2009 will be our seventh season organizing Taimen fly fishing trips in Mongolia and is shaping up to be another great season. We are looking forward to the official opening of the Taimen fishing season on June 15th, our float trips on the Delger Muron are almost full and we have laid on additional dates for September.
Upgrades for this season include a new fleet of AIRE super puma rafts which will be arriving in Mongolia in time for the season, along with new MSR tents and camp gear to further improve our riverside camps. This will undoubtedly make us the best equipped river outfitter in Mongolia, with access to the rivers and equipment to lay on world-class float trips. Combined with our team of seasoned Mongolian and American guides we have all the ingredients for an unforgettable Taimen fly fishing experience.
Why choose a float trip?
Even in the best of Mongolia’s rivers, Taimen only reach a maximum density of around ten to twenty fish of ‘catchable size’ per kilometer, and on any given day you can be sure a good proportion of those won’t be interested in your fly. What this means is that you need to cover a lot of water and the best way to do this is to get on the water in a boat; that gives you the choice of either a jet boat camp or a float trip.
We have chosen to operate float trips over running jet boats as this is more in keeping with the wildness of the Mongolian rivers and is respectful of local herders who have objected to the disturbance of jet boats. This does necessitate camping in tents and makes it harder to provide all the luxuries of a lodge as we float downriver, but you will find our camping style is certainly not ‘roughing it’ and our catering is actually much better than most other tourist camps in the country.
In addition to providing access to the best fishing our float trips through the wild and scenic Delger Muron River canyon take you through some of the most spectacular scenery in Mongolia. Drifting from pool to pool we stop to wade fish the best pools and runs, lunch is a riverside BBQ, and you will arrive in camp in the evening to find your tents set up with time to enjoy a glass of wine by the camp fire while our cook prepares another great meal.
What its all about
Taimen are simply an incredible fish, just the fact that cool freshwater gravel-bed rivers and trout streams can hold a fish that grows up to six feet long continues to inspire us and then add to that the fact they swallow other fish whole and will explode out of the water to attack any small mammals unfortunate enough to find themselves swimming across the river; this is what keeps us in Mongolia and gets us through the long cold winters.
The fly fishing for Lenok is excellent; June and September produce plentiful mayfly hatches, and lenok are always ready to chomp on a hopper. Adding to the experience is the uniqueness of the destination and local culture; floating and fishing a river through a landscape with no fences, where nomads graze their herds of yaks, camels, horses, sheep and goats.
While we know its not an easy time with the economy for many to commit to long haul travel this year, we do still have several openings openings for the 2009 season:
June 23 to 30th 2 places
September 2nd to 9th 4 places
September 11th to 18th 2 places
Price of the Delger Muron Float trips is $4450. We can also arrange additional custom trips for groups of four or more, including options on the Eg and Uur Rivers. Please check with us for current availability.
Taimen Conservation
We are committed to conservation of Taimen and the beautiful untamed rivers they inhabit. To date we have helped two villages with their drinking water facilities, purchased two motorbikes for rangers, helped one community to get special rights to manage and protect their river locality, organized a community rivers training workshop, and provided numerous other small donations to local communities. We now employ two rangers to patrol on the Delger Muron, and are actively lobbying for improved conservation and management of Taimen fisheries. Choosing to fish with us will also be supporting our grassroots efforts to support Taimen conservation and local communities.
Wherever you travel this year, have a great trip, and we hope to see you on the river.
