Taimen. Fishing for taimen

Fishing for taimen with spinning rod

It is a fair statement that spinning is a relatively new activity. The freshwater giant lives in hard-to-reach places - taiga rivers of Siberia, Altai, and the Far East. It is not possible to get here without the help of small aircraft (helicopter). The old-timers of these places catch the river “tiger,” as they call it, using their own methods, of course, without “sophisticated” spinning rods and expensive spinners. However, we’ll figure out where to look for taimen and what gear is best suited for fishing for fish. What bait to use, what tactics to use when hunting for taimen. We will also deal with other issues related to this topic.

Reference! The favorite habitat of taimen are rivers, the length of which is at least 300 - 400 km. Some individuals reach 1.5 m in length and 60 kg. Numerous populations, as well as trophy specimens, have survived in the northern regions of the Lena, Yenisei, Amur and Lake Baikal river basins - where nature itself prevents the free invasion of people.

Effective fishing for taimen requires knowledge of the areas of the reservoir where it is best to catch the river “tiger”. The freshwater giant only lives in the upper reaches of rivers. The rest of the time it is in the middle and lower reaches of rivers, fattening up before winter, feeding on whitefish, as well as other small ones - the main food of the predator. Therefore, if you find a place where there are many of the above-mentioned fish, you can be sure that a river “tiger” hunts here. In addition to this obvious clue, which helps to find the desired prey, it is necessary to fish areas where the water flow of the river encounters some obstacles on its way.

As a rule, the predator prefers:

• whirlpools;
• deep holes;
• thresholds;
• sections of the river where rock formations protrude from under the water;
• underwater ridges;
• boulders cutting the water flow;
• arrows and scythes.

In addition, “red pike” is another name for taimen, stuck to it due to similar habits with this fish; it likes to hunt at the confluence of large and small tributaries. Using these tips, the question of how to catch taimen no longer seems so difficult.

Reference! In June, after spawning, the predator begins to actively eat, which flares up with renewed vigor in the fall - in September and until the first sharp frosts. They catch taimen around the clock. However, the best hours are from 8.00 to 10.00 in the morning and from 17.00 to 20.00 in the evening.

Spinning rod for catching taimen

Knowing the place and time of fishing, of course, is not enough for fishing for taimen to end positively - with a caught trophy. A serious enemy requires careful preparation of the fishing gear - a spinning rod. The hunt for the “taiga owner” involves frequent transitions. Therefore, the spinning rod for taimen should be compact and at the same time durable, since even a relatively small individual is capable of providing powerful resistance during fishing:

• the test must be a two-handed form - from 30 to 40 g;
• the optimal length of the form is 3.5 m;
• guide rings made of high-quality steel are a prerequisite for successful fishing;
• an inertia-free power reel with a gear ratio of 1:3 or 1:2, the spool of which holds at least 150 m of fishing line - this amount will be required in order to starve out a river “tiger”.

Photo 1. Powerful spinning rods with multipliers - a weapon for taimen.

A fishing line for catching taimen using a spinning rod is used with a diameter of at least 0.7 mm. But there is no need to use steel leashes - the rare teeth of a predator are not capable of cutting through the fishing line. The hooks on the baits are extremely durable and reliable treble hooks.

What bait should I use?

Judging by what is found in the stomach of the river giant, we can conclude that the predator attacks everything that floats and comes into its field of vision. However, this does not mean that you should ignore bait for taimen, which will ensure a positive result when going into the taiga wilderness for the desired trophy. Taking into account the power and size of the owner of the taiga rivers, baits for catching taimen are used in appropriate sizes - from 10 to 12 cm. These can be rotating ones, as well as wobblers. The choice of one bait or another directly depends on how the river tiger will be caught:

• a large, weighty spinner bait for taimen (“Kola”, “Svinka”) is suitable for use in deep-water areas of the reservoir;
• in shallow water, experienced fishermen recommend using medium and large ones (“Baikal”, “Kem”).

Recently, jig baits have begun to be used - a wobbler for taimen with a diving depth of up to 1 m, an elongated body of up to 12 cm.

Photo 2. Red and white wobbler.

Reference! It is more effective to use baits that are colored white and red. This combination of colors drives all representatives of salmon fish crazy!

