Features of the view
Muksun belongs to the salmon family, its habitat is Siberia. The species, like many others, is on the verge of extinction. The main problem is the activities of poachers. Muksun lives in freshwater bodies of water and can be found in bodies of salt water. Every year, fish migrate to desalinated bays.
Intensive movement is observed during periods of high water, rapid melting of snow and glaciers. The main feature of the species is its relatively small size compared to other aquatic inhabitants.
Appearance
What does muksun look like? The body has a spindle-shaped shape, flattened on both sides. The head and tail are located slightly higher than the body. In adults, a hump forms and the body becomes curved. The head is not sharp in shape, the lower jaw protrudes forward. This structure makes it possible to collect crustaceans living on the bottom. A large amount on the gills ensures high-quality filtration. Features of muksun fish:
- adipose fin;
- pronounced hump on the back;
- The average size of the scales is average, up to 110 pieces on one line.
Age and size
The length of an adult individual reaches 1 m, weight does not exceed 12.5 kg. The average length of an individual does not exceed 70 cm and weighs 4 kg. Most often, the weight of an individual does not exceed 1.5 kg. Adult fish live up to 20 years, sometimes up to 25 years.
Color
The back is darker, the belly is lighter, the sides are silvery. The inhabitants of the rivers can be distinguished by their golden tint. The fish is practically invisible in the water column.
Vision, sense organs
Fish have well-developed eyes and other sense organs. She has excellent spatial orientation.
Varieties
The standard northern fish muksun has no biological subspecies. Most often these are local populations that are found in different territorial zones. The most famous types are:
- Lensky;
- Kolyma;
- Indigirsky.
The name is associated with its habitat. Lena muksun is found in Lena, Indigirsky - in the Indigirka River, Kolyma - in Kolyma.
All subspecies look the same, the body structure is identical, the differences lie in the shades of the scales, average size and weight, and the period of puberty. Muksun and shokur are close relatives; they have common features and differences.
Lifestyle
Malek
The malek is distinguished by its brindle coloration. Immediately after birth, the fish rushes into coastal plants, where it begins actively feeding on plankton and benthic organisms. The fry, having grown to 3-5 cm in length, roll down into a stagnant body of water.
Lifestyle, behavior
Muksun is distinguished by endurance and perseverance. The fish spends a lot of time and effort on the spawning run, saving strength to return back. Adults travel up to 2 thousand km upstream when going to spawn. Enhanced nutrition allows you to quickly regain weight and strength. To search for food, the muksun fish chooses flowing areas with cool water 3-5 m deep. The individual lives in places that must meet the following requirements:
- constant temperature;
- underwater shelters;
- water with oxygen.
Habitat
Muksun lives in clean freshwater bodies of water; the water may be slightly brackish. It is not found in the ocean. This species prefers river mouths, where fresh and salt waters mix. Large populations can be found in the waters of the Lena, Yenisei, lakes Lama, Taimyr and Glubokoe. Individuals live in almost all Siberian rivers, as well as in the Arctic Ocean. Large populations are present in the Tom and Ob rivers, where fish are present year-round.
Diet
The diet depends on the living conditions, time of year, and food supply. In summer, muksun fish feed on crustaceans and mollusks, and in winter they switch to plankton. The fry mainly feed on plankton, since they cannot hunt for other prey and digest it. The structure of the gills allows for complete feeding.
Most of the diet consists of crustaceans, caviar, fry, and plankton. During the spawning period, the volume of food consumed decreases. Satisfying primary needs allows one to avoid death. During the breeding season, all the efforts of the individual are aimed at finding the way to the spawning grounds. The fish must find places to spawn before the first ice appears.
Reproduction and offspring
The lifespan of fish reaches 20 years, because of this, puberty occurs quite late. On average, muksun fish go to spawn after reaching the age of 8-12 years. The minimum age is 6-7 years. This feature is considered one of the reasons for the population decline due to uncontrolled fishing.
Spawning
The first wave of spawning occurs from July to August. The process is accompanied by a mass exodus of the population to river mouths, from where it goes to search for places to spawn. Later, a second wave of river inhabitants that did not feed in the sea goes to spawn.
The optimal temperature for spawning is considered to be from +4 to +8 degrees. At high temperatures and warm autumn, the fish begin to actively feed, which allows them to wait out the winter. Muksun spawns in portions, with significant time gaps between them. Sometimes the process can drag on throughout the fall and even winter. After spawning is completed, the family returns to its permanent habitat.
For spawning, muksun chooses shallow areas with running water. The bottom is covered with pebbles, small stones, and sand. The female lays 25-40 thousand eggs at a time. Caviar quickly sticks to hard surfaces due to its sticky surface. The incubation period lasts 180-200 days. The fry appear in late March - early May.
Natural enemies
In nature, muksun has enemies, but they do not pose a danger. Most often these are larger predatory inhabitants of the aquatic depths. They pose a danger to fry and eggs, which actively eat other fish.
The main enemy is man and uncontrolled fishing. Muksun going to spawn are in great danger, which is taken advantage of by poachers. Human activity has led to the pollution of water bodies and a significant decrease in the population of muksun and other fish species.
Commercial value
The uniqueness of muksun lies in the composition of the meat, which belongs to the category of delicacies. Regardless of the degree of freezing, the meat does not lose its unique, incomparable aroma, reminiscent of the smell of freshly cut cucumbers. A kilogram of fish will cost 700 rubles. Muksun has been bred in nurseries for commercial purposes for a relatively long time.
The fish is resistant to parasites, so raw meat can be used for food. It should be borne in mind that heat treatment increases the safety of meat consumption, as does freezing.
Nutritional value
Muksun retains its taste properties even when severely frozen. The energy value of the product is 89 kilocalories per 100 g. The meat is completely digestible. Arachidonic acid provides additional energy to people experiencing regular increased stress. Fish is recommended for consumption when it is necessary to restore the body.
