Gone Fishin'
When Mongolians fish for taimen, a gigantic river fish indigenous to neighboring Siberia, they often forgo regular bait and toss a mouse or ground squirrel in the water instead. "I have a friend who uses his child's teddy bear," says Jeff Liebert, who has run fishing tours in Mongolia since 1994. "He ripped off the arms and legs and covered it with hooks." Not exactly the standard rod-and-reel routine, but then, fishing in Mongolia is anything but routine.
Despite its landlocked status, Mongolia's many deep water lakes and rivers are teeming with fish, particularly during September and October. Besides taimen, a distant relative of the Atlantic salmon, anglers vie for lenok (a type of trout), grayling and pike, among others. Top places to fish include the Selenge river near the Russo-Mongolian border, the Chuluut river and Terkhiin Tsagaan Nuur (or Great White Lake) in Arkhangai, the Kharaa river in Darkhan-Uul and the Orkhon river in Overkhangai. Khovsgol offers some of the country's best fishing, especially at Lake Khovsgol, on the Shiishigt, Egiin, Delger Moron and Ureen rivers and at the point where the Chuluut, Selenge, Delger Moron, Bugsei and Ider rivers converge. Fishing tours can be booked through most Mongolian travel companies or arranged independently. A good fishing guide is Hosobayar, who's based in Ulan Bator (tel. 976-1-9919-1190). "Afishionados" should take note of catch-and-release rules, particularly for the dwindling taimen population, and be sure to buy fishing permits in the local town before hitting the water. You can shorten the distances between fishing spots and catch more scenery by booking a helicopter tour with Liebert and his local partners in Mongolia Outback. Visit www.mol.mn/mongoliaoutback or call 976-1-9911-2577 for info on their all-inclusive one-week tours ($1,200 to $1,800) of the country's best fishing spots.
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May 17, 1999
Gone Fishin'
Despite its landlocked status, Mongolia's many deep water lakes and rivers are teeming with fish
Bear in Mind
Advice to make your trip to Mongolia go smoothly
Web Crawling
The Web has a wealth of Mongolian resources for visitors
Detour
Mongolian hot pot and barbecue are misnomers
Main Feature
Camping, hiking, horseback riding or biking through stunning Mongolian landscapes offer a dream vacation for the active traveler
POLL
How does Mongolia rate on your wish list for future trips?
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