THE FISH SPECIES FOUND IN THE MONGOLIAN RIVERS

The stream's most famous residents are the gigantic Taimen (Hucho taimen). Taimen are the largest member of the Salmonidae family.

The average size of a Taimen is typically 80 - 100 cm (over three feet) and fisherman regularly encounter monsters that approach 150 cm (fifty inches or more). The Taimen weight reaches 10 to 14 lbs.

Taimen are an aggressive fish that feed on anything that they can fit in their mouth, from minnows and fry to mature grayling and trout, or even small birds or rodents. The Taimen is an ancient water animal found once from Eastern Europe to Northern Japan.

They are an exclusively freshwater fish and healthy populations are only found in Siberia and Mongolia in a few pristine river systems.

Now endangered over much of its range, healthy populations can still be found in remote parts of Russia and Mongolia. It is essential that Taimen caught are returned so that healthy Taimen populations are conserved for the future.

Taimen fishing is strictly catch and release at most fishing camps. The Taimen Conservation Fund is implementing a major conservation and research project on the Eg-Uur River Watershed aimed at creating a sustainable catch and release taimen fishery and establishing a model for taimen conservation in Mongolia.

Lenok (Brachymstax lenok) are the Mongolian equivalent of a trout. Lenoks are found only in North East Asia. Lenok typically measure over 18 inches (2 to 3 lb) but can grow to over 30 inches in Mongolia. The Lenok spend a majority of their time in shallow water where they are very accessible to anglers’ fishing assorted dry flies and terrestrials. These are an exciting sport fish and a good angler may catch twenty or more of these beautiful fish during a day.

Grayling (Thymallus thymallus) is another fish from the Salmonidae family. There are plentiful in Mongolia’s waters and there are in fact three sub-species here, depending in which of the 3 Mongolian draining system the Grayling is found. The largest of the graylings in terms of length is the Arctic grayling (T. arcticus arcticus) at a maximum length of 76 cm (30 in) and a maximum weight of 3.8 kg (8.4 lb); other subspecies of the Grayling are typically half this length or less.

FISHING IN MONGOLIA

Fishing in Mongolia is a wonderful experience. We have over 4000 rivers and more than 30 lakes - all totally unspoilt and unpolluted, and a fabulous place to catch a wide variety of fish.

Although many of them are similar varieties to those found in European rivers, Mongolian fish are much bigger and more abundant – much more satisfying for a day at the river! The Taimen, the largest fish in the salmon family, is a real challenge to catch – try your luck on this tour!

The average taimen is around 33 inches and weighs roughly 10 pounds, however, there will be multiple chances every day to try catching fish over 50 inches. Siberian White Fish, Siberian Grayling, Lenok, Umber, Baikal, Omul and River Perch are among the other varieties you will catch amidst the spectacular scenery of Mongolia 's exotic nature.

You will stay in our fishing lodges on the river Eg-Uur, Tengis in the eastern region of Mongolia. The fishing area in the campground extends about 10-15 km along the river and the surrounding area is sparsely populated, with the exception of a few nomadic dwellings. The peaceful environment offers a perfect opportunity to escape the tension of the city and just relax and unwind.

The fishing season lasts from about August 20th till October 20th. During this period, there is no rain and water is usually transparent and at a low level, enabling the best catch. June 15th to July 5th is also possible as the water level is normal, however there is occasional rain.

MONGOLIA'S BEST TAIMEN FISHING CAMPS

Mongolia's Best Taimen Fishing Camps

White Tiger Nomads has long been doing Taimen fishing in Mongolia. After many successful seasons, and hundreds of happy fishermen, Mongolia remains one of the most unique fly fishing destinations in the world. Our company has refined its operation and offers unrivalled expertise and comfort for the fly fisherman. After all if you are traveling all the way to Mongolia to fish, why wouldn’t you fish with the experienced group of guides who have been taking our customers to the best fishing spots along Eg-Uur, Shishged, Selenge and Onon rivers?

2008 marked another great year of fishing filled with two impressive milestones. One lucky angler landed four fish over 1.40 m in a week at Eg-Uur river confluence in Huvsgul province, and another angler hooked a 1.35 m Taimen on a size 10 Grasshopper. Along with another great year of Taimen fishing, the Lenok Trout fishing was outstanding in last couple of years. With a great terrestrial hatch in late summer, and the traditional mayfly hatches in the fall, the Lenok kept all of our anglers busy.

