Mongolia Taimen

River wolf

When you say Mongolia, you say Taimen. Ad the same applies vice versa. At least, if you are a fisherman at heart. And if you are not, you will probably hear terms like: vast landscapes, beautiful nature, nice people, Ulaanbaatar, Djengis Khan, wolves, Mongolian horses, vultures, yurt, proud people and so on. And of course we fishermen think this is cool too! And if this is located just 9 hours' flight by direct flight from Frankfurt. So far away, yet so close!

Mongolia as a country is bigger than all the countries of Western Europe combined and only 3.5 million people live there, 1.5 million of them in the capital Ulaanbaatar. This makes Mongolia the least populated country in the world. The country has a rich history and impressive nature.

Among others, the taimen swims here. Also called ‘the wolf of the river’. One of the epic fish that every fisherman has on his or her bucket list. The taimen is the largest of the salmon family. The largest recorded taimen ever caught was 210 cm and 105 kg! This species feeds on small rodents like mice but birds are also on the menu. There are even reports that small dogs have been eaten by this ‘Mongolian Terror Trout’. Some form of respect is therefore in order for this particular species of fish.

The habitat of this particular species of fish has diminished markedly in recent decades, which has prompted the Mongolian government to protect the species. Consequently, only a few companies are licensed to fish for this mighty species. Thereby, the fishery is based on catch-and-release and weatherhookless (artificial) baits and flies. This makes it possible to secure the long-term future of this fish species.

Taimen are an apex fish species and this is due to their size and fighting behaviour when hunting. They are so aggressive that they chase and attack any baitfish or lure in their area simply because they are territorial. They are fierce predatory fish that regularly hunt their prey in groups. They owe their nickname ‘river wolves’ to this habit.
We work with a renowned local travel specialist in Mongolia at this location. They have been organising (group) trips for tourists for many years and have now managed to set up a unique lodge for fishermen, securing the necessary fishing licences in the process.

The fishing here is impressive and both fly and spin fishermen are fully catered for. Some nice fish have already been caught here and apart from Taimen, you can also catch lenok and grayling here. But the focus is of course on the taimen. And these are also caught right at the doorstep of the fishing camp here. So what's stopping you from making a few first casts in the first hour before breakfast. Read John and Henk's story HERE on their journey to this location.