An equally effective bait is an artificial mouse. Of course, you can buy such bait in a store, but it’s better to make it yourself, especially since it won’t be difficult. A foam cone 12 cm long must be weighted with a lead plate so that the total weight of the bait is 60 g. Then wrap it in faux or natural fur, and then attach 2 tees. It is advisable to catch taimen using a mouse at night. The bait, as a rule, is thrown downstream - it produces a characteristic slap when splashing down, which does not go unnoticed by the river “tiger”. Then the wiring is done. Moreover, fishing with a mouse is good with slow retrieval.

Photo 3. The mouse is one of the most catchy baits for taimen.

Interesting! The attack of large taimen on an artificial mouse differs from the bite of small individuals. Trophy specimens first suppress the bait with their tail. After which they grab it with their mouths - at the moment of impact it is necessary to stop the wiring. Small specimens immediately grab the bait with their mouths.

Secrets of catching taimen using a spinning rod

To answer the question of how to catch taimen using a spinning rod, we offer several recommendations:

1. Any bait should be reeled in slowly - without pressing, since the owner of taiga rivers attacks immediately.
2. The feeling of a hook catching on some kind of log should not mislead the fisherman. The “log” will come to life in a moment and try to go deeper. If this does not help free itself, the river giant flies out of the water like a rocket, vigorously shaking its head.
3. At this moment, it is necessary to reel in the fishing line to prevent the river “tiger” from making the tee free and jumping off the hook.
4. There is no point in forcing events. It is more advisable to reel out the largest representative of salmon fish by winding and unwinding the fishing line with a reel. The tired “tiger” is pulled out with a special hook.
5. Don't worry if taimen gets off the hook. The owner of taiga rivers always returns to the bite site and the fisherman will have another chance to pull out his trophy.

Attention! You should know that if a large specimen comes off the hook, a smaller specimen will bite next. The fact is that the river “tiger” has a strict hierarchy - first large individuals feed, then smaller fish.

It can rightly be said that fishing for taimen is a labor-intensive process. Even a 10-kilogram fish will cause a lot of problems when fishing. What can we say about real trophy specimens! But this is precisely what makes the hunt for the owner of taiga rivers exciting. Good luck!

Taimen is the largest representative of the salmon order; the length of some individuals can exceed 1.5 m, and their weight can reach 50-80 kg. Fishing for taimen is successful in large reservoirs of Altai, Siberia, the Far East, northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and in Europe it lives in the basins of the Danube, Pechura and Kama rivers. It is also found on Sakhalin and Karelia; unlike their counterparts, the Sakhalin and Karelian taimen emerge from rivers into the sea.

The average weight of this fish ranges from 10-20 kg, but even with this size, catching taimen is an exciting duel. Taimen has a long and narrow body with a head flattened on the sides and top, similar to a pike. The jaws are powerful, equipped with large teeth. The color of the taimen is bright silver with many dark spots located above and below the lateral lines, and they are also dotted with the sides and top of the head. The anal and caudal fins are red, the latter having a small notch in the middle. The dorsal fin is dark gray, the pectoral and ventral fins are slightly lighter. During spawning, the color of taimen becomes the color of red copper.

Taimen is, first of all, a predator, and you need to look for it near the habitats of prey, which consists of smaller representatives of salmon, so you should know or whitefish and use them as live bait. Taimen loves rivers with strong currents and clean water, so it thrives in mountain springs, where it lives in pits. It can also be found quite often near rapids, reaches, whirlpools, arrows, and spits. It is found in places where the bottom has strong differences in depth, behind rocks or boulders that protrude from the water, near underwater ridges, at the confluence of tributaries. The best chance of finding large taimen is near the main stream, where the current is strongest. Once caught in it, small fish become less nimble than massive taimen, making it easier for him to catch them.

Taimen is listed in the Red Book, so catching taimen and finding it is not an easy task. The most promising places for catching taimen are the Lena, Yenisei, Amur basins and Lake Baikal. But the largest specimens should be looked for in places where humans are a rare visitor (icy northern rivers), and you will have to get there by helicopter.

Taimen live in pairs, so after catching one specimen, you should not change the place, since almost always you will catch a second one, close in size to the first one. If you catch one small thing on the hook, then you shouldn’t hope for a large taimen. Fishing for taimen occurs throughout the season, although in mid-summer the bite worsens. The best fishing time is morning from 8 to 10 and evening.
Taimen spawn in the spring with the beginning of ice drift, approximately April - May. To spawn, it goes to the upper reaches of rivers, where it looks for bays. During spawning, the predator's color turns red. After spawning, taimen begin to eat.

