The classic Mongolia River Outfitters journey… six days of fishing in a beautiful landscape, fascinating culture, professional staff, exceptional camps, and world-class fishing.
A small group of anglers will explore nearly eighty miles of pristine river, floating through the world’s first taimen Sanctuary. You will fish for taimen, lenok and trout on a fresh stretch of river every day, and stay in a well-appointed ger camp every evening.
We establish a series of beautiful ger camps along the river each year. Although there are no “roads”, we situate most of the camps in locations where our able drivers can gain access. So while we’re off floating the river, the camp staff moves our personal belongings to the next location. When we float into camp, the stoves are lit, dinner is served, and our bags and beds are waiting in a completely new location.
With the “no drive” schedule, we spend our fishing time on the river rather than shuttling in a vehicle or motoring in a boat from a single camp to reach new water. The pace is relaxed and you’ll have plenty of time to get out and wade interesting stretches with your guide. We’ve found it’s best to cover an average of twelve kilometers (ten to twelve miles) of river each day. The fishing is consistently good through all sections of the river. A hearty lunch is served stream-side each day and there are plenty of drinks and snacks on the boats.
These streams are amazingly well suited for fly-fishing. The river is wide and gentle. There are no rapids, but the flow is steady with loads of interesting features, including plenty of riffles and pools. We fish only the prime season when the water is generally very clear. However, gin clear water is not guaranteed.
Wild taimen only survive in true wilderness. There are no dams and river flow may fluctuate substantially with the weather.
When the water is clear, we frequently spot cast for big fish, much like chasing tarpon on the flats. Over the period of the week, we generally hook progressively more and larger fish as everyone learns the secrets of taimen.
Besides the incredible fishing (of course) the healthy riparian habitat is good for wildlife. There are roe deer along the banks and moose, elk and bear on the upper and lower stretches. We occasionally see mink, sable and beaver. It’s very common to hear wolves in the evenings and just about every year someone spots one of these shy animals sometimes actually crossing the river. Birds are generally the highlight, including numerous raptors, swans and Baikal teal spotted along the forested river bottom.
Along the river journey, we will certainly encounter the unique Mongolian nomads. It’s a marvelous event, getting to see and interact with these amazing people and their ancient ways. Watching the nomads dressed in their traditional costumes while they gallop across the wide open spaces to their brilliant white gers sometimes feels like we have had an chance to step back in time.
At your request, we will make an impromptu visit to private Mongolian homes and in the evenings we might be lucky enough to have a few of the locals show up for a session of traditional singing and dancing.
Headed out on your next adventure with us? The Fly ShopⓇ has you covered. As a thank you to our travel guests, enjoy 15% off all retail purchases for a year! — the perfect chance to gear up before your trip.
Whether it’s flies, leaders, apparel or a new rod and reel outfit, we’ve got everything you need to make your journey more comfortable, more successful, and more fun. (some exclusions apply)
