Great and full-flowing Siberian rivers: Lena, Ob, Yenisei, Amur. Each of them crosses the cold part of Russia from the extreme south to the extreme north, and the Amur flows from the very heart of the continent to the east and flows into the Pacific Ocean. In terms of length, the latter ranks fifth in the world, the Ob - eighth and the Yenisei - tenth.
The Ob River originates in Altai and crosses all of Western Siberia from south to north, flowing into the coldest sea of the Arctic Ocean - the Kara Sea. It collects water from a pool of a huge area, which is carried into it by inflowing streams. At the same time, they themselves are included in the list of large reservoirs. One of its tributaries is the Chulym River.
Geography of the river
Chulym has a considerable length, quite a bit short of 2 thousand km. To be more precise, the length of the water flow is 1895 km. Although in some official sources there is a slightly different figure - 1799 km. 134 thousand km2 - this is the area of the basin in whichthe Chulym River enters.
The source of the watercourse is in Khakassia. On its way, it crosses the territories of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and the Tomsk Region. Two mountain rivers - White Iyus and Black Iyus, flowing through Khakassia, merge, give rise to Chulym. Literally after 50 kilometers, the river enters the territory of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, through which it flows for 1100 km. All this way, up to Achinsk, it behaves like a mountain stream. First, the Chulym River (its photo is presented below) is rapidly approaching the Yenisei. And logically, she should fall into it. But the obstacle to this was 7.5 km of rocks that did not let the flow to the Yenisei. For about 60 km, the Chulym flows almost parallel to it, and then turns north and further west towards the Ob.
In its lower and middle reaches, the reservoir flows among taiga forests and swamps. In places, the river meanders desperately, making intricate pretzels, forming many oxbow lakes, bays and branches.
Fairy tale-legend
One of the local peoples even has a fairy tale about why the Chulym river does not flow into the Yenisei. As if the mischievous Yenisei waterman decided to try what the water in the Ob is like. He got to the river along various small streams and channels, and when he got to the right area, winter had already begun there. And the Yenisei waterman had to dive into the hole. He did not like the Ob's water - it smells of mud. While he scowled in the polynya, his beard froze to ice. The water man twitched, but the hairline does not let go, and it hurts. He began to call for help from the Ob waterman. BUThe began to bargain: give back, he says, such a good stream as the Chulym River, then I will let him go. It was a pity for the Yenisei waterman to give away such a treasure, but there was nothing to be done. I handed it over to return to the Yenisei. Since then, the Chulym, which was already very close to the Yenisei, has been flowing towards the Ob to merge with it into a single stream. The water one paid them off.
River fishing
There are no large cities on the banks of the Chulym to Achinsk. There is no navigation either, since in this place this stream flows like a mountain river. And here it is rich in aquatic animals. Therefore, it is here that fishing on the Chulym River is the most notable. It is on this site that not only the pike, ide, tench, burbot, roach and crucian carp common to all of Russia, but also purely Siberian taimen and grayling, lenok and nelma are found. And in the waters of the reservoir there are sterlets and sturgeons.
And what makes the current difficult to navigate, becomes a paradise for various types of river fish. The Chulym River (Krasnoyarsk Territory) is popular as a place where a fisherman can take his mind off and catch very large specimens, and of different species. And in this sense, this watercourse is considered the Siberian fish Eldorado. Therefore, it can be put on a par with the Volga delta or the lake and river of Karelia. A caught pike weighing about 10 kg or a seven-kilogram pike perch will not cause much surprise here.
Fauna and flora
The Chulym River not only abounds with fish, but is also surrounded by mighty Siberian forests, where, along with pines and spruces, fir and larch, and even cedars grow. Throughout the stream, travelers will be deliveredenjoying the most beautiful landscapes of virgin and inhabited places. You may also be able to see representatives of the wild fauna of these places, as the forests abound with bears, deer, badgers, and chipmunks. Beavers and otters live in local rivers.
Tributaries
Behind Achinsk Chulym flows across the plain. The river here is winding and breaks into many branches, which makes it difficult for ships to pass. In this place, Chulym receives fairly full-flowing tributaries and itself becomes wide and deep. Among the reservoirs flowing into the Ob from the right side, it is the largest.
More than a hundred "internal" streams - the Chulym River is so rich. The tributaries that fall into it have completely different lengths - from 50 km to 250 km. The longest are White and Black Iyus. Some of the merging streams do not have a name because they are so small. Among them there are also oxbow lakes and channels.
The legend of the river
A small Turkic people, the Chulyms, live in these places. The name of the river is also of Turkic origin. According to legend, the tribes living in these places celebrated the coming of spring every year. On this day it is customary to kindle bonfires and jump over the fire. And then one day the inhabitants of these places lit a particularly large fire. And in the morning of the next day, they found a lot of water from the melted snow at the place of the fire. And then the inhabitants began to kindle a lot of fires so that all the snow would come down. But that wasn't enough. Then this Turkic people turned to the god of fire to help them. He heard themprayers and created a volcano that spewed lava. And then, far from the place where this people lived, water from the melted snow accumulated. This is how the Chulym River appeared, which, in fact, means “running snow.”
River Rest
For those who prefer to combine hunting and fishing with relaxing in comfortable conditions, the Siberian Quadrille fishing and hunting base located in the Tomsk region on the Chulym River will provide a cozy two-story house with all amenities. And if the weather deteriorates, then at the base it will be possible to pass the time playing billiards. In addition, guests will be offered boat trips along the water stream with stops for fishing. It also organizes night fishing in hard-to-reach places, walks in the forest, tracking upland game and waterfowl, as well as hunting for such large animals as elk, bear or wolf. Thrill-seekers can choose such a type of outdoor activity as rafting in Chulym or multi-day trips in the taiga. But many people come to Chulym to fish in their favorite places with already established companies and mostly "savages", enjoying the view of pristine nature and excellent fishing.
The Chulym River (Krasnoyarsk Territory) is fed by snow waters. The flood is observed from May to June. The freezing process often begins in November. The opening is in April. On the banks of the reservoir there are settlements that use it for their household needs.