Fishing for taimen with a spinning rod

To successfully catch taimen, the tackle must be compact, since you will have to walk along the river for quite a long time in search of this predator. The rod should be at least 3.5 m long, light, but quite strong, preferably two-handed, since taimen is a large fish, the guide rings should be made of strong steel wire. The action of the rod is slow, medium and fast.

Fishing line is used with a diameter of 7 mm or more or braided line with a breaking load of 14 kg or more. The reel is taken to be an inertial or multiplier reel, powerful and of high quality, always with a friction brake, the size of the spool should allow you to wind 100-150 m of fishing line, such a reserve will be needed when fighting taimen, read more about choosing a reel. Carabiners for connecting gear should be made of brass or iron, having a frame shape.

Fishing for taimen occurs with the following types of bait:

• live bait;
• spoon;
• mouse;
• wobbler

After spawning, during the period of feeding, the taimen is rather indiscriminate in its choice of food and therefore grabs almost everything that is given to it. But then it becomes very capricious, which is why the fisherman must have in his arsenal many spinners of different colors and shapes.

When fishing in deep water or fast currents, you should use heavy spoons 10-12 cm long.

When fishing at shallower depths and in small currents, rotating spoons of large and medium sizes are used. It is advisable to choose the color of the baits similar to the color of the fish that live in the reservoir and serve as food for taimen. The most popular are brass spoons that have a yellowish tint. In cloudy weather they catch with polished ones, in clear weather with uncleaned ones. The weight of spinners reaches 25 grams on average, so the rod test should be in the region of 20-50 grams. and more, especially when fishing with an artificial mouse (test 60 - 85 g). The spinner is deployed in the bottom layers at an average pace. Biting taimen can be confused with hooking on a log or stone, the only difference being that after a few seconds there will be a sharp jerk. In cases where catching taimen with a spinner does not produce results, you can try fishing with a wobbler. It is better to use a noise wobbler with a immersion depth of up to 1 m. The length of these wobblers is 12 cm or more, slanted and narrow.

Catching taimen with an artificial mouse

The best time to catch taimen with this bait is at night. According to the time of year, predatory salmon bite most actively during the autumn feeding season, which falls in September - October. During night fishing, they catch it with a floating mouse; during daytime fishing, they catch it with a “cargo” mouse, leading it halfway through the water.

Wiring a mouse is twice as fast as moving a spinner. When guiding on horseback, the mouse should leave a mustache and small diverging beards, but at the same time it should not be deeply immersed in water. Since the taimen very often grabs it by the head, tees are placed, one in front, the other in back. For homemade mice, cork, wood, sponge rubber, and hard foam are used. It is given a streamlined shape with a length of 5-7 cm and a diameter of 2-3 cm. The weight of the bait is 50-60 grams. For longer casting and to avoid rotation during flight, a lead plate is attached to its lower body. For a more believable disguise, the resulting mouse can be covered with the skin of some kind of rodent or covered with cloth.

Video catching taimen

Now you have enough knowledge to ensure that taimen fishing is a success.

Recommendations for choosing gear for catching taimen. Of course, taimen can also be caught with a cheap Chinese spinning rod equipped with a reel with plastic gears, while attaching the first lure with rusty hooks that comes along. However, the percentage of trophies lost will increase exponentially and will be proportional to how responsibly you took the equipment. You will be greatly disappointed if the two-pound beautiful taimen breaks loose, bending the hook or breaking a defective, untested cord. Where it is thin, it breaks, so the tackle for catching taimen must be harmonious and all the links in the chain must correspond to each other. If the tensile strength of the cord is 50 lb (23 kg), then carabiners, winding rings and tees must be installed accordingly.

