Perhaps
no other fish has played more on the collective imagination
of western sport anglers than the legendary giant trout of
Russia's cold, deep rivers, the Siberian taimen, Hucho
taimen. Much of what one hears about these freshwater
leviathans is undoubtedly folklore, but a substantial part
of the taimen myth is rooted in fact. The taimen belongs to
a group of fishes thought to be the ancestral form of the
salmon and trout species of North America, Europe and Asia.
Solitary and long lived (up to 100 years or more), they are
voracious and insatiable predators and can reach enormous
proportions in the vast river habitats of Siberia (largest
verified specimen was over 109 kilograms-more than 240
lbs!). As fish of anywhere near this size become impossible
to capture on rod and reel, it is easy to understand how an
old, wise river monster can become the fabric of fantastic
legends, bestowed with almost supernatural prowess by
natives. (A famous Mongol tale tells of a wandering group of
starving tribesmen who come upon a giant taimen imprisoned
in the ice of a frozen river. They hack off pieces of frozen
flesh to stave of certain starvation, returning to feed on
it throughout the long winter. In the spring, when the ice
melts, the giant fish swims off, none the worse for wear!)
Many of
the first expeditions to
Siberia by western sportsmen were not successful. The Russian led
trips were poorly organized, and catches were disappointing,
as it became apparent the more accessible waters contained
few large taimen because of overfishing. In the years since,
the more successful taimen fishing programs have
concentrated effort in remote drainages inaccessible to
natives. Though many fish are still taken on heavy bait or
spin casting gear, there is increasing fly fishing effort,
with modest success. The current IGFA All Tackle World
Record for the species stands at just under 100 lbs., a mark
that is certain to fall as more and more anglers direct
their attention to this interesting, exotic species.
