Ukhta River: geography, fishing

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:44

The Ukhta (Komi) River is one of the rivers of the Komi Republic. It is a left tributary of the river. Izhma. Belongs to the Pechora river basin. The total length of the channel is 199 km. The width of the water part is significant - 60 - 100 meters, and the depth - 0.7 - 2 meters. The flow velocity is low - 0.6 - 0.8 m/s. The volume of transported water is 47.1 m³/s (from 957 m³/s at the peak of spring flood to 8.58 m 3^{/s in winter low).}

The Ukhta River has a mixed supply, mostly snow. The water surface is covered with ice at the end of autumn, and the opening of the crust occurs at the end of April. The highest flow is observed from April to June.

Geography of the river

The Ukhta River begins after the confluence of the river. Lun-Vozh from the river. Howl-Vozh. Both are 29 km long. And they begin on the eastern slopes of the Timan Ridge, at an altitude of 200 - 250 meters. The river has many rapids and rocky rifts. It flows through a hilly low-mountain plateau covered with coniferous and mixed forests. The watersheds are dominatedswampy plains that alternate with rolling hills. The heights there do not exceed 160 meters. The territory is sparsely populated. The direction of the current is mainly to the south. In the lower reaches there are various settlements, including the village of Ust-Ukhta. The river near it flows into the Izhma.

Development of the territory

Earlier, the river was used to float the harvested timber. In ancient times, a trade waterway passed along the channel, which connected the central regions of the country with the Pechora North.

Although these areas are poorly developed, all kinds of minerals have been found here: titanium, bauxite, oil, sand, clay, gravel, marls, oil shale. Located by the river, the city of Ukhta is the center of the oil and oil refining industry. And in the village of Yarega, heavy oil is extracted through mines.

In order to protect nature in the river basin, the Chutyinsky reserve and three natural monuments of geological orientation were created: Ukhta, Chutyinsky and Neftyelsky.

Ukhta climate

The Ukhta River basin is dominated by a cold boreal climate. The average annual temperature is -2 degrees. In January, the indicator is -17 degrees, and in July - +14. Over 700 mm of precipitation falls annually, most of which falls in the summer. Arctic and boreal air masses are of great importance.

Vegetation of Ukhta

The river basin belongs to the taiga zone. The most common are spruce forests, often classified as green mosses. Birch is also found in the forests, sometimes Siberian fir. The tree stand hasaverage height 25 meters. In the undergrowth grow: several species of mosses, forest horsetail, ferns. Willows, bird cherry, mountain ash, gray alder, juniper and other plants are often thickets along the coast. Sometimes birches come across: winding and drooping. Along with spruce, you can often find aspen, and in its pure form, aspen forests are rare.

Pine forests are less common than spruce forests. Siberian larch groves are quite common.

Meadow spaces are small in size. Most often they are located in floodplains of rivers. The predominant type of meadow vegetation is grass or mixed herbs.

Animal world

The fauna of Ukhta is rich and varied. Almost all representatives of living creatures living in different regions of Komi were found here. This is more than 10 thousand species, primarily insects and arachnids. Up to 200 species of birds, 13 species of rodents, 1 species of reptiles (mountain lizard), as well as brown bear, mole, wolf, fox, ermine, marten, otter, weasel, lynx live in the region. In the century before last, a beaver could be found here. Elk is also present, and in the past, reindeer were occasionally seen.

The number of fish species is 17.

Fishing on the Ukhta River

There is not much information on fishing. You can learn about it only from the forums of fishermen. The sparsely populated and wild terrain is of course a big plus, especially for those who like to fish without too much fuss. The greatest interest for visiting fishermen is the grayling fish. It belongs to the salmon family and is a famous freshwater fish. grayling hasmoderately elongated body and a large dorsal fin of a characteristic shape. This fish is considered one of the most beautiful freshwater fish.

This species lives in mountain rivers with clean and cold water, as well as in lakes. It feeds on zoobenthos (larvae of stoneflies, caddisflies, and other animals), and in summer also on flying insects. Some species of grayling can eat other fish, and the largest individuals can eat small rodents.

It is best to catch grayling with a float rod with bait (worm), spinning with a lure and a fly.

Fishing bans

In Komi, fishing rules are very strict. With regard to the Ukhta River, there is a ban on fishing with spinning, however, on the Pechora and Izhma itself, fishing in this way is possible. Without permits it is impossible to catch Arctic omul, sterlet, taimen, nelma, arctic anadromous char, Atlantic salmon. In order not to have problems with the law, you should catch on a bait. The fine for one grayling caught is 250 rubles. However, some prefer to take a chance, and, having heard the approach of a motorboat, they go into the forest. Fisheries inspections are not very frequent, but they do take place. To fish in prohibited areas, you must purchase a permit.