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Destination Travel |
Fly Fishing In Mongolia
Brought to you by High Country Flies & Sweetwater Travel
Your first question may be "Mongolia...is there actually
good fly
fishing there?" We're here to tell you that the
answer is a resounding yes!
In fact, if you are looking for the ultimate in exotic fly fishing adventures Mongolia is arguably the one place in the world you will need to visit. If journeying to a largely undiscovered, untamed land of unspoiled countryside to fish for the world's largest remaining salmonid sounds good to you, Mongolia certainly fits the bill.
Mongolia's number one angling attraction is undoubtedly the incomparable taimen. Relatives of both trout and salmon, taimen are ferocious predators and can grow to enormous sizes. Larger, even, than king salmon...much larger. In fact, they are capable or reaching weights in excess of 200 pounds. And unlike king salmon, taimen possess a decided affinity for the dry fly. What an unbeatable combination!
The following first hand account was written by Jeff Vermillion of Sweetwater Travel...
It has been five exciting years since I first headed across the Mongolian wilderness in a Russian Jeep in search of a great taimen fishery. So often fishing is just a wonderful excuse to see great country. Most exploratory trips are tremendous experiences to areas that just don't quite meet the demands of the growing ranks of fly fishermen that travel. This was my expectation for our first trip to Mongolia.
After five successful seasons, and a lot of happy clients, Mongolia remains one of the most unique fly fishing experiences on the planet, and my personal favorite. Certainly as one of the owners [of Sweetwater Travel], I am biased. Biased because in this day and age, Mongolia presents a rare glimpse of a wild exotic land unchanged in time. For most, just the opportunity to experience pristine, unfenced, undeveloped river valleys lined with healthy forests or to see a pair of Mongolian riders driving their stock through a high mountain meadow on a crisp fall morning is enough.
But the fisherman in me takes my wonder for Mongolia a step further. I remember my initial encounter with a taimen on our first exploratory trip. I was wading down an undercut bank fishing a mouse pattern across a classic steelhead run. Upriver I could see another member of our party highlighted in the morning sun, the huge larch trees orange in their fall foliage, mist rising all around, and the river roiling through a field of boulders...I couldn't help but picture a fish taking my fly.
However, nothing in the fishing world could have prepared me for a large taimen's strike. I remember the fish, a 52-inch taimen, flying without any warning three feet out of the water in a struggle to get my fly. It missed my fly, and I let out a yell for someone to come see the next strike. I thought the taimen had lost the fly and not followed it all the way to the shore. It was then stripping in for my next cast that the fish became visible again. I could see the wake ten feet behind my fly and the fish moving in fast. The taimen exploded on my fly. There was nothing I could do to miss it.
As the fish went air-borne, I realized that I had stumbled on a game fish and a resource like none other. I never dreamed I would have the chance to see a landscape like the American West before it was settled. Mongolia is still wild and intact. Its taimen are huge, ferocious and love dry flies. Quite simply it is the fly fishing experience of a lifetime. I hope you will join us. You won't be disappointed.
More About Mongolian Taimen
In the rivers we fish, the average size of taimen is 28-30
inches. Taimen are hard-fighting, acrobatic fish with a vicious
love for rodents, ducks and fish. To date, our
largest taimen landed on a dry fly was 62-inches. To witness a
fish of that size explode on a mouse pattern and then clear the
water multiple times is an unforgettable spectacle.
This topwater take is one of the most exciting aspects of taimen fishing. Trophy taimen often come completely out of the water on the take. Others follow the fly with their fins, head and tail entirely out of the water. These slower takes are frustrating for most fishermen. More often than not, the angler will pull the fly away from the fish several times before eventually hooking up. During the past seasons, anglers have witnessed taimen eating ducks, mice, lenok and grayling. In one case, a fisherman had a 100-pound-plus taimen eat a 12-pound taimen he was fighting.
Lenok and grayling are probably the most overlooked part of our fishing program. Lenok are Mongolia's version of our trout. They occupy similar haunts and share a similar love for hoppers, beetles, and other terrestrials. During the fall hatches of mayflies and caddis, the lenok become much more selective. Still, with proper fly selection, anglers can expect a number of lenok from 16-28 inches and grayling from 10-18 inches. Fly fishing for lenok and grayling on lightweight fly rods will rival some of the best trout fishing in the American West.
Mongolia And Its People
No country ignites the Western imagination as Mongolia does.
Westerners still envision a stark, cold land inhabited by fierce
nomads. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
Mongolia offers a rare glimpse of some of the
world's
last untouched tracts of wilderness and a kind, nomadic people
with a deep appreciation of nature.
Our camps are located in north-central Mongolia in a region similar to Montana's Yellowstone River valley. The difference is immediately seen, however, in the views that are unobstructed by development. The white gers (yurts) of the local herdsmen dot a wide, fertile valley floor lush with thick summer grass and vibrant wildflowers. The mountains around the river are lined with unbroken stands of larch, birch aspen and alder forests. This is the trip of a lifetime for most anglers.
At each camp we have a professional translator well versed in the traditions of nomadic life in Mongolia. Experiencing the Mongolian culture had always been one of the highlights for our clients. We encourage fishermen to take some time from their fishing week to visit a local family and experience Mongolia firsthand. More often than not, you will be invited inside a family's ger to participate in a ritual of hospitality that will leave most individuals wondering what has happened to the rest of the world.
Fishing Package Rates
$5,200 per person (based on double occupancy). Single ger supplement is $500. Single hotel supplement is $100. No Mongolia visa is required.
Package Rate Includes: Two nights hotel accommodations with breakfast; transfers; round-trip helicopter flight to camp; accommodations based on double occupancy and all meals including beer & wine at the fishing area; fly patterns; fishing permits; guide services based on one American guide/two anglers; and English-speaking camp translator.
Not included: Air fare to/from Ulaanbaatar; Mongolia and/or China visa; gratuities to camp staff, guides and hotel personnel; baggage handling or overweight charges; personal items; alcoholic beverages; telephone calls; fishing license ($100); laundry; fishing equipment/tackle (fly patterns are provided at no cost) and airport departure taxes.
Please Note: There are no additional charges for the services of High Country Flies or Sweetwater Travel.
For More Information Or To Book A Trip
Simply call High Country Flies toll free at 877-732-7210 between the hours of 10 am and 6 pm Mountain Standard Time, seven days a week. You can also email us at info@highcountryflies.com anytime.
