Russia Fishing Pioneer Bill Davies Dies

Bill Davies, who was largely responsible for opening Russian salmon fishing to western anglers, died Tuesday morning. Yesterday author Gary Soucie sent us this message about his pioneering friend:
“In addition to salmon fishing on the Kola Peninsula, Davies also opened Siberia to westerners after taimen and lenok. Always one to stir the pot, Bill Davies ran afoul of some authorities on the Kola Peninsula, who effectively confiscated his three fishing camps on the Varzina, Kharlovka, and Varzuga rivers. Despite having won several judgements in an international court of arbitration and later in Russian courts, Davies was never able to recoup the hundreds of thousands of dollars the courts had awarded him.
Prior to his Russian experience, Davies served as president of Arizona Trout Unlimited. He is survived by his wife, Nina, whom he met in Russia, and by a daughter and two sons. After his forced retirement from Russian fishing, he worked in Arizona as a substitute teacher and in other non-fishing occupations. He and I had many long and lively telephone exchanges, usually about literature and politics. He was a good friend and I shall miss him terribly.”