Mongolia Experience (fly fishing)

Mongolia Experience In September, we set off for Mongolia for a very special fishing trip. The goal was clear: five days of fishing for the legendary taimen and lenok, deep in the vast wilderness of northern Mongolia.The journey began at Schiphol. We flew with Lufthansa via Frankfurt to Ulaanbaatar. After the long flight, the real adventure began. From Ulaanbaatar, we continued into the countryside by 4x4. It took us two days of travel each way, there and back, over roads that could sometimes hardly be called roads. Along the way, we saw a great variety of wildlife and birds. The further we travelled, the further we left the civilized world behind. The Mongolian Wilderness Mongolia made an impression from the very beginning. Endless landscapes, hardly any buildings, and rivers flowing through an almost untouched wilderness. The further we travelled from civilization, the more nature dominated the landscape.Our destination was in northern Mongolia, where the rivers we had come to fish awaited us. No crowded banks and no other anglers. Just the river, the mountains, the taiga and the fish. Fishing for Lenok and Taimen The five fishing days were entirely focused on Mongolia's predatory fish.In the smaller rivers, we targeted lenok. We caught several of these beautifully marked fish. The lenok were strong, fast and could react incredibly aggressively to a streamer.But of course, the taimen was the ultimate dream.With heavy fly rods, large streamers and strong leaders, we were prepared for these enormous Mongolian predators. Every cast could be the one where a huge taimen would suddenly explode from the dark water.Jaco managed to catch two taimen during the trip.The first was already an incredible moment, but on the fourth day of fishing, something really special happened. Jaco caught another taimen, and this time it was a fish measuring more than one metre in length. What made the catch even more interesting was the way he caught it. Instead of using a large, heavy streamer, he fished a thin, long streamer on a Sink 7 line. The sinking line took the streamer deep into the water, and eventually the taimen struck.A taimen of more than a metre caught on such a presentation is a fish you don't forget easily. Fishing in the Dark One of the most exciting experiences was night fishing with mouse patterns.When darkness fell, the whole experience of fishing changed. You could barely see what was happening on the water. The mouse streamer was worked across the surface, and every cast could result in a violent take.You couldn't see anything.You had to fish entirely by feel. Listening to the water, feeling the line and trying to react to something you couldn't actually see coming. The sound of wolves in the middle of the night, while we were fishing, made the experience even more impressive. Their howling carried through the dark valley and reminded us just how deep into the wilderness we had travelled.That made the fishing incredibly exciting. You knew that somewhere beneath the dark water, a large taimen or lenok could be waiting, but you had no idea when it would strike.And then suddenly: a violent take on the mouse streamer, an explosion of water, and a fish tearing away into the darkness. Night fishing was perhaps one of the most intense experiences of the entire trip. More Than Just Fishing Although fishing was the main purpose of the trip, the surroundings were every bit as impressive.The silence was perhaps one of the most remarkable experiences. No traffic, hardly any human presence, and at night a sky that looked completely different from anything we are used to at home.The journey itself also became part of the adventure. The long 4x4 drives, travelling through rough terrain and gradually leaving civilization further and further behind made it clear just how remote we were.Along the way, we saw many different animals and birds, which made the long travelling days even more special.On the bank of a tributary of the Üür River, where we had been fishing the previous day, we discovered fresh bear tracks. Realizing that a bear had walked there only a short time before gave the landscape another dimension and made us fully aware of how close we were to the wild animals of Mongolia. Mongolia did not feel like an ordinary fishing holiday.It was an expedition.A Journey We Will Never ForgetAfter five days of fishing, the adventure unfortunately came to an end. We had caught several beautiful lenok, experienced the excitement of night fishing, and Jaco had caught two taimen, the second of which measured well over one metre on the fourth day. We came to Mongolia for the taimen and lenok, but we returned home with much more than fishing memories.Mongolia was not an ordinary fishing trip. It was an adventure you have to experience to truly understand what it means to stand in the middle of such an enormous and untouched wilderness. Mongolia Experience Hein van Guldener Jaco Griffioen Mark van Wijk