Mongolia Taimen
Fly Fishing the Eg-Uur Rivers
Three Taimen Camps
Catch a 60-inch Siberian trout on a dry fly. The last three taimen world records were landed here on a dry fly.
Mongolia is roughly the size of Alaska and is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world. It has a highly diverse terrain—vast semi-desert and desert plains, extensive grasslands, unbroken larch, pine forests, and high mountains. The three taimen fishing camps sit amid fertile valleys, thick forests, and surrounding mountains. Elk herds, wolves, roe deer, and bears inhabit the terrain.
2025 Rate: $7,700.00 per person + $840.00 charter flight to Camp for 8-nights and 6.5-days guided fishing.
Click here for Sherpa (up-to-date travel requirements).
Three Taimen Fishing Camps
Our outfitter has been offering taimen fishing trips in Mongolia since 1995.
Taimen, the largest fish in the salmon family on earth, can reach lengths of over 60 inches! They are aggressive and known for their explosive strike; sometimes, they leap out of the water when striking. It's important not to pull too soon. Keep stripping until you feel the weight of the taimen, then set the hook with a strip. If you miss, cast your fly again. This aggressive fish may very well strike again! Although they primarily eat small fish, taimen will consume almost anything they can fit in their mouth, including small mammals and even ducklings.
Lenok and Grayling Fishing
Lenok looks like a brown trout with the mouth of a tarpon. Lenok typically average 18 inches and are very entertaining to catch on lighter fly rods. Larger lenok often feed on mice patterns and streamers.
During hatches, two things become apparent: one, the rivers of Mongolia are full of 12- to 18-inch Amur grayling, and two, Taimen consider grayling a delicacy. Like the lenok, grayling provide good sport and action on dries. You can fish for them similar to how you would fish for Montana trout—in early fall, they like terrestrials, and in late fall, they like mayflies.
When the lenok feast on mayflies, Taimen often feast on lenok.
The Eg-Uur Fishery
The camps combine a friendly atmosphere and plenty of fishing water. Each camp has access to over 75 miles of water. Fly-fishing-only with single barbless hooks and catch-and-release only.
It's hard to imagine these large prehistoric fish living in these waters. The rivers are clear and easy to wade, a fly angler’s dream. The banks are easy to walk, ranging from 40 to 120 feet wide. Oddly enough, the largest taimen to date was taken on a mouse pattern in a particularly narrow stretch of the river. Taimen, Lenok, Arctic grayling, and Amur pike are all in the region.
Here, most taimen caught on a fly are between 25 to 40 inches and roughly 10 pounds. However, almost every week, anglers will have chances on fish over 50 inches. The camp record is a 60.5" taimen, weighing between 60 and 80 pounds.
PDF Article on Mongolia Taimen Camp
The Fishing Program:
2025 Season: The camps are typically open for four prime fishing weeks, from September 1 to October 6.
Group Size: The Camp is limited to six anglers per week.
Boats: Fish from 18 ft. aluminum jet boats with 40-HP Mariner outboard motors. You'll fish two anglers per boat and guide.
You'll mostly be wade fishing. However, Atlantic salmon-style drops are possible for anglers who enjoy a break from wading.
Each boat has life jackets, tools, an emergency kit, and a cooler for food and drinks during the day.
Guides: Personable, English-speaking guide staff (many from Montana), all with at least ten years of experience in high-quality lodges and camps.
Fishing Equipment: No equipment is provided. The guides will have all the leaders and tippets you'll need for fishing. A comprehensive tackle and gear list is included in our confirmation packet.
Fishing License: A Mongolian fishing license is $475 USD and is not included in the package.
Typical Fishing Day:
7:00 a.m. Coffee's on.
8:00 a.m. - Breakfast.
9:00 a.m. Start fishing.
Midday - Lunch is served at the Lodge or a shore lunch of barbecued steak, venison, or pork by your guide.
6:00 p.m. You'll return to the camp, enjoy a hot shower, then appetizers.
8:00 p.m. - Dinnertime.
Situated on nice stretches of river in the remote outback of Mongolia, the three strategically-located Taimen Camps enable anglers to access over 120 combined miles of river by jet boats. These remote camps have very limited access to the outside world, which enhances the fishery and the adventure. Each camp has gers (yurts), a dining lodge, a bathhouse, a shower facility, and two masseuses, and are the most comfortable fishing camps in Mongolia. An on-site generator supplies 110-volt electricity for charging video cameras, satellite phones, etc. There is no cell phone reception. Satellite calls from Camp are $2.00 per minute.
Anglers stay in traditional Mongolian gers, which are felt tents wrapped around a collapsible wooden frame. Each ger is 9 feet high by 18 feet wide and accommodates two anglers. Each yurt has two single beds, plenty of room for your gear, hot water for washing your hands and face, and a sitting area by the woodstove.
Meals: In the dining yurt, you'll enjoy Mongolian and American dishes prepared by professionally trained chefs.
Beverages: Beer, soft drinks, and occasionally wine are provided at the Camps and included in the package. You can also purchase desired alcohol on the way here at duty-free stores at airports or in Ulaanbaatar.
Getting Here
and Sample Itinerary:
You’ll fly to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, via Seoul, South Korea, or Beijing, China.
Sunday: You’ll be met at the international airport in Ulaanbaatar by a Camp representative and driven to the Hovsgol Travel Hotel, where you'll stay your first night. The hotel is near downtown and has a Brazilian restaurant on the main floor. Dinner is on your own.
Monday: At 9:00 a.m., you'll be driven to the airport for your flight to camp. For travel from Ulaanbaatar to the camp, you'll either take a two-hour helicopter flight directly to Camp or a 1.25-hour fixed-wing flight and then a one-hour drive from the landing strip to camp. You can fish upon arrival if time allows.
Tuesday to Sunday: Six full days of fishing at camp.
Monday: After breakfast, you’ll fly back to Ulaanbaatar. You'll spend the night again at the Hovsgol Travel Hotel. Dinner is on your own.
Tuesday: Transfer to the airport for your return trip to the U.S. via Seoul or Beijing.
2025 USD Rate:
Season: September 1 to October 6.
8-nights and 6.5-days guided fishing:
(2 hotel nights and 6-nights at Camp)
$7,700 per person
+ $840.00 charter flight to Camp
= $8,540.00 per person
+ $475 for fishing license
Request a Mongolia Taimen
Information Packet,
The Package Includes:
• Airport reception in Ulaanbaatar
• Ground transfers between hotel/airport in Ulaanbaatar
• First and last night hotel stay in Ulaanbaatar
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Flights between Ulaanbaatar and Camp, $840 paid with invoice
• 6.5-days guided fishing
• Flies, leaders, and tippets
• 7-nights Lodging at Camp
• All meals at Camp
• Beer, sodas, and some wine at Camp.
The Package Does Not Include:
• Airfare to Mongolia, and return• Meals in Ulaanbaatar
• Gratuities to guides and staff
• Fishing license, $475 paid with invoice
• Fishing equipment
• Incidental expenses
• Mandatory Global Rescue or similar medical evacuation covereage
• Travel Insurance
• Anything not mentioned under inclusions.
Gratuities:
Gratuities are not included in the package cost and are left to your discretion. For planning purposes, anglers can expect a range of 10% to 15% of the package per guest per week. All tips will be pooled and distributed among the entire camp staff.
Non-Angler Activities: Each camp has a full-time translator and guide who can accompany you on non-angling activities. From these camps, you can ride horses, do some birdwatching, visit local villages and schools, and view families that still live a nomadic lifestyle. Each camp has horses available for easy access to the backcountry that awaits only minutes from camp.