Mongolian Trout Pictures
This ger was excellent accommodations on the Mongolian rivers. I spent more time in tents than gers so this was a step up. When fishing Mongolia it is living on the river with what is available.
The Onon River is in northeast Mongolia and eventually runs into Russia. There are lookout towers and border guards in this area and we were checked several times. The Onon may be the best river in the country for Taimen.
Taimen hit hard and make long runs in the current. The big ones will lay on the bottom and just not move. They are the most aggressive fish I have ever caught and will hit the same cast again and again. The will come back once hooked and still hit.
Taimen are one of the most ancient fish and date back over 70 million years. They have several names including 'river wolf', 'snake fish', and 'phantom trout'.
The Khosvgol Black Grayling is the most unique grayling in the world. It looks more like a dark whitefish than a grayling and only lives in Lake Khosvgol in northern Mongolia.
Mongolia has more different types of grayling than any other country. They also have some of the most beautiful. This is a Selenge Grayling caught in western Mongolia.
There are several other species of fish in Mongolia especially in the Onon River. This river is part of the Amur River system that has many different types of cold water fish. I caught Asp, Amur Pike, Amur Grayling and Whitefish in the Onon. This Whitefish may be the largest I have caught.
This Lenok is a color form that comes from northern Mongolia and was caught in the Eg River. This fish get over 10 pounds in Mongolia and are the most common trout in all of the rivers.
This Amur Trout from the Onon River had more spots than a typical Lenok. These fish are rare and I caught two compared to over 100 Lenok when I fished Mongolia. All of the Amur and the largest Lenok took minnow flies intended for Taimen.
The Delger River in western Mongolia was good for Lenok and Grayling but did not have as many Taimen as the Onon in eastern Mongolia. These mountains are some of the most rugged in the world.