Spinning rod for catching taimen

The optimal rod length is 270-300 cm, test - 20-50 g or more. When fishing with a raft, the length can be from 240 cm. In this case, the rod should be light and portable, because sometimes you have to fish all day. I will name some of the most successful models for catching taimen:

1. Gary Loomis Forcelite FUR 1204s IMX, length - 305 cm, test - 14-56 g, weight -207 g. A well-proven rod of medium hardness, widely known and proven in taimen fishing.
2. Gary Loomis Forcelite FLHSR 1021s IMX, length - 262 cm, test - 14-56 g, weight -180 g. A shortened version of the previous model; it is lighter, but stiffer, ideal for raft fishing.
3. Daiko Ultimatum UMS-962HHXF, length - 292 cm, test - 14-70 g, weight - 240 g. Very high quality and powerful hard spinning rod for catching taimen.
4. Tailwalk Seppari 100, length - 305 cm, test - 10-45 g, weight - 180 g. With such a length, this spinning rod is probably the lightest, very flexible and soft. 50g bait is the limit.
5. Gamakatsuchetaah Spigot Joint 86 N, length - 259 cm, test - 10-70 g, weight -164 g. Perhaps this is the most versatile spinning rod in existence. With it, you can cast 10 and 70 g equipment equally well, both from a boat and from the shore, and your hand does not get tired with such a mass.
6. St.Croix Wild River WS86HF2, length -259 cm, test - 14-56 g, weight - 193 g - a well-proven budget spinning rod.
7. Lamiglas G1000 G1342-T casting, length - 259 cm, test - 14-56 g. Spinning classics, models with medium-fast action have proven themselves to be excellent.
8. Daiwa Whisker Spin WS 1002 MHS, length - 300 cm, test - 20-60 g, weight - 289 g. Legendary classic tackle from Scottish manufacturers, very popular among timeshakers.

Reels for catching taimen

When fishing for taimen, the reel experiences a lot of stress, so strict requirements are placed on it. The reel must be, on the one hand, light, and on the other hand, sufficiently powerful and reliable. Among the variety of reels from different companies, we can recommend the reels of the leaders: Shimano and Daiwa. The choice of such reels is small, and the prices are high. The most expensive and newest option is Shimano 08 Stella SW 4000PG. The best option is Twin Power SW 4000PG. Twin Power PG has very few serious competitors in its class, so for many years these reels for heavy spinning rods were considered first. You can also opt for a more affordable option: Biomaster SW 4000PG. Among Daiwa reels, we can recommend the Exist 3000 model or the more budget Certate 3500 HD.

Lines for catching taimen

For greater reliability, it is better to use a cord with a breaking load of at least 50 lb (22.7 kg).

Power Pro is the most popular, time-tested cord in the Dyneema series. Thin fiber, dense weaving and additional coating provide high strength at the knots and minimal friction when passing through the rings.

Unitika ultra RE. This cord belongs to a new generation of fishing lines. It is very smooth, has an almost perfect circular cross-section and looks like a classic monofilament line. At the same time, it is quite soft, which facilitates long casting. And of course, one cannot help but mention the significant increase in its strength compared to classic cords.

Benkei RE. The new generation Japanese cord is very soft and silent, has zero stretch, which gives it special sensitivity.

Jig line ultra PE is a revolutionary series of Premium-class braided cords made of high-modulus PE polyethylene. The cord is valued by spinning anglers all over the world and is used for catching especially strong fish: salmon, salmon and taimen. Cords have one serious drawback: they “frustrate” against stones, fish teeth, etc., so you need to carefully check the cord for burrs and cut it if necessary.

For monofilaments, you should use a reliable, strong fishing line with a diameter of at least 0.35 mm. We can recommend, for example, the proven soft Shimano Tehnium line. Owner company offers high-quality, reliable, time-tested fittings. Perhaps it produces the best carbines, winding rings and tees. For hunting taimen, tees of the 36 BC series (1/0, 2/0, 3/0) and 41 BC (1, 2) are excellent, depending on the size and type of bait.

Lures for catching taimen

Lures in a fisherman's kit should include wobblers, oscillating and rotating spoons, jigs and artificial mice. Wobblers will be required 13-18 cm long with a depth of 1.5-2.5 m and 2.5-3.5 m. Recommended brands are Mato, River2Sea, Rapala, Yo-Zuri, Abu Garsia. It is worth noting that taimen do not bite on all wobblers. They play differently, and some manufacturing companies produce fakes. Cheap Chinese baits work especially poorly. The River2Sea V-Joint Minnow three-piece wobbler has proven itself very well. In recent years, these wobblers have disappeared from sale, but similar baits from other companies have appeared. You can't tell them apart from River2Sea by appearance, but they don't catch fish. When wired, they fall to one side and don’t play at all. The legendary Yugoslav handmade wobblers Mato are one of the best. Taimen take them very well, but they are not cheap, and the wobbler is a consumable item. On every fishing trip, the fisherman leaves a lot of bait in the river, because taimen love snags and creases.

