At a glance
24–40 in and 6–25 lb.
4–15 ft pools and runs.
Midday on cold winter days, and dusk.
2 areas
Know it
Spot it, size it up and learn its habits.
- Identification
A long, round-bodied salmon with a big, wide mouth, coppery-red to silvery sides covered in small black X- and crescent-shaped spots, and no spots on the fins. Looks like a slimmer taimen.
- Typical size
24–40 in and 6–25 lb.
- Maximum size
Up to about 5 ft and over 100 lb in old records; today fish over 40 lb are rare.
- Diet
Mainly fish such as nase, grayling and barbel.
- Behavior
A lone hunter of deep pools and fast, cold runs that never goes to sea. It feeds hardest in late fall and winter.
Find it
Where, when and how deep to look.
- Where to find it
Found from Northern & Central Europe and Greece & the Adriatic. Cold, fast rivers of the Danube basin in Austria, Bavaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine; the Drava, Mur, Sava and their tributaries hold the best remaining stocks.
- Habitat
Cold, fast rivers of the Danube basin in Austria, Bavaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine; the Drava, Mur, Sava and their tributaries hold the best remaining stocks.
- Depth
4–15 ft pools and runs.
- Fishing depth
Near the bottom in deep pools and current seams.
- Best season
Usually open only in late fall and winter (often October to February); closed during the spring spawn.
- Best time
Midday on cold winter days, and dusk.
- Best tides
No tide. Clear water after a small rise is best.
- Best weather / conditions
Cold, gray winter days with snow are classic huchen weather.
Bait & gear
What to tie on and what to throw.
- Best bait
Bait is banned on most huchen waters.
- Best artificial lures
Big streamer flies, large single-hook spoons and the traditional 'Huchenzopf' braided lure.
- Tackle setup
9 ft 8–10 weight fly rod with sink-tip lines, or a 8–9 ft heavy spinning rod.
- Hook size
Single barbless 2/0–4/0 hooks.
- Line
Sink-tip fly line, or 30–40 lb braid.
- Leader
25–35 lb fluorocarbon.
BigJoe's setup for Huchen (Danube salmon)
The rod, reel, line and lures BigJoe would use.
Also at Bass Pro Shops: Fly rodFly lineStreamersBootsWading staffPliers
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Catch it
Step by step, from first cast to landing.
Step-by-step: how to catch it
- Go where it lives: Cold, fast rivers of the Danube basin in Austria, Bavaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Romania and Ukraine; the Drava, Mur, Sava and their tributaries hold the best remaining stocks.
- Rig up: 9 ft 8–10 weight fly rod with sink-tip lines, or a 8–9 ft heavy spinning rod. 25–35 lb fluorocarbon.
- Pick your bait: Bait is banned on most huchen waters. Lures: Big streamer flies, large single-hook spoons and the traditional 'Huchenzopf' braided lure.
- Fish it: Swing a big streamer or spoon slowly and deep through the pools and across current seams, covering the water step by step. Expect hours of casting for one fish.
- Time it: Midday on cold winter days, and dusk. No tide. Clear water after a small rise is best.
- Fishing techniques
Swing a big streamer or spoon slowly and deep through the pools and across current seams, covering the water step by step. Expect hours of casting for one fish.
- BigJoe's tip
Huchen are about patience and cold hands. Fish the same good pool many times: a huchen may follow several times before it takes.
- Catch and release
Catch and release: wet your hands, keep the fish in the water when you can, and release it quickly. Use circle hooks and a dehooker.
Clean & cook
Is it good to eat, and how to prepare it.
- Edibility
Do not keep — protected.
- Cooking suggestions
Do not keep: release this endangered fish.
Stay safe & legal
Safety, rules and taking care of the fishery.
- Safety warnings
Winter wading in fast, icy water is dangerous: use studded boots, a wading staff and a wading belt.
- Regulations
Listed as Endangered by the IUCN and protected under EU law. It is fished only on a few licensed private waters with short seasons, high minimum sizes and strict quotas; many anglers release every fish, and some countries ban taking it at all. Freshwater fishing in Europe always needs a permit: a national or regional license where one exists (for example the rod licence in England and Wales or the French carte de pêche) plus a permit or day ticket from the club, lake or river owner.
- Conservation
Dams and river works have wiped out most huchen. Release your fish quickly, and support river restoration projects.