Mongolia is a unique fishing opportunity where highly experienced guides will take you in shared boats after the largest salmonid in the world. In recent years, Taimen over 50 inches have been landed consistently and several records have been broken. With recently renovated traditional Mongolian gers, there is no better place in the world to get a trophy Taimen on a fly rod!

Between battles with Taimen, the Asian Trout (Lenok) keep anglers entertained as they gorge themselves on maymes and terrestrials each afternoon. The Lenok, are the oldest trout species in the world. Each year andglers land Lenok in excess of 25 inches. Lenok anglers beware, however. We consistently lose Lenok to aggressive Taimen taiken advantage of Lenok suspended on end of our anglers fly lines.

Sweetwater is commited to improving upon its past successes in Mongoloia. With exceptional guides, great staff and the best Taimen Fishing in Mongolia, Sweetwater fly fishing Mongolia is a trip that should not be missed.

Why Sweetwater?

Sweetwater is the only full time, professional fly-fishing outfitter operator in Mongolia. They have operated in Mongolia since 1995. Through our conservation efforts, and our dedication to providing a word class angling experience, anglers visiting Sweetwater camps can rest assured that they are seeing the best Mongolia has to offer. 

The Fishing

Taimen are known as the River Wolf in Mongolia and are an especially ferocious fish which has been known to eat prairie dogs, ducklings, squirrels, and other fish half their size. When not devouring their prey, Taimen attack dry flies. We have honed our dry fly fishing to create effective, castable patterns, and our fishing results have improved with each passing year. It is a strike worth traveling for.

Our average fish measures 30 inches with 50 plus inch fish hooked every week. The biggest Taimen we have landed measured 60.5 inches and weighed upwards of 80 pounds. There truly is no better place in the world to catch a trophy Taimen. Our anglers have caught the last three world record Taimen on a dry fly.

Our rivers are also inhabited by the Asian Trout, the Lenok. The Lenok are most closely related to the Brown Trout and are the oldest Trout species in the world. Lenok feed on nymphs and dry flies on a regular basis. Our rivers have very abundant insect hatches and prolific terrestrial insects. This food concentrates in the afternoon, and you will see pods of Lenok feeding on the surface most afternoons. The Lenok on our rivers average around 18 inches, but we catch fish up to 28 inches every season.

We fish Taimen with 8 or 9 weights and Lenok with a 5 or 6 weight. For the Taimen, we fish with both double-handed and single-handed rods. The fish lay in riffles and in deeper runs. Almost all of our fish are caught on the surface, but, when the fish are being tricky, we will go after them with streamers and sinking lines. Once hooked, the bigger fish will jump completely out of the water before bull dogging their way back to their den.

The Lenok are a great way to spend a couple of hours a day. They will remind you of the Browns on the Yellowstone as they sip dries. Do not be surprised if your Lenok start to act like a bonefish being chased by a shark, however, as we lose Lenok to Taimen that are lurking in the deeper water every year. In fact, we have landed Taimen that have refused to let go of a Lenok that they grabbed off a five weight.

Mongolia’s fishing offers you the chance to catch the world’s oldest trout on a fly rod and the world’s largest trout on a fly rod. Sweetwater Travel’s Mongolia camps offer you that opportunity on every cast. We hope you will join us.

Clients will fish two to a boat.  Our guide staff at the camps consist of highly experienced guides, who are professionals and well respected in the fly fishing world. They are very personable and will do everything possible to make your fishing vacation in Mongolia a memorable one.

The River

Sweetwater permits are on the Eg River and the Ur River in north-central Mongolia. Both rivers are a fly fishermans dream. They are clear and easy to wade – even the banks are easy walking – and range in size from 40 to 120 feet wide. It is hard to imagine that a fish as large as the Taimen can live in these waters. In fact, one of our largest Taimen yet, a 60-inch fish, was taken on a mouse pattern in a particularly narrow stretch of river after we watched it eat a duck.

Water conditions in Mongolia are generally quite stable. However, if the headwaters of our rivers do receive a heavy rain, off-color water conditions are possible. In the past, we have found that fishing is still possible in off -- color conditions and that the rivers generally clear quickly.

Fishing weeks will not be canceled; refunds will not be offered if muddy water conditions occur during the course of the season. Sweetwater Travel Company cannot be responsible for the water conditions during the fishing season. In the event of high water that causes a week to be re-scheduled, we will offer to reschedule you later in the season or next year.

Information and pictures courtesy of Sweetwater Travel.