The optimal choice is large, wide oscillating spoons weighing 30-50 g. The color can be any, but the best is dark aged copper. Russian manufacturers previously produced the following spinners: “Lozhka”, “Norich” and the legendary “Storling”. “Storling” is now difficult to find, but its German analogue DAM Effzett and Chinese analogues are sold. The Chinese “Storling” works, but the hooks and fittings on it need to be changed immediately. A proven spinner is Professor from Kuusamo. Among the spinners from Russian manufacturers, the very catchy one is the “Tsar Fish” from the “Favorit” company from Krasnoyarsk. Taimen are excellently caught on the Kuusamo Lippa-Rasanen tandem spoon and on the 30-gram tandem from the Favorit company, but even on these spoons you must not forget to replace the hooks with Overner hooks. I once bought several large blanks of dark copper lures at a flea market. They pleased me for a long time with catches and bites of powerful taimen, until I tore them all off on snags.

Of the “spinners,” you need to have large spoons weighing at least 25 g in your fishing box. First of all, these are Mepps Aglia Long, Mepps Heavy, Blue Fox Salmon Super Vibrax and the rather rare Big Ben Grizzly spoon. I would like to dispel the myth about the convenience of catching taimen with the classic Blue Fox No. 6. Taimen, of course, will bite on this spoon when it begins to swim under its nose, but it is extremely inconvenient to use, since the weight of the largest of this spoon No. 6 is only 18 d. Try to throw such a lure far, using a fairly powerful cord with a diameter of 0.3-0.4 mm. The tackle must be balanced, and the bait must fly far, but what kind of balance can we talk about in this case? Or the new Blue Fox Salmon Super Vibrax. The weight of this bait No. 6 is 33 g. Throw both baits and feel the difference! Also in the arsenal of the “timeshaker” there should be a recently appeared hybrid of a wobbler and an oscillating spinner, Sebile Onduspoon No. 3. This slowly sinking bait with rattles inside, weighing 45 g, casts far and is very convenient for fishing shallow reaches, bays, and oxbow lakes. You should also have in your kit several heavy “Castmasters” and jig heads with large silicone vibrating tails. They are useful for fishing the deepest holes where no other bait can be lowered.

Catching taimen is the most exciting fishing, despite its labor intensity. Fishing for taimen is an activity only for real men, since this fish lives in deserted, difficult-to-pass places.

It is no coincidence that taimen is called the master of taiga rivers. It is especially common in the Amur basin. This species of fish is exclusively a river dweller; it prefers fast rivers and never goes to sea. Taimen has a narrow long body, which is covered with small scales, its head is flattened, and its huge mouth is filled with large teeth. Teeth are located not only on the jaws, but also on the palate and tongue. The color of this fish is silver interspersed with dark areas, the tail and rear fins are red, the front fins are light, the back is light with dark spots. Surprisingly, the color depends on the conditions in which the taimen lives, as does the size of the fish and its taste.

After four years, taimen cubs are about twenty-five centimeters long, and after another three years they reach half a meter. Taimen can be considered a truly mature fish at the age of nine. By this age, the fish has a length of over one and a half meters and a weight of about fifty kilograms. When going to spawn, taimen changes its color to copper, and this happens in April-May. A fish can swim with the current up to one hundred meters to spawn. Taimen spawns in small but fast rivers, where it lays out from five to twenty thousand eggs. Moreover, its fertility depends on age - the older the fish, the more fertile it is.

The taimen eats bottom-dwelling fish. At the end of spawning, taimen goes to its permanent habitat, and at this time its active feeding begins.

Habits of taimen.

Taimen, thanks to its endurance, can hunt for its prey for a long time. After spawning, at the beginning of summer, for a period of about two weeks, taimen will go for any bait and swallow it greedily; that’s when it’s best to catch it with a spinning rod. The next good time for catching taimen will be autumn, when the leaves begin to fall, this period continues until the ice covers the rivers.

