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Mongolia is a world-class trout-fishing destination. The pristine water that holds monster taimen also produces huge numbers of Siberian trout and grayling. The trout fishing is a wonderful counter-balance to the occasionally arduous taimen fishing. It’s very common for guests to catch two dozen or more trout on a leisure afternoon of hopper fishing. Fly-fishing for these native trout is as good or better than any trout fishery in the American West. Siberian trout (lenok) are a beautiful fish. They have golden bodies, bright red bands and black spots. Throughout the fishing season, these native trout feed aggressively on the surface. They wait along banks and beneath willows to slurp the abundant grasshopper, mayfly and stonefly hatches. A large Siberian trout will happily destroy a mouse pattern skated across a shallow run or behind a rock. They will smash bead-heads dropped beneath riffles. Their behavior reminds many anglers of cutthroat trout, charging up from the depths of crystal clear water to slam petite flies. This river holds astounding numbers of grayling. Grayling are the main food source for taimen in this river. Taimen will often come from nowhere and attack the grayling on the end of your line. While wading, we often watch dozens of grayling casually sipping small hatches within a few feet of us. The plentiful grayling are wonderful fun on a light rod. Amazingly, even the grayling will nail small mouse patterns! Mongolia has several species of grayling. Trying to catch them all would require a fly fishing odyssey around Mongolia: Fish Mongolia for Arctic grayling; Altai Mountains and Eagle Hunters of the west for Mongolian grayling; north to the taiga and home of the Reindeer Herders for the strikingly colored Gold-tailed grayling; to nearly Lake Khovsgol for the endemic Black grayling; and, east to Mongolia River Outfitters for Amur grayling.

We have explored every major taimen and trout river in the country and personally selected what we believe to be the finest fly angling rivers. Our two fly-fishing locations – Trout Mongolia – are situated four hundred miles (650 kilometers) apart. Although both rivers offer very unique and quite different fishing experiences, they share a commonality of great service, productive fisheries, spectacular scenery, and waters exceptionally well suited to the fly angler. When most folks imagine Mongolia, they visualize the Gobi desert or the vast grassland steppe. Very few are familiar with northern Mongolia. This is a place of snowcapped mountains, vast forests, and meadows filled with wild flowers. There are thousands of miles of rivers and lakes in northern Mongolia. This is the land of the taimen and trouts. Northern Mongolia sits at the top of two of Asia’s major watersheds. The northwestern rivers drain into the Yenisei River and the Arctic Ocean and the eastern rivers drain into the Amur River and the Pacific Ocean. Although taimen are found in both catchments, there are only four rivers in Mongolia where international anglers may legally fish. Trout Mongolia is exclusively responsible for all international angling at one of these rivers. The government has designated both locations as “Taimen Sanctuaries”. No international angler may legally access these rivers without a permit secured through either Trout Mongolia. Together, these two rivers represent over 400 miles of taimen habitat conserved in partnership with local communities. At both locations, we use non-motorized drift boats to reach a string of isolated, environmentally progressive, and very comfortable “glamp” camps. This allows us to provide a limited number of guests exclusive access to literally hundreds of miles of very fresh river. Trout Mongolia operates on western Mongolia’s most awe-inspiring taimen and trout stream. We manage international angling on the entire upper watershed. This beautiful freestone river flows for nearly one hundred and fifty miles through a magnificent canyon. The limestone and granite cliffs rise hundreds of feet above the river. Steep gorges filled larch and birch forests cascade towards the valley floor. Extremely large taimen lie in wait within the easily negotiated rapids and rock gardens. Banks covered with willows give way to deep pools, sparkling braids, and wide gravel bars. The scenery and fishing are both world class.

