This week, Robson grabs his tackle bag and sets off to experience the bleak midwinter in Khabarovsk, eastern Russia. Khabarovsk is known as the Nice of the east because it shares the same latitude as the French city. But, as ice flows down the Amur river, it appears to share very little else with the Mediterranean resort.
Two hours north of Khabarovsk, in Sikachi-Alyan, live the Nanai people, who fish the Amur with the hope of snaffling a northern pike. The day starts with a traditional dance, blessing the fishermen on their endeavours. A crab-like lure is attached to a line on a rudimentary stick-rod, then dropped through a hole in the ice. Then, the silent waiting begins
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