Included / Not Included –
Included: Accommodations and breakfast in Ulaanbaatar on arrival and departure day, all transportation within the country, accommodations and all meals including beer and occasionally wine at the camp, guided fishing, fishing license and flies.
Not Included: Airfare to/from Ulaanbaatar, other meals and incidentals in Ulaanbaatar, alcohol, and gratuities.
Travel Logistics:
Arrival Information: To get to the Mongolian Taimen Camps you need to make flight arrangements to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The lodge itinerary is Monday to Monday. All guests need to arrive in Ulaanbaatar on Sunday and overnight. (Hotel is included in your package price.)
Getting to the Camp: Monday morning you will take a pre-arranged helicopter charter flight from Ulaanbaatar to the camp. (Charter flight is included in your package price.) The flight takes approximately 3 hours.
Departure Information: On your departure day (Monday) you will take a flight back to Ulaanbaatar and overnight. (Hotel is included in your package price.) Fly home the following day.
Documentation Requirements:
A valid US passport with at least six months validity is required for travel to Mongolia. Note: If you travel through China you will need a multiple-entry transit visa for China. US citizens are currently exempt from visa requirements for a one-month tourist visit. You can check current requirements and find contact details of the Mongolian Embassy in the US at www.mongolianembassy.us
To participate in the activities at The Mongolia Taimen Camps, guests will be required to sign their release form.
Proof of medical evacuation coverage is required for anglers travelling to the Taimen Camps. We recommend Global Rescue, see below for contact information.
Travel Insurance and Medical Evacuation Coverage:
Travel insurance is an excellent way to protect your investment in your trip. In addition, membership in an annual medical evacuation plan is recommended for anyone who travels internationally (or to remote domestic locations) on a regular basis. We recommend Global Rescue for medical evacuation coverage (800.381.9754 - mention Fly Water Travel) and Travelex Insurance for travel insurance (800.228.9792 - mention Fly Water’s Location Number: 37-0002).
Travel Regulations:
Before your departure we encourage you to review the current government and regulations for air travel. Current government rules can be found on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) website. www.tsa.gov/
Baggage:
We encourage you to visit the web site of your air carrier(s) to confirm their current rules for carry-on and checked baggage. The rules and regulations change frequently so please check these sites prior to your departure date.
Guests traveling to Mongolia should pack reasonably. We suggest keeping baggage weight under 50 pounds. Overweight baggage charges will be your responsibility.
Travel and Health Considerations:
You may want to check the U.S. State Department travel website: http://travel.state.gov/travel. This site gives country specific information, travel alerts, etc. There are no mandatory inoculations required for travel to Mongolia, however, we encourage you to check out current Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for Mongolia: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/XXXX.aspx .
Insects: Mongolia is a dry country with remarkably few bugs, but mosquitoes and white socks are present in some of the wetter areas. Bring insect repellent as a measure to avoid the possible nuisance.
Currency:
The national currency of Mongolia is the togrog. While the currency has stabilized to a certain degree, we urge clients to change only what is immediately necessary. Keep in mind that tourist shops in Ulaanbaatar eagerly accept U.S. dollars. Some clients have encountered difficulty cashing travelers checks in U.B., however, travelers checks are accepted at most shops and the camps.
Travel Cash:
As a guideline we recommend that each guest travels with approximately $700-$900 for staff & guide gratuities, and alcohol and incidentals.
Gratuities:
We recommend guide and staff gratuities of approximately 10 to 15% of the land package price per person per week. Tips are pooled and can be given to the camp manager at the end of your stay for distribution among the entire Mongolian and American camp staff.
Fishing Licenses:
Fishing licenses are included and the lodge will issue your license when you arrive.
Climate:
Mongolia is a dry place with great daily and seasonal temperature ranges. During August, September and early October (the taimen fishing season) the weather in the region to be fished is typically quite good. Sunny days and cold nights are the norm; however, fishermen should come prepared for potential fall weather.