The composition of muksun is almost similar to the meat of different types of marine fish. It does not contain many minerals, which makes it possible to eat meat if you have kidney problems. Fat is not harmful because it does not lead to the formation of vascular plaques. Fish oil is highly absorbable.
Useful properties of the product:
- increasing protective forces;
- stimulation of the cardiovascular system, hematopoietic system;
- activation of the central nervous system,
- increased brain activity;
- activation of metabolic processes;
- increasing endurance during exercise.
Population and species status
Muksun belongs to the category of commercial fish. Uncontrolled fishing and poaching have led to a significant reduction in the population. The issue of including this species in the Red Book is currently under consideration. Security measures are already being carried out, which is having a certain effect. The muksun fishery has been brought under control. Since 2014, restrictions on fishing have been introduced in some regions.
Muksun is actively bred in artificial conditions, from where the fish is supplied to stores.
Muksun - fishing methods, bait
Fishing for muksun is prohibited in many regions of Siberia. And where it is allowed, muksun are caught with commercial fixed nets or floating nets. On the Lena, muksun are caught using flies in winter. Muksun feeds on a wide variety of underwater insects, which means you need to make a lot of midges - the muksun will definitely like some kind of fly.
Experienced fishermen make artificial baits that really look very similar to insects and amphipods, but even they cannot always guarantee that their “work of art” will be liked by muksun. Often, flies made of bright red, burgundy or orange colors, with a bright appendage and plumage, are taken more readily by the muksun than a fly that exactly replicates the appearance of the insect, despite the fact that such an insect is the main food for the muksun in this body of water.
Sometimes one can only marvel at the whims and preferences of the muksun. This often happens when a maksun swims past a live drill mounted and located nearby and greedily grabs an artificial fly “under the drill.” Some fishermen, especially not very experienced ones, have the opinion that there are special secrets to making good and catchy flies. But more experienced ones will argue that some simply make the front sight more similar to the real object.
Fishing Features
Industrial fishing is allowed only in some Siberian regions; for this you need to obtain a license.
How to find, distribution
You can catch muksun in the Yenisei, Irtysh and Lena, on Taimyr, in the Arctic Ocean. Fishing in the Ob may not be successful due to a significant decline in the population.
Muksun lives in the following places:
- Close to shallows and rifts. Fishing should be planned several days before spawning and after its completion. For spawning, the fish chooses areas with a bottom covered with pebbles and sand. A couple of individuals can stay for a couple of days and become prey for a fisherman.
- Bends of the river bed. Deep holes are a place of attraction for muksun, the fish stands above them, it is often located closer to the surface. Renting a boat with an echo sounder will help you spot promising areas where you can go fishing.
- Confluence areas of tributaries. There is a lot of food and oxygen in such places, which attracts muksun.
Behavioral Traits
Muksun prefers places with weak currents. The fish is cautious, stays near the riverbed and does not approach the shoreline. It comes out to shallow water only during feeding. The behavior is quite active, most of the time the fish is in search of food, especially after spawning. Muksun feeds in flowing places at a depth of 3-5 m.
Fishing season
Commercial fishing begins in winter after the completion of spawning.
Gear selection
When fishing, the following methods are most often used:
- spinning - it is best to take ultralight, this is the kind of tackle that is suitable for catching miniature spinners and spinners weighing up to 5 g, which attract muksun the most;
- fly fishing tackle.
Fly fishing gear shows effectiveness with some experience. Preference should be given to rods of 5 or 6 classes. It is best to cast the spinning rod far away; the muksun should catch the bait.
Fishing in large rivers (Ob, Lena) is possible when using long rods. In winter, preference should be given to delicate gear. Using a variety of invertebrate imitations as bait will help increase your chances of success.
Fishing methods
It is worth noting that the choice of gear does not matter much, it all depends on preferences. Wiring is recognized as the best way of trolling; the bait should go along the bottom. The conditions of the reservoirs allow for long casts. Muksun is distinguished by caution and capriciousness. When fishing, long lines may be required. Fishing can be done from a boat or other watercraft. When fishing in a lake, some fishermen recommend making casts parallel to the shoreline.
How and what to catch
The fish is characterized by whimsical behavior, rapid changes of behavior depending on time, weather, and other reasons. In the morning, muksun can peck on one bait, and in the evening on another. The fish responds well to trout spinners and spoons of size 00 - 1. Some fishermen make their own bait. Muksun also bites on dry, sometimes wet flies.
Muksun feeds on amphipods, small water bugs. Fish may bite on brightly colored homemade plastic baits. In winter, fish respond to baits of different sizes. Choosing bait when fishing for muksun is always difficult, success is variable. Anise drops will help attract fish. When fishing at night, it is recommended to bring a headlamp; the light will attract fish.
? Fly fishing tackle
As for fly fishing for muksun, the choice of gear depends solely on the experience and preferences of the fisherman. For example, a one-handed rod of class 5 or 6 will do. In fly fishing, it is important to make a neat presentation of the bait, which is only possible with the use of long lines. In order not to frighten wary fish, it is better to approach it not by water, but by boat.
? Lures
As with spinning, fly fishing for muksun will require different lures. The more diverse their range is, the greater the chances of success. In general, choosing bait for muksun is not an easy task. It is usually caught using dry flies, but in certain conditions you have to switch to wet flies or nymphs.
Fishermen with extensive experience use flies of their own making, which are as similar as possible to real insects, as well as high-quality imitations of amphipods, mayflies and other swimming organisms. How to choose the most catchy one from this set? To do this, it is worth sacrificing the first muksun caught in order to study in detail the contents of its stomach, determine its taste preferences and select the appropriate bait.
