Hot July at the Amur River

The first part of the summer in Khabarovsk was rather cold & rainy.  Only by mid July we have got the usual hot weather - over 30*C.  The nights are also very warm. The water in the Amur River is 22*c, and in the lakes  - 24-25*C.     These days the city people are using any possibility to go the water to swim. 

On the weekend I was with my family on one of the lakes at the Bolshoi Ussuriiski Island, about 5 km from the border with China. Some of the local fish of the northern origin do not like hot weather.  On the contrary, some species had come here from the tropical waters.  Hot summer is the time when they are feeding most active.  

 These aquatic plants form thickets at the depths of over 2 meters. 

Predators love sitting in a shade, below the green ceiling. 

 I was moving in an inflatable kayak along the weed beds and reed walls.

 Amur catfish was caught with sinking line & pink-and-purple wobbler fly.  

This little snakehead was caught with typical pike tackle: floating line, steel tippet, and red wobbler fly with yellow legs, tied on #1 hook.  

Snakehead is very strong fish with sharp teeth and powerful jaws.  Amur River is the northernmost part of its range. 

Amur River - at the dike near Khabarovsk (July 2011)

The Pemzenskaya channel of the Amur River is crossed by a stone dike which is supposed to support the water level in the main river channel. 

During last years the water level in Amur was high; the dike was seriously destroyed by the floods.  Now it is not forming a drop as before.  The river bottom below the former dike is covered with huge rocks which are providing shelter for the predators. 

 Local fishermen are fishing with long poles & bobbers with bait of little fish.  

Small catfish is among common fish caught near the dike.  In most cases I am using bright streamers tied on offset hooks.  "Normal" streamers are lost too often due to the rocky bottom.

Skygazer looks like a herring, but it belongs to Carps.  

 

One of the best flies to catch skygazer is a wobbler fly fished in middle layers of the water. 

Mandarin bass Siniperca belongs to rockfishes (Sebastidae)

This little fish was caught with a silver streamer on the offset hook 

Mandarin bass sits close to the rocks; the fly should move slowly, with jerks.  

Tunguska River float-trip & fishing - May 2009 (Amur River drainage)

Kur River is 434 km long. After junction with Urmi River it forms 90 km long Tunguska River which joins Amur River at its left bank, opposite from the city of Khabarovsk. On May 8-10, 2009 I have made 3-day float-trip on the Tunguska River. I was using inflatable kayak "Timan" made by "Drakar", Lithuania.

The Tunguska River is big & slow, has no riffles, and sandy bottom.

The morning was cold, and there was fog on the sunrise

The most numerous fish in catches was sawbelly, surface-feeding small Cyprinid fish. It is common prey of most of the Amur predators.

This is three-lip, a small strange looking predatory fish from the Amur.

Catfish were feeding on shallow sandbars. I was catching them with dark or red streamers, presented close to the bottom. This fish can feed any time - day or night.

Catfish is very strong fish - even stronger than some Salmonids...