Taimen Fishing
Taimen are the GIANTS on the Salmonid family and the oldest ancestor of all of the salmon, trout, char,and lenok of the world. They dominate the cold water rivers and streams across Eurasia. Casually growing over a meter long the largest individuals can eclipse 100 pounds. Taimen are a bucket list fish for the most adventurous of anglers, bringing them to the most remote corners of the globe. Their diets consist of their salmonid brethren along with anything else they can get their mouths around.
Taimen Species Distribution
5 Species of Taimen are found throughout Europe and Asia. Each of these species occupies an isolated range from the other taimen species. Furthest to the East, anglers can find the European Taimen, which is also referred to as the Danube Salmon or Huchen. The Siberian Taimen possesses the largest distribution area that consists of many rivers in Russia and Mongolia. The Sakhalin Taimen is found in the coastal estuaries and rivers of the Sea of Okhotsk between Japan's northern island of Hokkaido and southeastern Russia. The Sichuan Taimen occupies a few rivers around the Tibetan plateau of central China. Lastly, the Korean Taimen is found only on the Yalu River system that lies between North Korea and China.
European Taimen
The European Taimen, Hucho hucho, can be found in the high elevation tributaries of the Danube River across Southern Europe. Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, and Hungary all boast populations populations of the Huchen or Danube Salmon. While Huchen populations are still rebounding from their once endangered status, numbers have improved in many of these places thanks to conservation efforts. Fishing regulations can be confusing for the Danube Salmon as they change considerably in each country.
Siberian Taimen
The Siberian Taimen, Hucho taimen, is the largest member of the Taimens. From the Volga watershed in the west to the Kamchatkan peninsula in the east, populations have extended southward in Mongolia, China, and Kahzakstan. From small spring creeks to massively broad streams that braid through the boreal forests and highland steppe. The largest individuals are found on the most remote rivers of the planet rarely touched by even the most intrepid anglers.
The Siberian Taimen's diet consists on grayling, lenok, and even full grown salmon in the coastal rivers they inhabit. They are also known to eat more obscure meals such as ducks, mice, and marmots. During summer and fall months grasshoppers can even provide a healthy source of protein along grassland areas of the Mongolian steppe. You can learn more about the Mongolian rivers they inhabit in our article on Fly Fishing Mongolia.
Sakhalin Taimen
The Sakhalin Taimen, Parahucho perryi, is coloquially referred to the Itou "Monster" in Japan. The species has struggled to maintain healthy population numbers over the past few decades, but numbers a slowly improving in several coastal estuaries of Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island. You can learn more about these streams in our article on Fly Fishing Japan. Other coastal rivers of the Kuril Islands and southeastern Russia also have migratory populations of taimen which return to freshwater in late Winter and Spring on their spawning runs. They remain in these smaller spawning streams before heading back to the coastal bays in the summer months to feed in the more productive waters.
Sichuan Taimen
The Sichuan Taimen, Hucho bleekeri, survives on the precipice of extinction. Only several small populations of the Sichuan Taimen still remain among the Tibetan plateau and Qingling Mountains. An attempt to artificially rear populations just under a decade has seen some success though wild populations are still struggling from overfishing and habitat loss. Larger individuals are likely nonexistant, though some rural streams may still be hiding some fish.
Korean Taimen
Even less is known about the Korean Taimen, Hucho ishikiwae, than the Sichuan Taimen. Its native streams on Yalu river headwaters have seen few researchers and even fewer foreign anglers over the past century. Hopefully we are able to learn more about its status in future years.
Taimen Fishing
Hunting the taimen is difficult no matter where you choose to search for it. The most important information for anglers to know when targeting the taimen is they eat when they want. They are the ultimate hunters in every river, lake, stream, or bay they inhabit. When actively feeding, they are one of the most aggressive fish in freshwater. Often taimen opt to hunt near faster water where they have the advantage. When not feeding, taimen become downright lethargic. In these times they slide to the slower, deeper pools and runs where they await more conducive opportunities to feed again. These lethargic taimen will still eat passively though with a big of convincing. While they likely won't be willing to chase a fly at these times, they ay have a hard time passing on a tantalizing meal that sways in from of their face. The problem then becomes how do you successfully target fish in either of these moods. With conventional tackle, this can be easy. Simply switching from fast moving reaction baits to slower, bottom thumping lures can find results. For fly fisherman, this becomes a bit more complicated.
Fly Fishing For Taimen
When fly fishing for taimen it is first important to know the habits of the fish. Knowing when the taimen prefers to feed is important to not only know where to look for them but also to know how to fish for them. Taimen, like many other river predators often feed in low light periods when they have the advantage. This means early mornings, evenings, at night, and even overcast days will find these hunters on the prowl. During these conditions, anglers can look for fish in waters where they feed more heavily. The tails of pools and runs and the heads of riffles are great places where taimen can ambush prey. In rivers where they stalk grayling, lenok, or other baitfishes, look for the areas where these smaller fish feed. The taimen should not be far off in these areas. Fast moving streamers will garner plenty of attention at these times. Present these streamers upstream of where the taimen are likely to be staging and hang on.
Likely more important than knowing how to find and catch taimen in the more brief feeding windows is how and where to find them when conditions are less than ideal. While the taimen wait for ideal conditions to come their way, the fish often saunter into slower or deeper water. This can be pools, deeper runs, log jams, or even backwaters. Fast moving streamers and flies are often the wrong option at these times. The number one key to catching taimen under tougher conditions is getting down and moving slow. Though taimen may not be active under high sun or high water, they are ever the opportunists if a weak or easily meal drifts by. Swinging flies, or slowly stripping dense streamers upstream can find the occasional taimen lurking below. Sinking lines can be critical with each of these tactics in order to get down. This approach more like resembles salmon or steelhead fishing methods from the west. As important as flies, swing, and retrieve is approach. Understanding how your flies are getting down in the current and to where you believe the taimen might be setting up is crucial. Covering plenty of water will also improve your odds as well. Learning to identify the haunts where the lethargic taimen hold can save anglers plenty of time on the water.
