Huchen on the fly: the rod, the line, the streamer and how to fish it

A huchen asks for heavy tackle: most published advice says a single-handed rod of 9 to 12 weight, a fast-sinking line or sink tip, a short strong leader of about 0.40 mm fluorocarbon, and streamers of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) fished deep on the swing. I fish them with a #8 rod, big streamers and barbless hooks, in the mornings, mostly on the Lim at Plav. Where they live in Montenegro and how a day with me works is in huchen fishing in Montenegro. This article is the tackle and the method, from the sources that publish them, with my own choices set beside them honestly.

The fish in three lines

The huchen, or Danube salmon, Hucho hucho, lives only in the Danube basin, and its range includes the Lim, Plav Lake, the Ćehotina and the Tara. Adults eat fish. On average 60 to 120 cm (2 to 4 ft) by Wikipedia’s account; FishBase gives a maximum of 150 cm and 52 kg. Its Red List status is given differently by the sources I have: Wikipedia cites a 2008 assessment of Endangered, while FishBase shows Vulnerable, assessed in 2024. Either way it is a fish to release with care, and in the fly fishing zones here huchen is fished catch and release all year.

The rod: from #8 to #12, and why sources differ

So the published range is 9 to 12, with 8 at the light end. Currier took an 8-weight to the Váh because it seemed heavy enough, and by his own account landed a 127 cm (50 in) fish on the 5-weight he was carrying for grayling, with luck on his side (Currier, 2006). I fish a #8 on my rivers. I will not pretend the sources agree with me; they do not. If you own a #8 outfit, bring it.

If you own none, ask about rental when you write: it is limited, and on request. What I lend is on gear rental.

The line: how fast it must sink

The line has one job: put a big streamer near the bed and keep it there through the swing. Guideline’s advice is to choose the sink rate by water level, current speed and the fly: the fastest-sinking line for baitfish streamers, a floating head only for surface patterns such as mice (Guideline). Lustrik names sink tips of 10 in (25 cm) per second and faster. Currier fished a floating line first, got no response, and changed to a full sinking Type V to get down (Currier, 2006).

The honest summary: a floating line is for the rare surface fish; everything else is a sink tip or a full sinker, and the deeper and faster the water, the faster the sink rate.

Leader, knots and the weak link

Guideline sets out a chain in which each part is stronger than the one below it, so that if something breaks it breaks at the fly:

• backing of 60 lb;
• a mono running line of 45 to 55 lb;
• the head;
• about 1.5 m (5 ft) of fluorocarbon of 0.37 to 0.435 mm;
• a non-slip loop knot to the streamer, so the fly can swim.

That is one brand’s system for a shooting-head setup, and the numbers are theirs (Guideline). The principle holds for any rig: a short, strong leader, one knot at the fly, and no weak link above it. Konrád calls the mouth hard and names bridge pillars and boulders among the lies (Fly Lords, 2018); none of these sources fishes a fine leader.

The streamers

Big. Konrád fishes streamers of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) (Fly Lords, 2018). Lustrik describes them as the large flies tied for other predators, in more natural baitfish colours (Fly Lords). Currier fished a six-inch (15 cm) predator fly and then a double bunny (Currier, 2006). I fish big streamers on barbless hooks. I sell streamers for the rivers I guide, along with dries and nymphs: see flies. If you tie your own, a fly tying clinic can be added to a multi-day trip.

What the sources agree on: a huchen eats fish, so the fly is a fish, long and with a profile. Guideline ties it on a non-slip loop knot.

Where a huchen holds

• Bridge pillars, boulders, and the outflow below pools (Konrád).
• A deep bend of the river, reached by wading (Guideline).
• The deeper sections of swift rivers, usually alone (Currier, 2006).

Currier’s fish is the best lesson in the sources. It lay low in a deep hole on a big bend, ignored nearly two hours of streamers, and took a rabbit-strip streamer cast upstream of it only after it had moved into shallower water (Currier, 2006). The fish was there the whole time; what changed was where it lay.

On my rivers, the Lim at Plav comes first, then the Lim at Berane, then the Tara. They live in Plav Lake too, which is fished from a boat between its dates.

The cast, the swing, the strip, the strike

The method, as Guideline describes it: cast, let the streamer swing through the run, strip it back, and hook the fish on the strip. Big fish can take softly (Guideline).

What the other sources add: Currier got nothing on a floating line and changed to a full sinking line to get down (Currier, 2006). Konrád says the set must be firm, because the mouth is hard (Fly Lords, 2018). Currier’s fish was hooked on one strip-set (Currier, 2006).

When: time of day

Time of day differs by source. Konrád fishes dawn to dusk; a Guideline caption shows last light; I fish for them in the mornings. In Slovenia the dates are fixed by rule, and a guide or club member must be with you (Fly Lords). Whether a morning for them fits your own dates is the first thing to ask me when you write.

What to expect, honestly

Konrád calls it the “fish of one thousand casts”, and says several days without a fish are normal (Fly Lords, 2018). On the smaller Slovenian rivers, Lustrik reports three to five takes a day and one or two fish landed, around 10 lb (4.5 kg) (Fly Lords). Those are other countries’ figures on other rivers. I give no catch rate for Montenegro and promise nothing. What I promise is a morning on water where they live, rigged properly, with the permits in my pocket.

A trip can hold both: huchen in the mornings, and grayling or brown trout on the nymph and the dry fly after. Grayling, and how to find them, is in grayling vs trout: where they lie and how they take.

Releasing a huchen

Konrád’s advice is to keep the photo short and release the fish with care (Fly Lords, 2018). Every fish I guide for goes back. How I unhook and release one, step by step, is under “Every huchen goes back” in the article linked below.

A huchen morning with me

Where I fish for them and how a day runs is in huchen fishing in Montenegro. The day’s price is on Trips; the whole country, water by water, is in fly fishing in Montenegro: the complete guide.

Questions

What weight fly rod for huchen?

Most guides abroad say 9 to 12 weight. An 8-weight is the light end of what is published, and it is what I fish.

What flies do huchen take?

Large streamers of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in) in natural baitfish colours, on a loop knot so they swim (Konrád and Lustrik in Fly Lords; the loop knot is Guideline’s).

Do I need a sinking line for huchen?

Usually. A floating line is for the rare surface fish. The faster the water and the deeper the fish, the faster the sink rate you need (Guideline).

How strong a leader for huchen?

Short and strong: Guideline gives about 1.5 m of fluorocarbon of 0.37 to 0.435 mm, with every part above it stronger, so a break happens at the fly.

Is the huchen endangered?

The sources differ: a 2008 assessment cited on Wikipedia says Endangered; FishBase shows Vulnerable, assessed in 2024. Either way, it is released.

How many huchen will I catch?

I do not know, and nobody honest will tell you. Abroad, guides report days without a fish as normal (Fly Lords, 2018). I give no catch rate for Montenegro.

If you want to learn the swing, the strip set and the water where they hold, a morning on the Lim with me is the way to learn it. Tell me your dates and what rod you own, and I reply within a day. Request your dates.