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Siberian Taimen fish identification, its habitats, characteristics, fishing methods.
The taimen is one of the strongest freshwater fish, the largest representative of the salmon family in the world, weighed from 33 to 66 lbs. (15-30 kg), reaching 83 in (1.5-2 m) in length and 231 lbs. (105 kg) weight. It lives longer than other salmons and can reach at least 55 years of age. During that time fish constantly growing, especially and most rapidly in the first 10-13 years, when its length is growing by 8-10 cm.
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The taimen ,Hucho taimen, also known as Siberian taimen, Siberian salmon, Krasulya - Salmo taimen, Salmo fluviatilis, Salvelinus taimen, Hucho hucho taimen, sloth, red pike, sucker and Talma, is a species of salmon family Salmonidae of order Salmoniformes, widely distributed in parts of the Caspian and Arctic drainages in Europe and Asia, all Siberian rivers, Amur River basin, Baikal lake in Russia, in both the Arctic and Pacific drainages of Yenisei/Selenga, Lena and Amur River in Mongolia, and tributaries of the Amur (Ussuri and Songhua River) in China.
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It inhabits upper tributaries of Pechora, Kama, Vyatka, and Volga River drainages east to the all Siberian Rivers - the Ob, Yenisei, Pyasina, Khatanga, Anabar, Olenek, Lena, Omolon, and Yana, basin of the Upper Urals in the north and Amur River basin in the south.
Description
Siberian taimen has an elongated, shallow cylindrical, torpedo like muscular body with broad shoulders and dense comparatively small oval scales without radial grooves and rings extremely clear. The head is quite large, 22-25% of the body length, flattened dorsally on the sides. It has a large mouth, littered with sharp, curved teeth on the vomer and palatine bones. The jaws are very long, maxilla length 42-50% of the head length in adults, is reaching backward behind the vertical rear edge of eyes. Jaws and sky form a continuous strip. Adipose fin is well-developed. Caudal fin is deeply emarginated, reddish in adults.
Distinguished characters: teeth on vomer and palatine in a continuous, horse-shoe-shaped band; 173-288 scales in mid-lateral row (107-164 pored scales); small round dark spots on head and dark x-shaped or/and half-moon-shaped spots on body; head long (22-25% of the body length) and dorsally flattened; very long jaws, maxilla length 42-50% of head length; in adults, maxilla reaching posterior margin of eye; shallow cylindrical body; caudal deeply emarginate, reddish in adults; large size in undisturbed areas; and 9-18 gill rakers, usually 11-13.
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9-12 dorsal soft rays
8-10 anal soft rays
Pelvic I - 14-16; VI - 9-10
9-18 Gill rakers, usually 11-13
64-71 vertebrae
19 caudal fin rays
190-242 Scales in lateral
Max. Weight: 105 kg
Max. Length: 200 cm
Max. Age: 20 years
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Coloration is generally olive green on the head blending to reddish brown in the tail. The back is black and brown, with a greenish tinges, the sides are smoky-gray or brownish, belly ranges from grayish-white to dark gray. Adipose, anal, and caudal fins are orange-red or dark red to purple. Small round or oblong dark spots on the head and small dark x-shaped or/and half-moon-shaped spots on the sides of the body, on the head, back, and adipose fin. One of the main distinguishing features of the Siberian taimen is its bright red tail and anal fin. In the spawning season all body become copper-red.
Habitats
Siberian taimen is a freshwater, not anadromous fish prefer clean fast flowing rivers with cold current and high oxygen concentrations, but occasionally occurs in cold lakes, estuaries and reservoirs, usually near the mouth of a tributary. In winter they prefer to stay in deeper holes with slow current, in the bed of large rivers and lakes, where it�s potential prey in the rapids, jets, underwater ridges, with a reverse flow. They move to outlets springs and small tributaries mouth with cold water when the water starts to warm up in the summer. Both juveniles and adults are territorial. Adults are lonely or secluded in pairs, occur within their own restricted territory (deep holes below rapids and waterfalls, confluence of small tributaries, below bridge pillar or large rocks, bank excavations), which they abandon only for aging and spawning. Young individuals do not maintain permanent territory and are usually kept in small groups of 3-7 species.
Taimens are very active in the early summer, shortly after spawning, when they show increased movement rates. When the water warms, they become sluggish due to a painful process of tooth replacement.
Taymen is a daring, irresistibly swift, strong and agile predator, which having excellent vision in the water and able easy to distinguish between low-lying on the bank of items. Young species fed on insects� invertebrates (crustaceans, mosquito larvae and caddis flies, aerial insects) and terrestrial vertebrates. In a period of 2 years in their diet begins to appear smaller fish, and from 4 years Siberian taimen is a full predator, preying on a variety of fish (minnow, grayling , whitefish, rudd, Gorchakov, dace, burbot and gudgeon), and even some small mammals, like mice, rats, shrews and squirrels, amphibians (frogs) and waterfowl aquatic baby birds, like ducks, geese.
Spawning
Siberian taimen reach sexual maturity at 5-7 years of age with a body length of 55-60 cm and weighs about 1.5-2 lbs. Spawning begin in early spring from May to June as soon as the ice melts and begin drifting. The fish rise to the upper keys and small river tributaries, downstream of large deep pools, hard to overcome along the way rapids, rocky ridges, and rubble in the upper reaches of tributaries. Females lay eggs in shallow places depth of 0.3-0.5 meters at temperature 7-8 � C with fast current in the nest-holes dug in the rocky-pebbly soil. Fecundity varies depending on the age of the fish and reaches 10-35 thousand eggs. After spawning sea trout leave the secluded shallow water and move down to feeding grounds - well, whirlpools, reaches, usually located near the sinks shoals, rapids and flowing from the mouths of rivers and streams. Here they remained until the fall.
Eggs, 5-6 mm in diameter, amber-red color, hatch after 28-38 days, but also depending on the temperature. Alevins stay in gravel until yolk sac is absorbed after 10-15 days while young first remain near spawning site, then move downstream. Juveniles occur in fast-flowing waters, prey on drifting invertebrates and shift to fish diet after 1-3 years. Larger immature individuals of 2-4 years of age live in same sites as adults but separately below groups of adults or in smaller holes.
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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