Guides
On many Atlantic salmon rivers around the world a guide simply indicates where the fish are, often in a different language, and leaves his fisherman to his own devices. Our guides can do this if you wish, but otherwise you will find them among the most pro-active and knowledgeable in the world. We draw our guide team from around the world and insist on a degree of longevity to ensure our clients enjoy an ever-improving experience. They are trained in the use of jet boats, helicopter safety and CPR, as well as being expert fishermen and pleasant company. We think that the guides on the Ponoi make a huge difference to the experience not only in catching fish but also in expansion of knowledge in fishing and casting techniques. Countless numbers of guests return feeling that their time with the guides was a revelation on all matters fishing related.
As the 2010 fishing season arrives, it is our pleasure to “unveil” the team that will masterfully introduce Ponoi anglers to the river’s famed Atlantic salmon. We have chosen the finest guides from the rivers of Russia, Argentina, Denmark, Sweden, and the USA, and have in turn assembled a team of unsurpassed technical knowledge and angling experience. We are pleased to introduce a truly premium group of gentlemen as Ponoi’s 2010 lineup.
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Max Mamaev - Head Guide Ryabaga Max is the driving force who leads the Ryabaga guides by example. Always willing to make the long journey in search of the unknown, Max finds fish with uncanny ease and haunting regularity. His name is recognized the world over, most definitely for his provenance as a guide, caster, and angler, though also for his unassuming ability to contribute such enthusiasm and quality to a day of salmon fishing. Max continues to guide at Kau Tapen Lodge in Tierra Del Fuego, this season marking his 13th in Argentina. |
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Daniel Podolsky - Ryabaga Guide Entering his 6th season, Daniel and his family are well-versed in salmon tradition. His father, Nick Podolsky, is a famous and publicized wood carver, specializing in representative reproductions of fish. Daniel is the proprietor of a local watering hole in Umba by winter, and a masterful guide by summer. Keep an eye on Daniel and you may have the opportunity to witness one of the world’s finest Spey casters on display. Not only does Daniel have the casting gene, he also seldom returns to the moorage without fish, even under the hardest of conditions. |
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Nikolai Sigov - Ryabaga Guide Nick is a native of Murmansk and a seasoned guide on the Ponoi River. Having spent summers on the Ponoi since he was 16 years old, Nick has a “nose” for Atlantic salmon. Ever the life of the party, Nick is a consummate entertainer of guests and guides alike. Because his productivity on the water is so consistently high, management finds it difficult to rein Nick in… I suppose every group has to have its court jester! |
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Sergei Bistrov - Ryabaga Guide Certified Hover Craft Pilot, all-around mechanic, and tenured guide on the Ponoi, Sergei has a flair for making everything a bit more efficient. A native of the village of Umba on the southern coast of the Kola Peninsula, Sergei has the prestigious experience of guiding some of the first fly anglers on the Kola. A day on the water with Sergei is not soon forgotten. |
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Daniel Shelekov - Ryabaga Guide Daniel, aka, “Big Dan,” is a resident of Murmansk, and has fished for Atlantic salmon in the region since he was a small boy. This season will mark Big Dan’s 4th in Ryabaga, and 6th on the Ponoi River overall. Unflappable on and off the water, Big Dan’s calm demeanor and extensive knowledge of the fishery seem to nurture the most pleasant moments of a salmon holiday. In the off season Dan is a tireless trainer in various sports including kickboxing and weight training –the guy you want in your corner when it is time for the rubber to meet the road. |
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Tomas Sordelli - Ryabaga Guide From San Martin de Los Andes, Tommy has fished lakes and rivers throughout Patagonian Argentina. This season he invested in a new guiding / fishing platform, a fiberglass skiff from a “Ro” brand mold he calls: “Paka Paka.” His investment in and passion for fly-fishing are truly evident. At 23 years old, Tommy is entering his fifth season on the Ponoi, and he seems to have become a permanent fixture in Ryabaga. We are proud to welcome him home. |
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Kolya Balyaev - Brevyeni Manager/ Ryabaga Guide Kolya is one of the few members of the staff who can lay claim to actually having spent a lifetime on the Ponoi River. Kolya is from Krasnochelye, a small village nearly 100 kilometers upriver from Ryabaga, and he knows the river like the back of his hand. Last season three generations of Belyaev family members were employed by PRC; Kolya’s father is a caretaker in Brevyenni, and his daughter worked on the house staff in Ryabaga. Kolya is a “jack of all trades,” who undertakes many of the renovations at the Breveyenni Camp as effortlessly as he guides clients into the angling opportunities of a lifetime. |
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Ruslan Ryadovkin - Brevyeni Manager/ Ryabaga Guide Ruslan, brother of Big Dan, joined the Ryabaga team in 2007 after several seasons of work on Brevyenni. Prior to Brevyenni, Ruslan spent many seasons guiding upstream with childhood friend Koyla Sigov in the waters of Acha and Pacha. Ruslan has a gift for music and often entertains the camp staff and guests with tunes on his guitar. He can play music from around the globe, performing western rock and roll hits and traditional Russian compositions with equal aplomb. |
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Alexei Sokolov - Ryabaga Guide Alexei joined us in Ryabaga last year for his first season on Ponoi. Though new to the Ponoi, Alexei brought with him extensive knowledge of Atlantic salmon angling gained while living in Umba with childhood friend Daniel Podolsky. Alexei spent the winter maintaining and repairing the many Skidoo snowmobiles that inhabit St. Petersburg, a vocation always in demand throughout the long Russian winter. |
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Patrick Brennan - Ryabaga Guide A native of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Pat lives within minutes of the famed Snake River. He cut his teeth fly fishing for trout in the American West before moving on to more distant waters and exotic species. Pat was an active member of the United States National Youth Fly-Fishing Team for three years, and fished competitively in the Czech Republic, Portugal, and the United States. He has worked in the Jackson fly-fishing industry for the last five years, and now spends his winters trying to balance a college education with the demands of fishing Colorado’s productive waters. |
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Barrett Mattison - Ryabaga Guide Barrett comes to us from Bellingham, Washington. Formerly employed in the banking and finance industry, Barrett decided to “cash in his chips,” and lead the good life. He spent several seasons exploring the fishing of Patagonian Argentina, and has authored a “how-to” book entitled Fly-Fishing in Patagonia, which discusses the abundance of Argentina’s fly angling. Barrett has guided throughout Alaska for salmon, steelhead, and trout, and has spent a season at Kau Tapen Lodge in Tierra Del Fuego. |
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Mads Pedersen - Ryabaga Guide Mads hails from Denmark, though he completed a degree in Sport Fish Guiding in Forhaga, Sweden. He has guided for Salmon in Iceland’s varied rivers, notably the East and West Ranga, Sela, and Tungufljot. Mads has had the good fortune of taking fish on the fly both in his neighboring Scandanavian countries and in the far reaches of New Zealand and Argentina. |
