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Sakhalin taimen fish identification, its habitats, characteristics, fishing methods.
Sakhalin taimen is one of the largest and most ancient salmon species have been here for at least 2 million years, which are primarily inhabit the lower to middle reaches of lakes and rivers. Sakhalin taimen is the only species of taimen that migrates to sea. It is found in the Sea of Japan, and in spring and summer it ascends the rivers of Hokkaido, Sakhalin, Kuril Islands and Primorsky Krai to spawn. It is a long-lived and slow growing species, can live over 40 years and attain weights of over 200 lbs. (50 kg) and length over 2 meters. Females are larger than males. The average specimens have weighed around 11 lbs. (5 kg) and having length 69 cm. Sakhalin Taimen have a long, complex life-cycle and are dependent on freshwater, estuarine and marine habitats. They are able to change its own sex for mating. Spawns in spring in river branches, where the female lays 2,000-10,000 eggs on sandy or gravelly river bottom. Known as the 'river wolf', its diet can include mammals, ducklings, and large fish, including possibly returning adult salmon.
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The Sakhalin taimen, Hucho perryi, also called the Sea-run taimen, Stringfish, Chevitsa, Japanese huchen, Itou or Ito, is a species of family Salmonidae of order Salmoniformes, found in the Northwest Pacific: Sea of Japan, from southern Kuril Islands, Sakhalin Island and Primorskii Krai, Russia to Island of Hokkaido, Japan.
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Description
The Sakhalin taimen is a huge fish with a cylindrical elongated wide body and low body height, grows up to 2 meter long. Head is flat with cross-section from side to side, thick and chunky in both the maxilla, jaw. Both jaws are powerful bulging and full of strong sharp teeth. Silver studded black spot in the white skin, sharp eyes are framed is annular. Scales are small, cycloid, 109-121 scales on lateral line, 15 to 21 gills of the first gill arch.
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Max length : 200 cm common length : 50.0 cm
Max. weight: 24.0 kg
Max. Age: 16 years
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While at the sea it has silvery-white to silver-gray body with black spots and in the river body acquires reddish to bluish brown color similar to Siberian taimen. Belly has a myriad of small black spots on the sides and back in white. When taimen is breeding it acquires reddish tinges throughout the sides of the body, especially males. The sides have 5-8 light light crimson to raspberry colored transverse strips. Compared to a conventional Sakhalin taimen has a large scales.
The Sakhalin taimen has distinguished differences from Hucho hucho, including the presence of basibranchial plate with teeth, shape of the frontal bones, fewer scales in the lateral line, fewer vertebrae, and the presence of a hypoethmoid and the position of the supraethmoid. The immediate behaviour right after spawning is also a major difference. Like female Oncorhynchus and Salmo, Sakhalin taimen females cover their eggs by beats of their tails immediately after spawning. This is different from the �rest, then cover� behaviour shown by Siberian taimen (Hucho taimen) as well as lenok (Brachymystax lenok).
Habitats
The Sakhalin taimen is a passing fish, lives in the benthopelagic, anadromous, freshwater, brackish, marine environment, in coastal waters depth range from 0 to 100 m. Some individuals are living in brackish and coastal waters, in the lower basin and are usually inhabits lower and middle reaches of rivers and lakes of the summer, winter. Some fish prefer places at a flow rate of near shore. Do not like strong currents. Fish age of 1 year�s old move closer to the center of flow, and more than 2m deep depth with branches of trees overhanging the banks were on the water surface.
They feed in the sea during the winter, and move into the rivers in the spring and summer to breed. Young taimen feed mainly on aquatic insects. 2-4-year old fish, at length 15-30-cm start to eat fish, like stickleback, lamprey larvae and loaches, juvenile Pacific salmon, but a large part of the diet still are crustaceans. Older fish, 31-50 cm in length, is only half of the diet is fish. The really big ones hunt and eat larger fish, up to 75% of their diet, may also eat mice, frogs and even snakes.
Spawning
Sakhalin taimen is a long-lived and slow growing species. Males become mature at 6 or 7 years old, when they are about 45 cm long; females at age 8 , when they are 55 cm long. The peak fecundity is occurring at approximately 15 years. Unlike common salmon, Sakhalin taimen don�t die once they�ve reproduced, and can survive for 15 to 20 years, repeated spawning many times over a lifetime (but not lay eggs every year). This extraordinary lifespan is the reason they can get so big.
Like many other salmonids, it is spawning in the spring, from March to May and diadromous; many populations migrate to the ocean during their adult feeding stage. As the snow melts in spring, sexually mature Sakhalin taimen move upstream. Spawning takes place in the lower reaches of fast flowing rivers, in May and June, at 8-12 � C, in the shallows, at a depth of 0.3-1 m. Females dig a �redd� � a big, 2-3 m rudimentary nest in the sand or gravel of the river bed. During the spawning season females lay from 2,000 to 10,000 eggs, often in 5-6 divided doses, changing the opponent in both sexes during this period.
Eggs are 6-7 mm diameter and 137 mg in weight. After she lays her eggs they are immediately fertilized by an accompanying male. Then females cover the eggs with gravel or sand by beats of their tails immediately after spawning. The eggs hatched 34 to 40 days after fertilization. Right after hatching the length of fry is 1.5-1.7mm. They inhabit rivers; waters, low deep, such as floodplain and is required for the growth of fry.
Fishing Methods.
The taimen is a well-known very valuable game fish, especially for fly fishermen. Also in open water fishing is very popular on spinning artificial varied lures. They have very strong, powerful jaws with strength of tees, which required a special attention. In the summer, trolling during an early morning and evening, before dusk is best time to catch taimen. In the autumn, during September and October, the bites are very stable in good weather throughout the entire day, especially when fish is hungry and not frightened. Early in the morning and in the evening before sunset taimen goes to feed to the water surface.
Nozzle is usually a �mouse�, and the afternoon light trout prefer the mouse, and the dark night. Nozzle simulates the rodent (mouse) floating on the surface. On the "mouse" lure trout caught more often in the dark. For the night fishing better to use "floating mouse", during the day it is possible to use also "weighted mouse", which are trolling above bottom in the mid-water. "Mouse" lure could be made of cork, rigid foam, sponge rubber, and wood, giving a streamlined procurement 50-70 mm in length and 20-30 mm in diameter. To make "mouse" to cast further on casting and does not rotate when moving in the water, a thin lead plate is attaching to its body, not too heavy, still making the "mouse" to stay afloat. "Mouse" is trolling on the water 2 times slower than regular lure. Taimen sometimes are biting the "mouse" over its head, so it is good idea to put 2 double or triple hooks: 1 in front and another in rear. Large fish, attacking the "mouse", first "jamming" it by hitting with the tail, drags it to drawn a little and then making a turn and bite. At the time of impact it is good to stop reeling, and cut as soon as feel the typical dumb jerk. For catching taimens requires strong and pretty stiff two-handed spinning rod, length 2.7 and more meters, equipped with a strong fishing line (0.8 mm) or a cord, steel leash and durable triple hooks ? 12-16.
Very often Taimens bite on spinners when the bait is carried out close to the bottom. Some large species may to start a "push", trying to get deeper to the bottom; some may high jumps out of the water, open mouth and shaking head vigorously trying to get rid of the lure. Main rule - never weakened the line.
Fights with larger specimens is technically easier, but require a lot of physical stress and consuming a lot of energy, as the long delayed (meaning not forcing fish playing on the beach with the "line-of war", and sport fishing on the way to a fishing line diameter 0.35-0.40 mm).
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