This large taimen put up an aggressive fight, taking the boat from one side of the river to the other as it fought. My daughter caught it on a huge "Verminator" mouse pattern fly. She used a 10-weight, 2-hand spey rod. The taimen thought the fly truly was a small rodent. It whacked it hard with its tail to stun it before taking the fly into its mouth. It was estimated at between 30 and 40 years old.
As with all the other taimen caught during that trip, this one was released immediately.