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Habitats, methods of catching and bait for lenok
Lenok belongs to the Siberian salmon family. Has a peculiar appearance. It is almost impossible to confuse it with other fish of the family, but sometimes young lenoks are confused with medium-sized taimen. This fish is called the Siberian trout because of the dark brown hues and the large number of spots on the body, but this is a very distant similarity. Due to the “slow growth” of the species, large specimens are rare, although lenok can reach 8 kg. There are two main subspecies: sharp-faced and blunt-faced and several variations of shades. The blunt-faced subspecies is more commonly associated with calmer waters and lakes, but both species often live together.
Fishing for lenok is carried out with the same gear as when fishing for most salmon. Many of them are simple and known to all anglers. The traditional ways of catching lenok in Siberia are: lure fishing, float fishing rod, donka, fly fishing, “boat” and others.
It is more convenient to catch lenok with a lure on the wide stretches of taiga rivers, but, with a certain skill, deep sections of small rivers are quite suitable. In the middle of summer, lenok stays closer to cold streams and in pits with spring water outlets, but it also feeds on shallow river floods, often above rifts. Fishing can be done both from the shore and from a boat. Depending on the conditions of fishing, they choose spinning tackle. The approach in choosing is traditional, given that lenoks are caught along with other types of Siberian and Far Eastern fish. Most often, lenok prefers medium and large baits, takes both rotating and oscillating spinners. At night, lenok, as well as taimen, is caught on the “mouse”. At the same time, it has long been noticed that it is on this bait that the largest individuals come across.
Fly fishing for lenok is carried out on medium-sized streamers of dark colors. The fishing technique depends on the conditions of the river, both “for demolition” and for “strips”. Tackle is selected depending on the desires of the angler. The most spectacular fishing can be considered fishing on the “mouse”. For greater convenience in casting large lures, you can also use long rods of high classes, especially since trophies can be very worthy.
Knowing the habits of fish and parking places, fishing for lenok on winter gear can be very effective. From the ice they catch on “planning” or “horizontal” spinners, as well as on balancers. Together with grayling, lenok is caught on various mormyshkas and tricks with replanting a worm or mormysh. Animal nozzles are planted on spinners.
Please note that – Lenok is listed in the Red Book of Russia and is on the list of endangered fish! Therefore, when catching this species, the “catch and release” principle should be applied.
Fishing places – habitat features in the reservoir
Lenok is widely distributed throughout Siberia from the Ob basin to the rivers flowing into the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan. It is found in the rivers of Northern China and Mongolia. In summer, lenok prefers taiga rivers, in which relatively deep sections alternate with rifts, full of turns and creases. Lake forms may be the only species in a reservoir. Lenks are characterized by parking places along the edge, behind obstacles, in channel depressions, as well as under rubble and at the point of convergence of streams. The fish hold on and come out to feed on sections of the river with a gentle current. Small lenok, feeding on invertebrates, lives together with medium-sized grayling on peals and rifts. When switching to predator food, it enters such areas only for prey. In summer, on clear, hot days, the capture of lenks is random. Closer to autumn, lenok begins to roll into large rivers in search of wintering pits, where it can form large clusters. At this time, the fish, in search of prey, actively moves throughout the water area of the river, and you can catch it in various places. To the place of wintering, lenok can move in small shoals, so in the fall it is also caught on bottoms, on a worm. But we must keep in mind that several days can pass between the time of biting, depending on the frequency of the fish approach.
Spawning
In early spring, even before the ice “breaks up”, spawning individuals begin to be understood in the upper reaches of rivers and small tributaries. Spawning takes place depending on the climatic zones in May-June. Lenok spawns in areas with stony-pebble soil. Lenkovy spawning grounds coincide with taimen. It should be noted that lenok caviar is the smallest of the whole family.