The Mongolian redfin is a fish of the carp family, belongs to the genus of skygazers. It has an elongated, laterally flattened body, the upper part of the body is dark, greenish-gray or brownish-gray, the sides are silvery. Fins in two colors. Some of them have a dark color, the anal, abdominal and lower part of the tail are red. The mouth is medium, terminal, but the lower jaw protrudes slightly forward. The maximum size recorded by the researchers corresponds to 3.7 kg, with a length of 66 cm. The differences from the skygazer are quite significant, both in appearance and lifestyle. The redfin prefers sections of the river with calm and stagnant water. Keeps various water obstacles, edges, coastal cliffs and so on. Unlike skygazer, it prefers shallow depths, so it is more likely to be caught near the coastline. At the same time, the fish leads a predominantly benthic lifestyle. Nevertheless, it is possible to meet groups of redfin moving in search of food in “not typical” places for it. Medium-sized individuals have a mixed diet; various aquatic invertebrates, in particular lower crustaceans, predominate in the diet. Adult fish, especially those with a length of more than 50 cm, are predators that feed exclusively on fish. The redfin leads a flocking lifestyle, forming significant clusters. The object of hunting is mainly bottom fish, such as gudgeon, mustard, crucian carp and others. In rivers, in summer, it prefers to feed in calm channels with aquatic vegetation and on floods. As already noted, the fish differ somewhat in behavior from related species such as the skygazer. The presence of a redfin in a given place of a reservoir can determine how the fish manifests itself on the surface of the water. Unlike other breeds, the redfin only shows part of the dorsal fin or upper body. This fish is not characterized by flipping on the water or jumping on the surface of the reservoir. With the onset of cold weather, it goes into the mainstream and its activity is significantly reduced.
Fishing methods
Taking into account the fact that the redfin is an active predator, among amateur gear, spinning and, in part, fly fishing can be considered the most popular. In addition, the traditional methods of fishing are snaps for natural baits, including live bait. Due to the low activity, in winter, there is practically no fishing for redfin, but in the first ice, fish can peck on a par with other Far Eastern species. The Mongolian redfin is an object of commercial fishing. To do this, use various net gear, including seine. Differs in high culinary qualities.
Catching fish on a spinning rod
In places of residence in the middle part of the Amur, Ussuri and other reservoirs, redfin can be a typical object of fishing for amateur fishermen. Taking into account the fact that it gravitates towards the coastline, it is an object for spinning and fly fishing. For fishing, various gear is used, with which you can throw medium-sized artificial lures. Despite the fact that the redfin gravitates toward the bottom life, it reacts to baits that go in the middle water column and surface ones. The fish does not have strong resistance, and therefore there are no special requirements for gear. The choice should be made based on local fishing conditions. We recommend using universal tackle with the possibility of long casts, especially in the case of fishing in large water bodies. Another important factor in the choice of gear and baits can be the fact that the redfin, in the summer, sticks to shallow places, often sandbars and shallows. This allows you to fish with fairly light gear.
Baits
First of all, various medium-sized streamers can serve as fly fishing baits. Taking into account the prevailing diet, young individuals, plankton and benthos, the redfin reacts to various baits imitating small invertebrates. For spinning fishing, small oscillating and spinning lures are used, including shipped streamers. Due to the attraction of fish to the bottom layers of water, the redfin is often caught on a variety of jig baits. Fishing places and habitat Krasnoper is a typical representative of the freshwater ichthyofauna of the Far East. In the Russian Federation, fish can be caught in the Amur River basin. In addition, the redfin inhabits the rivers of China from the Amur to the Yangtze, as well as Khalkhin Gol in Mongolia. It is a typical fish for stagnant water bodies, such as Lake Khanka or Buir-Nur (Mongolia). In the Amur, it is unevenly distributed, absent in the upper reaches of the river, and in the lower reaches there are single specimens. The largest population lives in the Middle Amur. Habitual for the Ussuri and Sungari rivers.
Spawning
In the Amur basin, the redfin becomes sexually mature at the age of 4-5 years. Spawns in summer, in June-July. Spawning takes place on sandy soil, caviar is sticky, bottom. Spawning is portioned, the fish spawns in 2-3 portions.