The nutrition of taimen depends on the season, periods of active feeding are replaced by fasting, this is especially clearly seen in the example of large fish. This predator prefers to feed on grayling, burbot, etc. It will not be difficult for a large individual to catch and eat some small animal that sometimes swims across rivers, for example, a squirrel, a mouse, etc.

Most willingly, taimen organize parking at the mouths of small rivers, near riffles, and large stones. Fishing for taimen will be most successful in the morning or evening, but on cloudy, windless days you can fish for it all day. On sunny days, it bites much weaker. In parking areas it is best to catch it from the bottom. Finding it will not be difficult, since the fish is large and, when it floats up, makes a lot of noise, and the taimen does this once or twice, where you saw it, feel free to start fishing.

Fishing for taimen has one feature that fishermen should know: if you catch one fish, then after a short period of time a second one of approximately the same size will certainly appear in this place. It should also be remembered that when the water level decreases or becomes cloudy, taimen bite worse, and in calm and cloudy weather, especially in autumn, the bite improves. If small specimens, weighing up to one kilogram, are hunting for your spoon, then do not expect large taimen to appear in this place.

Catching taimen with a spinning rod.

This fishing method is more suitable for open water, and it is advisable to use rotating or oscillating spoons. The first ones (25-40 mm) are best used if the flow in the river is calm and the depth is shallow. If you fish in deep places, then oscillating spoons are more suitable for you, as they resemble a small fish fleeing from a predator, which attracts taimen. When retrieving, make sure that the spinner is as close to the bottom as possible, otherwise the predator that set up the ambush may not notice it.

In fact, when there is an active feeding, taimen are not too picky about bait and can grab any spinners. But at other times he is quite capricious, he can only take rotating spoons, and does not notice the oscillating ones. Sometimes he distinguishes them by color: only spinners of the same color are enough. Therefore, when going on this exciting fishing trip, take with you a variety of bait.

Many fishermen are sure that only large spoons are suitable for this predator, but this is not so. Rotating spoons, 40-45mm long, or oscillating spoons, 90-110mm long, are perfect for even the largest fish. Do not forget that the tee must be durable, it is advisable to use No. 12-16, since taimen have very strong and strong jaws.

If a taimen grabs the bait, then the fisherman may perceive it as if it had caught on a log or stone. While he is wondering how to free the stuck spoon, there is a sudden sharp jerk. Particularly large specimens sometimes do not make a breakthrough, but go into a deep place to lie on the bottom there.

Another technique that taimen uses to free itself from the spoon is the “candle”: after a sharp jerk, the fish jumps out of the water, opens its mouth wide and begins to shake its head. At this time, the fisherman should not loosen the line, although this is very difficult, especially if, before making a candle, the fish moves towards the fisherman. The coolest dispositions are those that have reached a weight of 8-12 kg. When fishing, real fights begin with them, which require enormous physical effort from the fisherman and are very exhausting, as they sometimes drag on for a long time. There is one more feature of these fish: if an adult has left the spoon, in the near future it will no longer bite on this bait.

Taimen lives in reservoirs with rocky bottoms, so frequent blows quickly dull the hooks. Don't forget to sharpen them.

Catching taimen with a mouse.

Another way to catch taimen is with an artificial mouse. Anglers make their own mice, mainly from cork, but you can also use materials such as foam, wood or sponge rubber. The workpiece is ground to a streamlined shape. The length of the “mouse” is usually 50-70mm, and its diameter should be 20-30mm. So that it can be thrown further away and it does not rotate in the water, the structure is weighted with a thin lead plate, attaching it to the “mouse”. Sometimes the bait is lined with squirrel skin or fabric.

The most effective time for fishing with a mouse is in the autumn months (September-October). During this period, taimen moves downstream to their wintering grounds. If we talk about the time of day, then the fish grabs the “mouse” best in the dark, however, if it is hungry, it will grab the bait during the day. If you go night fishing, then use a “mounted mouse”, i.e. not weighted. The “mouse” should be moved through the water much slower than the lure.

When using a “riding mouse”, make sure that it does not go under the water, but leaves “whiskers” as it moves - a diverging water path that will attract taimen. Most often, the predator tries to grab the “mouse” by the head, so attach tees to it on both sides, front and back. A large individual, when attacking the bait, stuns it with a blow of its tail, drowns it a little, and then, turning around, grabs it, while small predators do it on the move. At the moment of the tail strike, you should stop reeling, and you should hook when you feel a characteristic push.

