August 2006. Heathrow to Berlin. Berlin to Ulan Bataar. Internal flight now from Ulan Bataar to Moron several hundred miles to the northwest. Transfer to jeep. Two hundred miles over appalling terrain, tracks at the best. Jeeps, typically Mongolian. Break down between them, five times. We reach the interim camp and bed down overnight. From there, it's a boat across the river. Some of the team go on horses. Some on camels. I, and my two companions, John and Ian, decide to walk. Later that final afternoon we have made our destination, one of the most remote fishing camps in the world. I, personally, have left my warm bed at home exactly a hundred and seven hours back. Four days and eleven hours of almost constant travel. But, oh my lord, how it is worth it.
It's a given that such remoteness has made Mongolia the pristine wilderness it is. And it's beauty that draws me back again and again to this magical place. It's the beauty of the mountains, the forests, the incredible colours of the steppes and the breathtaking purity of the rivers. One of them, the Tengis, is so clear it's like a river of tears. The dawn rivers smoke with mist. In the autumn, the larches turn brown to yellow to gold in front of your eyes. Snowstorms sweep in and out, punctuated by periods of achingly-blue skies and blinding sun. Nights crackle with frost.
Often you'll travel by horse to the best of the fishing. Mostly, you'll see no-one, not a trace of mankind. But if you happen on a settlement, it's considered almost a crime not to visit. You will meet the most engaging of people, people who have nothing but shower you with generosity. Chances are, you will spend the night singing, dancing, eating and getting, probably, blindingly drunk on vodka distilled on the plains. Chances are, too, that the children especially, will never have seen anyone from outside their valley. A banana or an orange is an object of mystery. A camera, to them, is an object of magic, sometimes of terror.
Wonderful place, wonderful people, wonderful fishing. Lenok trout are much maligned. They can grow to ten, even fifteen pounds. They are beautiful and they fight well. Mongolian grayling can be enormous. And they're stunning to look at. Without a shadow of doubt, they are the most beautiful sub-species in the Northern Hemisphere. There are pike, both esox lucius and the fabled Amur pike that look more like leopards than fish. But above all, the species that attracts anglers worldwide, year after year, to this remote land is the taimen. To the west of the country, the taimen sport orange tails. To the east, crimson red. They are big, they're bold and they have, perhaps, the most menacing eyes of any fish that swims.
The allure of the taimen is endless. In part, it's the rivers they live in but here are fish that can be caught on fly and lure alike. And, best of all, on these crystal streams, they will come to either worked right on the surface. There's no more exciting sight in angling than to see a taimen emerge behind a mouse pattern as you trip it upstream towards you. That mastiff head. Those eyes of burning coal. Once seen, a taimen take is never forgotten.
IN FACT
- For most of the Mongolian rivers, the fishing window is very short. The rivers generally are frozen until April, even May. Summers can be very wet. Almost certainly, the best period for most of the taimen waters is from late August, through September into the beginning of October. The later you can make it, the better the chances of hooking up with an enormous fish. It's the onset of winter that makes the species feed ravenously.
- Temperatures at this time of the year vary enormously. Daytime temperatures of plus 25oC are easily achievable. At night, temperatures can dip to twenty below. Intelligent, modern clothing is, therefore, a necessity. Take a range of base layers, mid-layers and outer shells. Don't forget suncream, hats and gloves. Breathable chestwaders are a must. Chances are you can walk up to ten or fifteen miles a day. Wading will be imperative. Breathables are also good on horseback. Stout boots are an essential.
- Multi-piece rods are brilliant for travelling. The clumsy rod tubes of the past are difficult on airlines, in jeeps and on horseback. The Zane range is ideal. Many anglers enjoy the Platinum XD Saltwater rods. Marksman seven-foot, three-weights are just ideal for the grayling which go to over three pounds. Hook a ten pound lenok and you've got a real struggle on your hands. Reels need good clutches and lots of backing. Floating lines are pretty well all you need as taimen spend a lot of time feeding in the shallows and the tributaries. For lure work, the Missionary 6 range is hard to beat. Go for the top strengths. Big salmon flies work well. So do floating poppers. Mouse patterns can be terrific, especially at dusk. Orange Shadraps are my own particular favourite lure but rubber fish work very well. Spinning lines shouldn't be less than thirty pounds breaking strain and for fly fishing, you need tippets of twenty pounds plus.
- If you need, take your own treats. You won't find chocolate or biscuits easily available. High-energy nibble bars are great. Don't give local children sweets. Far better biros and notebooks.
- Reliable, experienced outfitters are essential for trips of this magnitude. Contact Andrew Parkinson (andy@fishmongolia.com) who has huge experience of leading groups out of Ulan Bataar. Angling Travel (contact www.angling-travel.com / joy@angling-travel.com; Tel 01452 813241 or Mobile 07866 470238) has also organised a dozen expeditions to various river systems.
