Skip to content 
While traveling through the Krasnoyarsk Krai, visitors to the Putorana Plateau Taiga Nature Reserve have the opportunity to learn a lot about this fascinating fish. Loaches inhabit many bodies of water in Siberia. In the Yenisei and Baikal rivers, you can catch a close relative, the lamprey. This species prefers cold, clear water, which allows the loach to maintain its population, survive, and reproduce.
This small-looking fish possesses powerful physical strength. Strong currents don't hinder it at all, and it often swims against them. Loaches play a vital role in the food chain. They feed on live bait and invertebrates, but they also help noble predators like taimen and grayling find food and survive.
What does the fish look like?
It's a joy to watch loaches move underwater. They're elegant and graceful, yet strong and fast. These freshwater fish are ray-finned and related to carp.
In appearance, the loach does not look very attractive, but its tasty meat is known to many chefs.
· The largest specimens can grow up to 30 cm, but smaller specimens of about 20 cm are more common.
· The body of the fish is elongated, covered with noticeable but small scales.
The loach's head is slightly elongated, with yellow eyes located at the top. It somewhat resembles a snake or a snakehead fish.
Like many carp, there are barbels located near the mouth. There can be up to 12 of them.
· The tail is small and rounded.
Types
The species has a wide variety of species. There are approximately two hundred of them on the planet. The most popular are:
· The common loach. This is the smallest member of the loach family. It is found in many countries and does not grow larger than 10 cm.
The common loach is native to waters across Europe and Asia. It can grow to maximum sizes of 30 cm.
Amur loach. Found in the rivers of Siberia, China, and Japan, it reaches 25 cm in length.
Habitat of the individual
Loaches are common in many bodies of water, not just in Siberia. They are found in Europe, East Asia, and South Asia. In some places, they are called "squeakers." When caught, the fish wriggle and squeak.
These fish are active at night. During daylight hours, they burrow into the sand and mud, where they wait until evening. After dark, they hunt for food.
How to catch loach
The main fishing gear is bottom fishing rods and float rods. Dung beetles are used as bait. When hunting for trophy fish, they must be cast to the very bottom, where the fish will eagerly attack them. There are cases where hungry loach will even attack bare hooks.
Although the flesh of this species is delicious, during trophy fishing trips, the fish itself serves as bait for taimen or grayling. In some regions, catching this species is prohibited, so to avoid legal trouble, familiarize yourself with the fishing regulations for a particular body of water.
Fishermen rarely catch loaches for food; they mostly become prey for other fish species, but this is prohibited by Russian law in many areas. To avoid violating state regulations, it is recommended to research this issue in advance for the area where you plan to fish.
Conclusion
Loaches are especially valuable when rafting. They are excellent bait fish for predators. Small loaches can be used to catch large taimen, lenok, and grayling.
Catching the future bait is easy, but only at night, when the loach emerges from its daytime ambush. After that, it becomes prey itself, effectively serving as bait. A fast-moving, wriggling fish perfectly attracts the attention of predatory fish, who are eager to attack it.