Medical Facilities:
There is no close medical facility. In emergency situations, a charter or helicopter flight may be required to reach a medical facility. Guests have the responsibility to disclose any special medical, physical, or dietary needs to the lodge ahead of time and will be required to purchase medical evacuation coverage.
Power and Communications:
110 electricity supplied by the camp’s on-site generator is available for charging video cameras,etc.
Water:
Filtered water is available at the camps.
Laundry:
Laundry service is not available. Please pack accordingly.
Beverages/Alcohol:
Beer and soft drinks are provided at the camp and are included in the land package cost. Wine is also provided, although it should be noted that availability of wine in Mongolia is somewhat unreliable. Guests may bring in their own alcohol. Bringing liquor into China and Mongolia is not a problem. Purchasing liquor at the multitude of Duty-Free stores in the Seoul or Beijing airports should provide you with everything you need.
Fishing Equipment:
3-5 weight for lenok (bring floating line only)
8, 9, or 10 weight for taimen, bring floating, sink-tip and sinking lines (t-200, t-300)
Simms gore-tex waders for August trips
1 pair felt-soled wading boots
2 pairs of polarized glasses
1 pair needle-nose pliers (these are important for de-barbing hooks and releasing taimen)
1 hook file (taimen have hard mouths so this is a crucial item)
1 line nippers
Dry fly floatant
Split shot
Indicator yarn/strike indicator
Leader material: 15lb minimum for taimen, 4 lb minimum for lenok
Flies: All flies are included in your package price. However, if you would like to bring some of your favorites, we suggest the following:
For Lenok: Take basic summer/fall Montana trout selection, Dave's hoppers size 6, 8, 10, cricket patterns size 6, 8, 10, caddis 12, 14, assorted attractor dries 12, 14, a basic selection of attractor nymphs 10, 12, 14.
For Taimen: Lefty's Deceiver size 2/0-4/0, large woolly buggers (jointed patterns worked well) 2/0, 4/0, lead eye bunny patterns 2/0-4/0, woolly buggers size 2-6, mice patterns 1/0, 2/0 - get creative on these.
Fishing Tips:
Taimen fishing in Mongolia is a lot like fly fishing for oversized Atlantic salmon or steelhead on a dry fly. It is similar because you are fishing for taimen in the current and, consequently, need to keep your fly riding high in the water. By riffle hitching a mouse, large muddler or streamer, fishermen can keep their fly twitching through the surface film. Taimen have a true weakness for flies presented in this fashion.
For fly fishermen, though, getting your fly to ride properly is the least of your problems. Keep in mind that some of these fish are 4-6 feet long. Now imagine a fish that large visibly chasing down your fly. In some cases taimen will come completely out of the water and hit your fly on their way back into the water. Other times taimen will simply follow it slowly with their tail out of the water some four feet behind the fly and attempt to gulp it in slowly like a Montana cutthroat. Whatever the case, more often than not it is a spectacle that will bewilder even the most experienced, and the result is that the fisherman will pull the fly away from the fish before an actual take.
Remember, like Atlantic salmon and steelhead fishing, it is crucial that you let the fish take down the fly before striking. If you get that far, once the fish is hooked up, try to keep calm (because the fish won't!). Don't run down the shoreline trying to get below the fish. It is far more crucial to keep control on a fish this large. By running you will probably just stumble and break a rod. Once the fish has made its initial run, then walk down trying to get even with the fish keeping good tension.
Landing taimen is an extremely tricky matter. They simply don't make nets large enough. Consequently it is important to pull the fish into the shallows until just the eyes are out of the water. At this point, hold it tight until the fish relaxes and allows you to approach it. Then, believe it or not, you can slide a hand under their gill without damaging the fish. Do not try to hoist a huge taimen with one hand. They will twist your hand and make you quite sorry. This all sounds fairly terrifying, but in reality it is simple -- let your guide take care of it. Keep in mind that all taimen are released, so please treat them with great care! Do not pull them onto the shore under any circumstances.