We are expecting 2009 to bring another great year of fishing. Mongolia presents a rare glimpse of a wild, exotic land unchanged in time. For most, just the opportunity to experience a pristine landscape, undeveloped river valleys lined with healthy forests or a pair of Mongolian riders driving their stock through a river meadow on a crisp fall morning is enough. But for the fly fishermen, Mongolia makes a great trip even better; it is home to the world’s largest Salmonid that will attack your skated dry flies.

Our trips are more expensive than other fly-fishing Mongolia operations. However, please consider our expertise and our commitment to Taimen conservation. We utilize only single, barbless hooks, and all of our fishing is catch and release. We manage our river very carefully to insure that all of our anglers have the fishing trip of a lifetime. We are not an eco-tourism company that does some fishing. We are professional fly-fishing outfitters who have all proper licenses in great spots with rich population of Taimen.

If you fish with a company that has dead fish on its website, you will not only be supporting the demise of Taimen, but you will also have a very disappointing trip when you discover that the fish in the pictures are no longer in the river. Please support responsible outfitters.

We hope that you will fish with White Tiger Nomads.

You will not be disappointed.

HUCHO TAIMEN

The taimen (Hucho taimen) is one of 5 species in the genus Hucho, which includes Hucho hucho, H. perriyi, and H. ishikawai, and H. bleekeri. A very large fish, it once attained a maximum of over 2 meters and 100 kilograms. In recent times reports of fish above 50 kilograms and 160 centimeters are rare. Taimen occur predominantly in river environments, preferring fast moving rivers and streams.

DISTRIBUTION

The taimen is distributed from the Volga and Pechora River basins east to the Yana River in the north and that of the Amur River in the south. On a larger scale, this includes parts of the Caspian and Arctic drainages in Eurasia and portions of the Pacific drainage in Mongolia and Russia (the Amur River). In Mongolia the taimen is found in both the Arctic and Pacific drainages, specifically the Yenisei, the Selenga/Lena, and the Amur River Basins.

MIGRATION
Very little information exists about taimen spawning behavior. In general, taimen are thought to migrate short distances in spring and autumn. In spring, during spawning, taimen migrate from larger, deeper rivers to smaller, shallower streams, usually side tributaries of about 50-150 centimeters in depth. In autumn, taimen are believed to migrate downstream to deeper river stretches to feed. Taimen migrations of 10-40 kilometers have been reported, though in general taimen migrations may be shorter - Vokac (1959) reported that large taimen do not migrate more than 1-2 kilometers per year.

DIET
The taimen is a top predator, feeding on smaller fishes and also amphibians, small mammals and birds. Though taimen have been known to feed on over 50 species of fish, the diet of taimen is dependent on the species composition of the particular stream inhabited. In the Eg-Uur system, the taimen diet appears to be mainly grayling and the minnow Phoxinus phoxinus.

REPRODUCTION
Taimen reach sexual maturity at approximately 5-7 years of age and at a size of 60-70 centimeters and 2-3 kilograms. Females produce 10,000 - 30,000 eggs, depending on the size of the fish. Spawning usually takes place in April or May. The time of spawning seems to be determined mainly by water temperature. The total duration of the spawning season at any given location is reported at between 7-14 days.

CONSERVATION STATUS
The taimen is not listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List but is listed in the Russian and Mongolian Red Books. This indicates that the fish is threatened across much of its range. Threats to the taimen include over-fishing, pollution, and habitat destruction.

OUR COMMITMENT TO CONSERVATION

We have a profound attachment to the land, wildlife and rivers that we fish. We understand first and foremost that the health of the river and its runs of fish are more important than the success of our fly-fishing operations.

By running small catch and release operations, we are able to utilize a sustainable resource in good conscience. We also hire as many local residents as possible in each of our operations. This helps the local economy and helps insure that those affected by our operations are affected in a positive manner. We have found that when the locals understand that a healthy fishery translates into jobs and economic prosperity, that they are reluctant to poach, spear or pollute.In addition we hope that in each of the destinations that we are involved in that we make a difference in watershed.

There are a number of environmental causes that we are actively working on.We understand that we make our living from great wild and clean waters and the fish that swim in them. It seems to make sense then that we should give something back. We care about the waters we fish. We hope you do too.