The fishing season in Mongolia legally opens on June 15th and closes November 1. The June opener coincides with the post-spawning period. This is when taimen and trouts are begin feeding aggressively. Taimen hit hard on the surface striking anything from stimulators to large mouse patterns. We normally take a break from taimen fishing in late July and focusing on trouts mainly. Of course, rain can happen anytime. However, mid-summer is historically when the risk of rain and blown out water is highest. Autumn comes early to this part of Mongolia. Trout Mongolia’s fall season starts in August and runs through September. This is when Mongolia prepares for winter. The herders are busy cutting hay, trees are golden, and the fish are feeding like crazy. This is generally considered to be Mongolia’s prime fishing season. Although perfect weather and water conditions are never guaranteed, the skies are normally bright and sunny with crystal clear water conditions. By September, nights have hard frosts. You might experience a snow flurry, bright sunny “short sleeve” weather or both in the same day. Regardless, the drop in water temperature certainly seems to activate the taimen. You can see them moving towards the deeper pools. This is when the fish go through their last bout of aggressive feeding before winter. Watching a taimen charge a fly in gin clear water after a stealthy presentation is quite an experience. The weather might be chilly, but Mongolia’s fall colors are beautiful, the ger fires are warm, and the fishing can be epic. Our Trout Mongolia season wraps up by the end of September. If you want to fish in September and October, head over to eastern Mongolian rivers. This river is located at a lower altitude three hundred miles (500 kilometers) to the east. Over there, the fishing season starts in September and can easily extend through mid-October. We work hard to select the best times for weather and water. However, these are truly wild and remote rivers susceptible to flow fluctuations. Precipitation can come at any season on these wild rivers and weather has become increasingly difficult to predict.

Taimen are perhaps the world’s most incredible dry fly experience. Every taimen you encounter – whether you miss it or land it – will create a lasting memory. Taimen are the ultimate mega-trout. They are the largest member of the salmonid family. Mongolian taimen can live for nearly fifty years and reach sixty inches (1.8 meter) in length. Taimen caught on the fly generally measure between 30 – 40 inches (.75 – 1 meter). Anything over 40 inches (1m) is considered trophy class. We catch and very carefully release several fish every season that measure over 50 inches (1.25 cm). Mongolian taimen do not run out to the ocean or even lakes. These behemoths spend their entire life cycle in relatively small rivers. Taimen will migrate great distances to access spawning, feeding, and winter habitats. An adult taimen may use 60 miles (100km) of river each year, making conservation of vast stretches of water vitally important. Taimen are beautiful fish. They have stunning coloration. Taimen are also ferocious predators. Their main diet is “small” fish and they do take well-presented streamers. That’s great fun, but the amazing thing is that taimen feed on the surface. They will nail beavers, ducklings, gophers, and mice. Taimen will aggressively – and we do mean aggressively – destroy surface flies. Taimen will absolutely explode on the fly, sometimes coming completely out of the water on the strike. On witnessing this impressive smash and grab many anglers pull too soon and miss the hook up. The trick is to keep stripping until you feel the weight of the fish, then set the hook. If you miss the first strike, slam the fly right back on the water. That big, angry and very frustrated taimen will frequently come right back around and absolutely hammer your fly on the second, third or even fourth try. These taimen will often go airborne. Like a big tarpon, they will tail walk along the river’s surface. In skinny water, they will rocket across the river for greater depths. The four-foot long predator on the end of your line will charge around the pool, bore deep and shake its head violently like a very, very big brown trout. Mongolia likely has the world’s healthiest taimen populations. We catch and release many taimen annually. Due in part to conservation efforts, the fishing has never been better. Every angler definitely has a chance to catch a trophy fish. However, taimen fishing is not easy. These fish are big, old and smart. A guest may have a double digit day. The next day the weather turns and the fish get very finicky. This is epic scaled fly fishing at its purist form. It’s a mental and physical game. This is where you get a chance to test the convergence of your skill, luck and angler’s optimism. Our guides are the best in the business and are absolutely fascinated by taimen because of the beauty and challenge. This is about the opportunity and privilege of sharing some of the world’s last wild rivers with the planet’s largest trout. If you come to Mongolia prepared for a wonderful angling challenge and celebrate every fish, you will have the fly fishing trip of a lifetime and you will want to come back for more! The fishing is a combination of drift boat and wade-walk. This is a great river for both single and double-handed rods. The single-handed rods are used from the drift boats. The double-handed rods are generally fished from shore, but some guests use switch rods to great effect from the boat. Most guests bring a five-weight single hand for the trout and a seven, eight or nine weight single hand for the taimen. This river is great for double-handed rods, either spey or switch. It’s a wonderful thing to fire a Skagit line out across a camp pool at sunset and skate a big mouse pattern to a giant taimen. When you sign up for a trip, we will provide you with a very detailed packing list. You are responsible for bringing your own rods, waders, and other fishing gear with your own flies.

