An amazing representative of salmon, taimen, lives in Russian freshwater bodies of water. He is highly regarded by culinary experts, and therefore is a welcome trophy. Taimen prefers freshwater bodies of water and rivers.
General information for anglers
This representative of the underwater world is found in the rivers of the Urals and Altai, in Yakutia and the Far East, in bodies of water in the northern regions of the Caucasus and even in Baikal. Taimen fishing in Siberia is very popular. This large and strong enough fish can knock a person out of a boat with a tail strike. Often the danger and gives fishing poignancy and interest.
Most often it is pulled out onto a spinning rod or spinner. Experienced fishermen know the places where you can meet this predator - at the rapids and whirlpools, at underwater ridges and at the depths. Taimen is often called the "master of taiga rivers." Especially a lot of it in the Amur basin. He prefers only fast rivers and almost never swims in the sea.
Catching taimen during spawning is prohibited. In Bashkiria, Komi, Irkutsk Oblast and the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, this fish is listed in the regional Red Book.
Large, especially trophy taimen, should be released, because adult specimens spawn especially abundantly. Thus, the state contributes to the restoration of the population. The hunt for this predator, despite the complexity, is a very exciting fishing. Catching taimen is an occupation exclusively for strong men, as fish are found, as a rule, in impassable, uninhabited places.
Spinning fishing
This method is more used in open water, and experienced anglers prefer spinning or oscillating spinners. The first option is best used in cases where there is a calm course and a shallow depth in the pond. If fishing for taimen on the river takes place at large drops, the oscillating lure is more suitable, since it resembles a small fish fleeing from predators. And this greatly attracts prey.
Catching taimen for spinning on the alloy and on the rifts involves the use of relatively light gear, since it will not be easy to make continuous castings with massive reel and blank. The rod must be taken long enough. The fact is that with them the bait is better held among the stones. Choosing a spinning rod for catching taimen, you should pay attention to the strength of the through rings. As for the fishing line, it should be thick so as not to lose the bait.
Spinners
During wiring, make sure that it goes down as close to the bottom as possible. Otherwise, the predator sitting in an ambush, it may well not notice. In general, during an active zhora, taimen is not very picky about bait and therefore grabs almost any lure. But the rest of the time this predator is rather capricious and can only swallow rotating options, without noticing the wobble. Experienced anglers say that taimen often distinguishes baubles by color, grabbing only one color. And therefore, going to this fascinating catch, it is better to bring different bait with you.
Fishing features
Many lovers believe that to catch this predator you need to use only big spinners, but this is not entirely correct. Often, taimen swallows the bait, but the fisherman thinks that it is hooked on a stone or log. And while he thinks how he will free the stuck bait, he feels a sudden sudden jerk. Sometimes especially large specimens simply go to a deep place to lie down at the bottom.
Taimen often uses the method of liberation from baubles, which is popularly called the "candle." Having made a sharp jerk, this fish, jumping out of the water, opens its mouth very widely and shakes its head. The fisherman at this time should not weaken the fishing line, although it is rather difficult, especially if before the “candle” prey goes in his direction.
The coolest temperament is in individuals who reach eight to twelve kilograms in weight. Their fighting from the side is very similar to a real duel, which requires incredible physical effort from a person. Large specimens exhaust the fisherman very much, because sometimes the fight drags on for a long time.
Catching taimen has one more peculiarity: if adult specimens go bait, then in the near future they will no longer peck on this bait.
Mouse fishing
There are several effective ways to catch this representative of the salmon family. Catching taimen on a mouse is very interesting (that's what seasoned fishermen call this tackle - masculine, apparently to distinguish it from live bait) - on a five-centimeter-long artificial bait made of cork, wood or polystyrene, and fitted cloth or fur. Anglers do it themselves. The most effective way of catching taimen on a mouse is in the autumn months, in particular in September and October. At this time, this representative of the salmon family goes downstream to the wintering sites. Best of all, he grabs this bait in the dark, although during the period of active zhor he attacks in the afternoon. Those who go fishing at night should use the horseback option, i.e., not heavier. You need to know that this type of bait is required to lead on water much more slowly than, for example, lure.
Using a riding mouse, you need to make sure that it does not hide under water, but that it leaves the so-called "mustache" when moving - water diverging paths that will attract taimen. Most often, the predator tries to grab the bait by the head, so you need to attach tees on both sides of it - both in front and behind.
Fishing secrets
When attacking a mouse, large individuals, as a rule, stun it with a tail strike, then drown it a little, and then, when turned around, grab it. Small fish do it right away. At the time of the tail strike, the winding must be stopped. It is necessary to hook up when a characteristic impulse is felt.
Catching taimen on a mouse is best done on a mild course. You should prepare for it first, choosing in the daylight a flat shore, not covered by vegetation. In cases when after trimming the taimen goes to the bottom, the fisherman should wait for any "surprises" from catching. After all, as you know, this large predator is a fairly powerful adversary. Usually he begins to make a sharp upward stream, and if he fails, he jumps out of the water, shakes his head, and then immediately sinks to the bottom. It is especially important for the angler in the first seconds of the struggle to stop powerful sudden jerks.
Winter fishing
Taimen is caught all year, however, not everywhere. In winter, you can fish for it only in the reservoirs of Siberia, where this prey is most. Although there you can’t catch him everywhere. For example, on rivers flowing into the Pacific Ocean, it is not caught on the first ice. The fact is that there are a lot of salmon to go there for spawning in winter, so there is plenty of food for taimen, and he does not pay attention to bait.
Catching taimen in the winter is most often carried out on the zerlitsa. Moreover, experienced anglers often use tackle of the most primitive design, which consists of a solid fishing line, a tee wound on a reel. The latter must be carefully fixed on ice. This can be done, for example, by tying it to a wooden block and placing it across the hole.
Usually, roach, grayling or lenok is used as bait fish. The latter option is considered the best, since this fish can remain active for a long time. As a rule, tackle is checked once a day.
Winter taimen fishing is no less effective on artificial baits, for example, on the same spinners and balancers. They also have a high probability of pulling a large fish. However, the bait must be equipped with sufficiently strong hooks. This, although somewhat worsens her game, but minimizes the likelihood of gatherings due to their extension.
This must be taken into account.
Taimen has a very sharp and quite powerful bite. Not every fisherman manages to cope with it. Therefore, you need to be especially careful: at the time of fishing, you can not grab the fishing line with your hands, dampen the jerks with a coil brake or fishing rod. Loot should be dragged to the surface, slowly moving away from the hole. However, in this case there is a risk of cutting the fishing line. Therefore, experienced fishermen in advance round the edges of the hole. Having pulled the prey, you need to pull it out with the help of a hook.
Tips
Catching taimen is characterized by one feature that not everyone knows: if you managed to catch one fish, then after a very short period of time a second one will surely appear in the same place, moreover about the same size. In addition, it should be borne in mind that with turbidity or a decrease in water level, taimen begins to peck worse. If small kilogram specimens come across a spinner, then you should not wait for the appearance of large taimen at this place.