The Onon River in the Trans-Baikal Territory is one of the most interesting rivers in Russia. It is distinguished by a severe disposition and an abundance of various fish. But before you go fishing, all fishing enthusiasts need to familiarize themselves with the current restrictions.
River characteristics
Onon is one of the largest rivers in the Amur basin. The upper part of the riverbed is in Mongolia. Then it flows through the territory of Russia (Chita region). The total length of the channel is about 1000 km, of which about 300 km belong to Mongolia. The average width of the river is 100 m, the depth is up to 3.5 m. The total basin area is 96,200 km2. The largest tributaries are the river Borzya, Unda, Khurakh-Gol, Kyra, Ilya, Aga and Agutsa.
Located in the Kentei-Khan mountains of Mongolia, the source of the Onon River. This place is considered the birthplace of the famous Mongol conqueror - Genghis Khan. He was presumably buried in the same area. You can get to the source by making a journey on a horse. In the cold season, the river carries melted snow water, and in the warm season it is fed mainly by rain. Water transparency is rather low. The maximum runoff occurs in July and August, whenfloods. The largest spills were observed in 1988 and 1998. They had the character of floods.
Natural conditions
The Onon River belongs to the zone of sharply continental climate. Transbaikalia (eastern part) is close to Yakutia in terms of severity and dryness of winter. The climate is characterized by low temperatures in winter and a large diurnal temperature difference in summer. In November, the river is frozen over. The ice cover is breaking down already in May.
The area through which the Onon (river) flows is sparsely forested and harsh. On the sides of the river bed there are low mountains and hills, composed of granite, porphyry and shale, they are mostly treeless or sparsely forested. There are areas of continuous forests near the riverbed. Among the most interesting representatives of the flora, the Daurian alpine rose and prunes should be noted. In the riverbed you can find shallows and islands.
Economic and recreational use
Onon is a river suitable for rafting and fishing. The local population uses the waters of the river mainly for irrigation of agricultural land. Along the right bank is the Tsasucheisky Bor reserve, which is a branch of the Daursky Reserve.
On the bank of the river. Onon, a tin deposit was discovered, which is considered the only one in Russia.
Onon is a river in which it is dangerous for people to swim. Its current is fast, at the bottom there are a large number of large stones, many of which have sharp protrusions. There are many whirlpools that can be hardly noticeable from the surface. In summer the river becomes especiallystormy, with frequent floods. All this was reflected in the special attitude of local residents to the reservoir.
Fish
Onon is a river that has large stocks of various freshwater fish. Trout, grayling, taimen, pike, catfish, burbot, gudgeon, char, sculpin, carp, crucian carp, chebak, horse, redfin and other species are found here. There are even crayfish.
If the river were more abundant, then it could also become a habitat for such a unique fish as the beluga. However, the water level in the river tends to decrease, so the chances of finding this fish are now minimal. And before that, she met only 1 time in 45 years. The size of the beluga can reach 5-6 m. The largest caught in the river. Onon specimen was 5 m long. This happened even before the Great Patriotic War. Then they tried to transport the fish on a tractor, but it did not fit in the back and dragged along the ground.
Mongolian taimen on the Onon river is 70-100 cm long, the largest specimens reach 120-130 cm, and the record one is 210 cm. The size of local trout is from 40 to 65 cm, and sometimes reaches 100 cm.
Mass fishing has led to the fact that its number in the river has decreased significantly. In recent years, attempts have been made to limit the catch through the introduction of various bans.
Fishing
The Onon River, where fishing is very popular among the local population, cannot boast of crystal clear water. For most of the year, the water is quite murky, which limits fishing opportunities. More transparent pondgetting closer to autumn. At this time of the year, fishermen go hunting with spinning rods. During the summer, the main type of tackle is the bottom rod.
In the still cold spring waters, burbot is well caught. To do this, use various types of baits, for example, dung worms. Also at this time of year it is easy to catch chebak and minnow. With an increase in the temperature of the river water, you can start fishing for catfish. In these places, it has a small weight - up to 4 kg. It has fatty and tasty meat. Well, the most delicious trophy of the fisherman is the Amur carp. To catch him, you need to make a lot of effort, but the reward is worth it - after all, the weight of one copy can reach up to 8 kilograms.
Cold climate makes carp spawn later. Here it happens in June-July. At this time, catching this fish is unpromising. Due to the fast current, the local carp prefers to hide in natural shelters near the shore. The greatest chances of finding this fish will be those who choose deep coastal areas with a slow current for fishing. In this case, the depth should be 5-7 m, and the distance from the shore - 3-4 meters.
Heavy sinkers are not always suitable for catching carp on the Onon River. If fishing near snags, it is better to use lighter sinkers, preferably with a streamlined shape.
The best places for catching crucian carp are the remains of an ancient channel (the so-called oxbow lakes). They look like small lakes. There are a lot of such old women in the valley of the reservoir.
Fishing bases
Onon has only one fishingbase - "Yusen Tug". Before you go there, you need to find out if there are free places. If they are not there, then you can stay in one of the villages where local residents rent housing.
