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Fishing enthusiasts who take trophy fishing trips on the Putorana Plateau are already familiar with the name "river tiger" or "master of Siberian rivers." After all, this is the Siberian name for the noble salmon species, the taimen. The golden dorado, a predator unrelated to salmon, inhabits the rivers of another continent. Furthermore, a relative of our carp and crucian carp native to Brazil, it is also unrelated to its marine namesake, the dorado. Yet its popularity is significantly high, and fishing for this predatory fish is extremely popular.
What is a river dorado?
This attractive goldfish got its name during the gold rush. Dorado, or golden mahi-mahi, is an abbreviation of the word "eldorado," translated as "gold" (auratus), with the addition and substitution of some of the letters "doratus."
Although this beautiful goldfish is a carp, it is considered a very dangerous predator. There have been cases of this toothy, bloodthirsty creature attacking people, biting off fingers and arms.
Once, after swimming in a river with these golden monsters, a boy in Argentina had to have his penis amputated because the predator attacked him and practically bit off his penis.
The river tiger, with its strength and speed, like our Siberian taimen, fully lives up to its name. However, these salmon do not attack humans. Many South American anglers enjoy fishing for the golden dorado.
The predator attacks at breakneck speed, sometimes reaching 100 km/h. Like our river tiger, it also puts up a long and valiant fight when hooked, forcing anglers to use skill and cunning when landing trophies.
What does a predator look like and where can you catch it?
The river tiger has a beautiful appearance, and its golden coloring befits its name. This predatory specimen has:
- The head is large, and the powerful jaws are simply strewn with needle-sharp teeth.
- The scales of an adult dorado have a golden sheen, although in youth they have a silvery color.
- The fish reaches large sizes with age. The average weight of a predator ranges from 3 to 10 kg. But the heaviest trophy was a dorado weighing 34 kg and measuring almost one and a half meters (1.3 m) in length.
- These predatory individuals live for about 15 years.
- The river tiger is one of the largest scaled fishes in the La Plata basin. Only scaleless catfish and rays surpass it in size.
- These predatory fish inhabit various rivers in Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, and other South American countries. Unlike taimen, these predators prefer warm waters with temperatures starting at 20°C.
Another similarity between the taimen and the dorado is that its population has begun to decline sharply due to the construction of dams and embankments. River structures block the fish's spawning passage, and these golden specimens are now on the brink of extinction.
Conclusion
It turns out that the Siberian river tiger taimen shares many similarities with the dorado, a member of the carp family. Many anglers in South America and around the world eagerly embark on sport fishing trips that are currently underway to catch this powerful and tenacious predator.
If not fished properly, this type of fishing is riskier than, for example, on the Putorana Plateau. Landing golden dorado can result in injury or permanent disability to fishermen.
Whether it's worth risking your limbs and health by traveling to another part of the world is a personal choice. After all, on our home soil, in the beautiful, picturesque taiga of the reserve, we offer the chance to fish for more noble species: taimen, char, and whitefish.