Mongolia Taimen Fishing Regulations All foreign anglers must have a fishing license. In Mongolia, these are referred to as a “Taimen Permit”. Individuals cannot purchase permits directly. All permits are allocated to a handful of government endorsed outfitters. Foreign anglers must book with an endorsed outfitter. The outfitter secures the taimen permit on behalf of the angler. Only Government endorsed companies are allocated permits. These companies must be Mongolian. The company must have an established record of successful tourism management and taimen conservation. Approximately two hundred taimen permits are allocated for the entire country. The allocations are designed to protect the fishery and the quality of the fishing experience. Allocations are based upon the conservation status of each river’s fishery. Four taimen river systems may be fished legally. A specified tourism company is responsible for fishing at each river system. Two of these rivers are designated as Taimen Sanctuaries. Taimen Sanctuaries are protected for taimen and have special rules. Long-term conservation management agreements regulate fishing within both Taimen Sanctuaries. Unfortunately, many companies and individuals continue to advertise illegal fishing trips to Mongolia. A foreign angler caught without a permit faces fines, immediate confiscation of all fishing equipment, and expulsion. The angler is exposed to the risk, not the company. This creates an incentive for unethical behavior. Fortunately, both Taimen Sanctuaries have active, community-based enforcement. Local residents understand and appreciate the value of our conservation partnerships. These local residents will not hesitate to protect their fish. They will contact the authorities. Local residents know that we are the only company legally allowed to have foreign anglers within the two Taimen Sanctuaries. They also know that each foreign angler must be accompanied by one of our guides. Every local family knows our guides by name. This type of community-based enforcement is very effective. It is easy to determine if you have a permit. Simply ask your operator. The permits are issued by the national government. The Ministry of Environment’s logo will appear on the permit. The permit will state the valid fishing dates and location. Your name will appear on the permit. Each taimen permit costs approximately US$ 400. For many years, fishing in Mongolia was poorly regulated. The number of foreign taimen anglers increased dramatically. Multiple operators “shared” river systems. Most tourism companies invested very little effort in conserving these shared resources. Conflicts were created between operators. Local residents were unhappy. This situation made government law enforcement difficult and expensive. The quality of the fishing experience started to deteriorate. To reverse this trend, the Government of Mongolia adopted a revised permitting system. This permitting system encourages taimen conservation and improves the level of service for international angling guests. The long-term conservation agreements reduce risks for the angler, the company, the community, the government, and the resource. Individual Mongolian tourism companies are responsible to market and run angling trips for foreigners. These professional companies must guarantee a high quality of service that builds Mongolia’s good reputation. Each company is responsible for working in partnership with local residents. The company must conserve the river, protect the fish and make certain foreign anglers follow the rules. By strictly limiting access by foreign anglers, Mongolia is protecting your angling experience and assuring that foreign angling contributes to the conservation of this amazing species. Please do your part and support only ethical operators.

Permit costs are included within the trip price. Mongolia law requires that all international anglers obtain a variety of fishing permits. We arrange for all permits in advance and have exclusive long-term operations and conservation agreements with all relevant government agencies. The package of conservation permits costs approximately US$ 500 per angler.