MOSCOW (RIA Novosti commentator Olga Sobolevskaya) - Some people like to fish from a boat with the latest navigation equipment, a radar, a sonic depth finder and a walkie-talkie.

Others prefer doing it the old-fashioned way with a simple fishing rod. When you go on a fishing tour you can stay in a new log cabin complete with fireplace, sauna and bar, and prepare a fancy fish dish in a well-equipped kitchen, or you can sleep in a tent and make fish soup in a mess tin. Russians can now cater for the various tastes of foreign fishing enthusiasts, both those looking for a first-class adventure holiday and those who prefer "economy class."

Getting ready for a tour is not as difficult as it may seem. There is no need to bring your equipment with you from abroad. There are plenty of shops in Russia selling hunting and angling supplies, and you can always order what you need on the Internet.

There are numerous websites devoted to adventure tourism, some of which provide advice on where to buy your equipment. On many of the sites you can read descriptions of fishing tours. Specialist angling magazines also publish colorful accounts of tours, sometimes with a full price list. They also advertise reliable firms that organize fishing trips.

An increasing number of companies offer tailor-made fishing breaks. "For a group of ten a week's holiday in Karelia will cost $700 per head," says Sergei Levin, a representative of the Moscow Club IBEX tourist firm. That is for a reasonably high-class break. The cost usually includes accommodation, three meals a day, travel, and the use of a bathhouse or sauna. Excursions often cost extra, as do equipment hire and transfers to railway stations.

There are cheaper tours as well. For example, there are ten-day tours costing about 8,000 rubles per person ($1 = 28.5 rubles). This includes three meals a day and your equipment, but you will be sleeping in a tent. "The prices of the tours vary depending on the time of year," says Alexander Belousov, a manager at Astravel tourist company. "We recommend you book well in advance, as there are visa quotas."

Fishing licenses are not always required, but experts recommend that you obtain them in case you have to show them to Rybnadzor, the "fishing police." "The price of a license varies according to the type of fish," Belousov says. They can be obtained on site, or in Moscow or St. Petersburg, which is where tourist firms have their head offices. A license usually costs 380-400 rubles per person per day.

Salon Stranstvy (Travel Salon) says that you will usually be able to take your catch away with you, provided that it is not excessive and that you have not been poaching. It is recommended that you find out in advance what the restrictions are on catching different kinds of fish. An instructor or fishing guide should be able to advise you on this.

Salon Stranstvy offers customers "accommodation in a well-equipped log house complete with Russian and Swedish saunas, and a fireplace. Guests will also have access to a motorboat." These houses usually accommodate six to eight people.

Traditional Russian cuisine is on the menu, including the famous shchi (cabbage soup), pancakes, different kinds of pies, pelmeni (a Russian kind of ravioli), fish soup, and pickled mushrooms, cucumbers and tomatoes.

And what is more, you will also have the opportunity to experience a traditional Russian sauna, something that foreign visitors are usually eager to try. After benefiting from the steam and the birch twigs and enjoying relaxed conversation, it is traditional to have a glass of vodka. Tea made with local medicinal herbs is also recommended.

Even the most experienced fisherman will find enough to challenge them in Karelia. They could catch a perch weighing as much as ten kilograms (or even more), and there are also are pike, zander, bream, grayling and whitefish. And of course there is salmon, the king of fish in these places, which every fisherman dreams of catching! In addition to fishing, various other forms of entertainment are on offer, such as trips to Kizhi, Valaam or Solovki, the chance to stay in a cottage by a lake, and games of paintball.

Tourists visiting Karelia can marvel at its virgin forests, its waterfalls, which are the second largest in Europe, and the Tolvoyarvi nature reserve. On the way there you can visit Martsialniye Vody, the first Russian health resort, which boasts curative springs and mud. The resort was founded by Peter the Great.

On the shore of Lake Loukh, which is abundant in fish and which gives its name to the whole area, there is a tourist center. Situated in the Plotina district, the center welcomes everyone who is interested in the nature of subarctic Karelia. From there you can travel on to the famous Paanayarvi National Park on the border with Finland or you can head northward to Sofporog and see the bull-trout (a member of the salmon family) that fatten in this region.

Alternatively, you can stop over in a seaside village by the mouth of the Keret River and admire the austere beauty of Belomorye (in the White Sea region). Some firms organize three to seven day yacht trips around the Kandalaksha and Onega bays of the White Sea with the chance to visit the Solovki Archipelago and tour around the Kola Peninsula and along the rivers Umba, Varzuga and Ponoi. In this area you can combine sea fishing with fishing in river estuaries and coastal lakes.

The confluence of seven bodies of water is a unique place for fishing. There are three lakes - Pistayarvi, Okhtanyarvi and Malviainen, and four rivers - Pisto, Niva, Vozhma, Okhta. They are all close to each other. A whole range of fishing methods can be used, including spinning, trolling, ledger fishing, and fishing with a rod and a float. Pike, grayling, whitefish, ide, bulltrout and perch inhabit these waters. The fish can be cooked on a gas stove or on a grill or prepared in a smoking shed.

Those people who want to get away from it all can go and stay right in the middle of a forest in traditional peasant huts and enjoy picking mushrooms and berries. Each hut has its own Russian sauna. A rowing boat will be provided throughout your stay.

Around Lake Yanisyarvi, which is of meteorite origin and lies 65 km from Sortvala, there is a network of tourist routes with tourist bases and stations. The 300-meter coastline is a protected zone. There is a sandy beech, are there are moorings and a secure parking lot. The area offers restaurants, bars with Russian billiards and karaoke, and there are also halls that can be used for banquets or by tourists traveling on business for seminars and talks. There are regular concerts by musicians from St. Petersburg and there is a discotheque. You can stay in a hotel, hire a boat and sports equipment, and arrange outdoor competitions and picnics. If you are traveling with children, there is a babysitter service.

Lake Ladoga, an outstanding natural feature in the north of Russia, is the largest lake in Europe. It is more like a sea than a lake: you can see the sun disappearing beyond its horizon and the tide ebbing and flowing, and you can hear the cries of gulls. There are sand dunes, boulders, islets covered with forests and labyrinths of straits. This wonderful place is not far from St. Petersburg. And you can sail across Lake Ladoga to Valaam, which is remarkable not only for its rich history and ancient architecture, but also for its climate. Fruit usually only found in southern climes grow on the 50 islets that make up this northern archipelago. It is good fun to go fishing on the lake in a yawl, which is a six-oared boat.

Beyond Onego you can go fishing with a guide. Tours begin at dawn on a Friday and end late on the Sunday evening. The best part of the tour is trolling in the open waters of Lake Onego. On average, perch weigh 200 to 400 grams, but some of them weigh up to one kilogram, and an average grayling is 150-300 grams.

You no doubt realize the importance of knowing fishing seasons. By no means can all species of fish be caught in the fall. The peak of the season is summer. From May up until when the lakes and rivers freeze over it is possible to catch whitefish or graylings, for instance, in the waters around the Unoi islands.

The Russian regions that border Finland are very keen to develop tourism, and they are working hard to create the necessary infrastructure. So in the near future, these areas should have a great deal to offer tourists.