It is best to fish with a “mouse” in places with a gentle current, first during daylight hours, choosing a flat bank without vegetation. If, after the hooking has occurred, the taimen sank to the bottom, you should expect any surprises, since this predator is quite a powerful opponent. As a rule, he makes a sharp throw upstream; if this does not work out for him, he jumps out of the water, shakes his head and again plunges into the depths. It is especially important to stop powerful and sudden jerks in the first moments of the struggle.

And then you will have an exciting, but very exhausting duel. This predator has many ways to get rid of the tee in its arsenal. We wrote about one of them above - this is a “candle”. I must say, most often, the fish manages to jump off the hook using this method. The most risky opponents, oddly enough, are the cubs - small timelings that have reached a weight of 5-6 kg. It would be correct to bring taimen to shallow places, but if you are fishing on a cliff, it is better to go into the water. The predator needs to be grabbed under the gills and taken ashore.

Another point that should be taken into account by an angler planning to hunt taimen. The spinning rod must be strong and rigid. Advantage can be given to a two-handed rod with a length of more than 2.7 m. If you are used to an inertial reel with a large drum, keep in mind that when fishing there is a risk of injuring your hands, so consider installing a multiplier reel or, as an option, an inertia-free power reel.

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Few people can boast of experience in catching taimen. Even professional fishermen quite often shrug their shoulders when such a topic comes up in conversation. It’s not worth talking about newcomers - some of them have not even heard of such fish. This is not strange, since this predator is not very common, and in order to catch it, you need to learn quite a lot of information.

Characteristics of the species

Fishing for taimen is quite difficult. It requires experience in fishing, certain knowledge, properly prepared gear and, most importantly, desire. Those fishermen who are not ready to fully devote themselves to their work, boldly overcoming obstacles, are initially doomed to failure.

So, in order for taimen fishing to be successful, first of all you need to find out what kind of fish it is, where it lives, and what time of year and day it is better to go fishing.

Taimen is the largest representative of the salmon family. Its weight can reach 60 kg, and its length is 1.5 m. It lives mainly in areas that are very difficult to reach, and not every fisherman can decide to take this step.

Taimen lives in reservoirs of different sizes, but the majority prefers rivers whose length exceeds 400 km. The largest number of fish live in the northern regions. The chances of meeting a large specimen there are much greater. The fact is that in such areas, taimen live and develop much better, because they experience practically no human intervention.

A large individual can be found in the basins of rivers such as the Lena, Yenisei, Amur, as well as in Lake Baikal. In these reservoirs, the largest in Siberia, taimen have been preserved only because it is extremely difficult to get to its habitats. In most cases, it is simply impossible to reach or reach them. All that remains is to fly by helicopter, and not everyone can afford such a luxury.

Previously, there was a lot of taimen in cities such as Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Mirny, Krasnoyarsk, Yakutsk, etc. Now there is none left there, since there were a lot of people who wanted to catch the valuable specimen, which negatively affected the population.

Place and time of fishing

As for the seasonality of fishing, not all opinions coincide. Some people prefer to fish in the spring and consider it the most suitable, while others are more inclined towards summer and autumn.

Some people prefer to fish in the spring and consider it the most suitable, while others are more inclined towards summer and autumn

You can go to the reservoir at any time of the year, and with a strong desire and proper preparation, any fisherman can provide himself with a good catch.

If desired, if conditions permit. Of course, there is little chance that the fishing will be successful, since at this time he goes north, where it is very difficult to reach.

After winter, when the turbidity disappears and the water becomes lighter, you can begin spring fishing. It is better to fish in places where there are a lot of grayling and whitefish.

There is a pause during the spawning period, since there is practically no chance of getting a catch at this time. After its completion, fishing can be resumed. In taimen, active feeding continues in June and July. After this, the fish show less activity until the onset of autumn. At the beginning of September, the bite improves significantly, as it begins to eat off for the winter. From the beginning of autumn until the onset of winter cold, fishing will be very successful.

As for the time of day, it is better to fish in the morning from 8 to 10 o’clock and in the evening from 17 to 20. In addition, it is noted that taimen bite better during the new moon and full moon, and when the moon wanes, activity decreases.

