dates 2027
Megra trips
Back-to-back 5-day trips from May 24 to October 19. Tap a trip and we’ll tell you how many places are left.
- Season opens: Atlantic salmon start running in mid-May
- White nights, daylight almost around the clock
- Cool—bring warm layers
- Few insects yet
- Summer run of Atlantic salmon
- White nights—light around the clock
- Mosquitoes and blackflies—a head net is a must
- The taiga in full leaf
- The warmest month of the season
- A good time to come with children
- Still some insects—a head net helps
- Break from July 15 to August 4
Break on the MegraJuly 15 – August 4, 2027Trips resume on August 4
- Fall run of Atlantic salmon from early August
- Fewer insects
- Darker nights, better sleep
- The taiga turns yellow by the end of the month
- Fall salmon—the biggest and strongest
- No insects
- The taiga in fall colors
- Northern lights on clear nights
- Last trips: an empty taiga, first frost, silence
- No insects
- Northern lights on clear nights
- Warm layers are a must—we’ll send a list
“Arrive” is the day you fly in to the lodge; “Depart” is the day you fly back to Arkhangelsk. You spend the night before arrival in Arkhangelsk.
What’s included
All-inclusive means all of it
Getting there and back
Lodging and banya
Chef
Guides and hunting guides
Tackle and lures
Vehicles and fuel
Licenses and permits
Satellite internet
Photo and video
Not included
- Flights to Arkhangelsk and the night in town before departure
- Alcohol
- Personal insurance and expenses outside the program
- Mi-8 helicopter—on request for your group, at extra cost
No tackle rental fees and no “guide surcharge.”
If the weather grounds the helicopter
The pilot decides whether to fly based on the weather along the route. If the helicopter can’t fly, we move the departure to the next flying window; if there isn’t one, we move your whole trip to dates that suit you. You don’t lose your deposit.
Guests on the Megra
From those who have fished here
Films about the Megra
Ninety minutes of real fishing
Andrey Pitertsov, Roman Baikov and Vladimir Korytko filmed on this river. Watch before you go (the films are in Russian).
Photos
The Megra on camera
Next step
Check Megra availability
We’ll tell you which trips have space and send a day-by-day itinerary and a gear checklist.
The NORVEL team is here for you+7 909 555-03-55 · booking@norvel.travel · 9 am – 9 pm Moscow time (GMT+3), every day