Mongolia has over 50,000 km of large rivers suitable for fisheries, and thousands of lakes. There are 58 species of fish in the Mongolian water basins including sturgeon, salmon, loach, pike, trout, grayling, roach, lenok, perch, the endemic Altai osman and the enormous taimen. Many fish species of Mongolia show great adaptability to a variety of environments. The same species may inhabit both warm and cold waters, fresh and saline, breed in rivers and lakes. In some species this has led to intra-specific differentiation. The highest number of fish species (43) occurs in water bodies of eastern Mongolia, followed by the water bodies of the Selenga catchment (22 species), and by water bodies in the Central Asian Internal Basin (8 species). The fish fauna of Mongolia can be separated into three groups according to the above three major drainages.

The first written source to mention fish captured for food by the people of Mongolia, describing fishing methods, was published in the 13th century. The source is a collection of ancient legends of the Mongols. It mentions fishing gear such as hooks and nets, including large nets made of horse hair considered to be highly efficient. The legends mention methods of fish processing and preservation of fish for winter, and say that no more fish should be caught than can be naturally replaced. This is the first mentioning of the concern for sustainability of fish stocks.

Travelers Wilhelm de Rubruck and Marco Polo reported in the 13th century that big fish, grown in ponds of the khan's nature reserve, were regularly served at the khan's court. The Mongolian "Great Code" of 1640 specified penalties for the theft of fishing gear: "That who steals ... nets for catching birds or fish... shall have his thumb cut off". This is the only mention of laws relating to fisheries from that time, but it shows with sufficient clarity that ancient laws were not forgotten by the "steppe hordes". Fishing has always been an important activity in the life of people who lived in Mongolian forests and around lakes. The Mongolian people still like sitting with a rod on the bank of a river to catch fish. Fishing therefore has a long tradition in Mongolia. Further evidence comes from archaeological finds of wooden fish traps, and pictures of fish on household items, some 4000 years old. Finds include forks made of fish bones, weights for nets, and pictures of fish on stone and copper household utensils.
The Mongols' love for nature is expressed in their national emblem which includes depiction of fish. Fish is considered a symbol of alertness and the two fish in the emblem signify man and woman, reason and wisdom.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, fish stocks were not exploited by the local people but fishery was organized by foreign traders. The Russian merchants organized fishery on Lake Dood Nuur in the Darhat Basin and sold the fish (whitefish, taimen, lenok and Siberian grayling) in northern Siberia. There is also evidence that Russian merchants caught large quantities of fish in the catchments of the River Hovd in Altai.
At present, fish and fish products have only a minor role in the nutrition of the Mongolian people, but their role is increasing. Although fishing is much less developed in Mongolia compared to hunting, in the recent years, locals go fishing for commercial purposes but in small scales.

The most renowned fish in Mongolia is the taimen (with the wonderful scientific name Hucho hucho taimen) and it is a carnivorous monster that eats other fish including its own kind, as well as rodents unlucky enough to get caught in the streams. This giant of a fish can grow up to 1.5 meter long and weigh 50 kg. It is by far the largest member of the samonids – the family that includes salmon, trout, char, and grayling.
According to Siberian lore, Russian fishermen have netted 90 kg taimen. The days of landing a taimen in Russia, however, are long gone as they have been poached to near extinction. Only in Mongolia do these ferocious beasts survive in relatively large numbers.

Western anglers on fishing safaris to Mongolia also pursue the much smaller lenok (Brachymstax lenok), a salmonid rather similar in size and behavior to the cutthroat trout of the American West. Averaging 18-20 inches in length, with a small mouth like a sucker’s, the lenok has beautiful, iridescent pink, parr-like markings along its sides. This fish subsists heavily on insect hatches, and readily takes dry fries – especially grasshopper imitations.

While the taimen and the lenok are the prime targets for visiting anglers, Arctic grayling (Thymallus acticus) should not be overlooked. They are often found in faster water – in places where they are reasonably sheltered from depredations of prowling taimen – and simply love dry flies.

If you'd manage to take one of these creatures with a topwater mouse cutting a wake across the river's surface, you're in for the fishing experience of a lifetime.

Fishing is officially only allowed after June 15 and foreigners are required to purchase fishing permits. We will be pleased to bring you to the best fishing grounds.