Taimen Conservation

All fishing in Mongolia is with single, barbless hooks, and all fishing is strictly catch and release. Taimen are handled with the utmost care and every precaution is taken to protect the health of our fishery. We take great pride in the health of our fishery, and we intend to protect the fishery for generations of fishermen to follow. Unfortunately, most of the outfitters do not respect the fishery and do not practice catch and release.As an angler considering traveling to Mongolia, you are in the driver's seat, and you are in the position to choose an outfitter who is protecting the resource.

THE FISHERY

The Fishery

Plentiful fish. We have access agreements for hundreds of miles of incredible water in several regions in Huvsgul province, at rivers of Shishged, Delgermurun, Eg-Uur river confluence and Selenge. The fishery is exceptionally healthy, with great water quality, species diversity and riparian habitat. The rivers support robust populations of wild Taimen (the world's largest salmonid), trout, grayling and lenok.

Taimen: The stream's most famous residents are the gigantic Taimen (Hucho taimen). Taimen have bragging rights as the world's largest member of the Salmonidae family. In Mongolia, Taimen will typically average 80 - 100 cm (over three feet) and we regularly encounter monsters that approach 150 cm (fifty inches or more).
Watching a forty-inch fish explode out of a gin-clear stream to take your dry fly is truly a life altering experience!
This ancient animal was once found from Eastern Europe to Northern Japan. However, Taimen are a sensitive species requiring the purest of ecological systems. Now healthy Taimen populations occur only in Mongolia and even here they are only plentiful in a few pristine river systems.
Taimen fishing is challenging. Compare it to fishing for steelhead. You'll see plenty of big fish and while several clients have hooked more than six good-sized fish in a single day, anglers can realistically expect to hook at least one Taimen daily.

Trout and Lenok: The streams produce phenomenal numbers of trout and lenok. Clients describe our fishing trips as the best trout fishing they have experienced anywhere in the world. On a fine dry-fly day, a decent angler may easily catch well over twenty good sized fish.

Trout: The Amur trout (Brachymystax savinovi) is a species unknown to most fly anglers. It is a beautiful, thick bodied fish distinguished by a golden brown body accented with large black spots. The trout's aggressive attitude reminds most folks of big browns. This spectacular fish commonly measures well over 55 cm (twenty-two inches), making them a fantastic challenge on a light fly rod.

Lenok: The lenok (Brachymystax lenok) are awesome fun. They are another endemic distinguished from the trout by their bright red sides and slightly down-turned mouth. Lenok are found throughout Mongolia.

Guides: We were hiring guides from the local areas, who know the spots better than anyone else and are keen to protect the Taimen species in the rivers. It is also beneficial for local economy to hire guides and helpers from the regions.

Our Lodges: We have built a lodge at Shishged river and are going to set more lodges in the other regions, where we have fishing licenses. In some areas we establish a series of fully equipped ger camps along the stream. You don't waste mornings and evenings (the peak Taimen fishing periods) driving up and down stream.
You wake up in the morning, eat breakfast, get into a boat and start fishing right where you left off the evening before. While your luggage and other personal items are transported overland, you're fishing a fresh stretch of water. In the evening when you float into the next ger camp or lodge, the fires are lit, our camp staff has dinner prepared, and your luggage is waiting in your fully outfitted ger.

Catch and Release: We insist that all clients practice catch and release fly-fishing using only barbless hooks. It takes a Taimen approximately seven years to reach sexual maturity. A trophy Taimen may be over twenty-five years old.

Conserving the last best places: Our prime concern is the long-term conservation of this amazing fishery. We work with and invest significantly in the local community for this purpose. This includes establishing stringent regulations to conserve the entire watershed and backing this up with public education and anti-poaching efforts.

The Water: Although the water levels fluctuate with weather, there are no significant "rapids". Placing flies into a variety of pools, riffles, banks and eddies with a consistent medium and short cast is usually productive. Equipment. Taimen will aggressively take large surface or streamer patterns cast with a nine-weight rod. We suggest a five-weight rod for the trout and grayling. Prior to your departure, we will provide you with a very thorough trip planner and packing list. Angler Numbers: We have a weekly rod limit of 6 persons. With over one hundred miles of river to fish every season, this is truly a unique and private experience.