First of all, you need to look for a predator where there are a lot of grayling and whitefish. These representatives of the salmon family are the main food of taimen. Therefore, to find it, you can first find a place where forage fish accumulate. If the fisherman managed to do this, then there is no doubt that he will catch taimen.

Basically, the predator prefers to stay in the lower and middle sections of rivers. It rises upstream only for the spawning period.

The bottom topography plays an important role. To catch the long-awaited prey, you need to find the right places, since in some areas it simply is not there. You should immediately skip places with a uniform current, and look for underwater and surface obstacles. The most promising places include the following:

• deep holes;
• whirlpools;
• reach;
• braids;
• arrows;
• boulders, stones and rocks that protrude from the water;
• underwater ridges;
• the mouths of small rivers that flow into a larger one;
• static objects cutting the flow of the river.

Since taimen is a freshwater fish, you should not look for it in places where the river flows into the sea with salt water. The only exception is the Sakhalin subspecies, which lives in the Sea of ​​Japan. It moves to fresh rivers to spawn and often remains there for permanent residence.

Also, if an angler sets a goal to catch taimen of a specific size, one should remember the principle of inverted proportionality. The fact is that the size directly depends on the size of the flock. The more individuals there are, the smaller they are. The largest specimens prefer solitude.

Taimen is a very strong fish and reaches impressive sizes.

Preparing gear

Since taimen is a very strong fish and reaches impressive sizes, serious tackle is needed to catch it. In no case should you treat this moment irresponsibly, since on the reservoir you can be left not only without a catch, but also without gear.

A spinning rod must be two-handed. If you have to fight with a trophy specimen, you will need to spend a lot of effort. Sometimes fishing takes several hours. The spinning rod must be durable and light. The recommended length is 3.5 meters. The guide rings of the rod must be steel.

You should also buy a power reel with a gear ratio of 1:3 or 1:2. It must have a large reserve of power and strength. You also need it to be comfortable and hold the required amount of fishing line. Only inertia-free or multiplier products should be considered.

You need to use a thick fishing line with a high breaking load. Products with a diameter of less than 0.7 mm should be discarded immediately. Such fishing lines may not even withstand the first fishing.

Despite the fact that the taimen is similar to a pike in its jaw structure and some habits, it will not be able to bite through the fishing line, so there is no point in using a leash.

Particular attention should also be paid to the choice of hooks. There are no strict requirements here, except for one: the tee must be very durable.

Selection of baits

When choosing baits, at first glance it seems that there should be no problems, since taimen is an unpretentious species of predator and sometimes attacks everything that swims past it. But sometimes he can be very capricious, so it’s better to immediately figure out what baits you should stock up on.

The bait for taimen can be oscillating or rotating. The choice depends on the fishing location. If you have chosen a fast-flowing river, it is better to use a heavy spoon. In calmer bodies of water, medium or large spinners are used. Copper shades work better: matte for clear water, shiny for cloudy water.

The most popular spinners are “pig” and “Kola”, while spinners are “Kem” and “Baikal”. Among the modern models, the Kuusamo Rasanen and Professor vibrators work well, while the Kuusamo Haukilippa and Blue Fox Supervibrax rotators work well.

Since there are still many predators living in reservoirs, it would be nice to stock up on bait for catching them. The arsenal should have a spinner for lenka and taimen, and grayling, and other species. In this case, if you fail to catch the desired prey, you can fish for its smaller counterparts.

If we consider wobblers for taimen, there are also a couple of leaders here. These include minnow class products from the legendary Rapala company, as well as the Crystal Minnow line from the equally famous Yuzuri brand.

In addition, the enormous effectiveness of artificial mice is noted.

Fishing technique

For catching taimen, slow retrieve is suitable, which will be similar to the behavior of natural prey.

The bite is similar in nature to a hook. After being hooked, the fish remains inactive for a few seconds, after which it will try to go deeper. When the predator realizes that he will not be able to do this, he will try to free himself in other ways: he will start shaking his head and jumping out of the water. The main task of the fisherman will be not to give free rein to the prey and to reel in the fishing line in time.

The bite resembles a hook in nature

To pull a predator ashore, it must first be tired, and when it is exhausted, it must be removed from the water using a hook.

If the fisherman is unlucky and the taimen breaks, do not be upset; after a while the same individual may be hooked again.