Trip to the Bichi River, Udyl Lake, Amur River - Part 2 (Udyl L.)

In the lower reaches the Bichi River before entering the Udyl Lake is forming a big delta.  The area is swampy & treeless; it looks like tundra.  My camp is hidden near one of the nearby streams, Bitki R.  The distance to the lake is 1 km. 

End of June is time of downstream migration of the chum salmon smolts.  All predatory and non-predatory fish is now feeding by these small silver smolts.  I will be using smolt imitations of appropriate size.  My main goal is to catch Amur whitefish with a fly. 

The area is flat, the current - rather slow.  The terrain is not spectacular, but it is notmal for habitats of whitefish.

I was using 7 weight rod, floating line and sink tip.  Whitefish is normally not coming close to the surface, and prefers to feed in middle layers of water. 

Amur whitefish

Amur whitefish; the biggest specimens of the species can be up to 5 kg. 

This species of whitefish is predatory; it has terminal mouth.

Along the north shore the 50 km long Udyl Lake is very shallow

On the gravel bars of the lake outlet there are lots of cornelians

Kolchem village at the lake outlet

To be continued...

Trip to the Bichi River, Udyl Lake, Amur River - Part 1 (Bichi)

I was floating the lower reaches of the Bichi River, crossed the Udyl Lake, and went down the channels to the Amur River.  The trip had ended in the Bogorodskoe village.  From here I went by regular bus to Khabarovsk. 

The MI-8 helicopter, which had to take a group of taimen fishermen back home, had brought me to the river. 

The helicopter is gone, and I had stayed alone on the river.

The plan was to move downstrean with inflatable kayak.  The main goal for the trip was to catch Amur whitefish with a flyrod (nobody did it before). 

I was fishing in the river on the first day.  After a strong rain it became murky, and I was limited to the sloughs and bays.

Big bright flies are the best for Amur pike (this one is called "Rainbow")

Amur pike

Smaller streamers were bringing "predatory minnows" - Amur minnow ...

... and Amur ide.

Good size pike

This pike is kept for the supper. 

The "anti-wobbler" fly is one of the best for pike.  The uright blade makes the fly both wiggle and come to the surface.  I will make a post on these unique flies a little later. 

To be continued...

Taimen fishing, Bichi River (tributary to the Lower Amur River)

Bichi is 300 km long, it is left tributary to the great Amur River. The stream is famous by its trophy Siberian taimen.

Bichi River is rather slow, and has clear colored water.

Local fishermen use old-style spinning gear with thick mono line

The river has several log-jams, some of which exist for many years

Group of fishermen is doing portage around the unpassable log-jam This 16 kg taimen I have landed with a streamer (Articilated Leach type, see below)

The fish was caught for the edge of the upper jaw bone pierced by the hook

Black Articulated Leech (String Leech) on 2/0 or 3/0 hook is one of the most efficient flies for both taimen species, Siberian & sea-run

Articulated Sculpin is taimen fly based on the design of String Leech

Articulated Grayling - another fly with weighted head and big hook on a string

Articulated Mouse - surface fly with a hook in a loop of 7x7 steel tippet material. I have landed several taimen with this fly equipped with 3/0 Octopus hook. 37 kg taimen, caught in the Bichi River in October 2004 by Oleg Zakrzhevski