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Location: Mongolia
is located in northern Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north
and China to the south. This precarious political position and its
natural isolation - the Altay Mountains to the west and the Gobi Desert
to the south - have kept Mongolia out of the Western spotlight for the
last 70 years, and it was only in 1990 that the first Western tourists
began to trickle in. 
Mongolia is a mysterious country to foreigners.
To most it is simply recognized as the fabled homeland of the fierce nomad
warrior Genghis Khan. After your fishing journey, we hope you'll
remember Mongolia for its wild unbroken countryside, its kind and generous
people, and abundant wildlife. Of course, by then you'll understand
that in Mongolia only the sportfish are fierce.
Political Overview: In 1990, Mongolia
declared its independence from Russia. This sudden liberation caused
an immediate economic collapse. Like other satellite states, Mongolia
had been completely dependent on the Soviet Union's welfare system and
unemployment soared as did the price of essential consumer goods.
For the first time, Russians began demanding hard currency for their goods.
The Mongolians were left without the means to keep their cities running.
It soon became apparent that, on its own, Mongolia did not have the infrastructure
to survive. However, the Mongolians are hardy people, well-prepared
for difficult times, and they were determined to succeed as an independent
country.
More recently Mongolia elected a former communist
to be president. To the surprise of the rest of the world, Mongolia
has kept to a platform of free market reform. State-owned companies
continue to be auctioned off daily to a new breed of Mongolian entrepreneurs.
Coupled with vast foreign aid, Mongolia seems to be approaching a promising
new era.
Terrain: Roughly
the size of Alaska, Mongolia has a very diverse terrain: vast semi-desert
and desert plains, extensive grasslands, unbroken larch and pine forest,
and high mountains. Jeff Vermillion's group operates three different
camps in the region. Two of the camps are located in the northern
part of the region. Here, clients can expect a predominance of larch,
birch and alder forests and lush ground vegetation. This combination
of wide fertile valleys, thick forests and surrounding mountains provide
the fly fisherman with stunning views. 
The terrain in the region around the southern camp
is much drier. here the rivers remind a fisherman of some of the
U.S.'s more famous dry-land waters like the Green River in Utah or Oregon's
Deschutes River. In this area, the valley floor is rarely heavily
forested. Rather it tends to be unfenced grasslands. Also the
mountains are higher than those those in the northern fishery and are forested
with heavy stands of birch and larch. They are inhabited by some
of Mongolia's largest elk herds.
Climate: Mongolia, again like Montana, 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. In 1997, clients remarked that they thought the weather would be warmer. While this can be the case, keep in mind that the camp elevation is 4200 feet and that the camps are located at about the same parallel as the Canadian border. Also remember that the later your trip, the colder it will be. In terms of fishing, the taimen seem to get more aggressive as the fall progresses. As a side note, our southern camp season begins and ends later. The weather in this area is generally drier and warmer than it is at our other two camps.
Language: The official language of Mongolia is Khalka Mongol. Secondary languages include Russian and English. Language, however, will not be a concern. When you are in Ulaanbaatar, you will be escorted by an English-speaking guide.
Ulaanbaatar: Ulaanbaatar is the capital
of Mongolia and home to nearly a third of its population. UB, as
it is referred to by the expatriates and tourists, is Mongolia's business
and tourism hub. However, it is still by any standard far behind
the rest of the world. Cows, goats and horses wander through its
parks. The city looks like most other big communist capitals of the
continent with the exception that outside of UB there are heavily forested
mountains and on the outskirts there are Mongolian gers scattered in every
direction. To its credit, UB feels clean, safe and friendly.
Religion: The predominant religion
in Mongolia is Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism. Unfortunately most of the
Mongolian monasteries were destroyed during the communist rule. near
our camps there are a number of shrines at the sites where the temples
were pillaged and destroyed. Interested clients can enjoy visits
to the Gaandan Hiid Monastery in Ulaanbaatar and other more famous Buddhist
temples throughout Mongolia. Religion has made a complete revival
since Mongolia's independence. We would be pleased to organize tours
of the capital and/or the countryside.
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. The inflation rate in 1997 was roughly 50 percent. Keep in mind that tourist shops in Ulaanbaatar eagerly accept U.S. dollars.
Flight Information: Traveling to Mongolia is not nearly as difficult as it would seem. Ulaanbaatar is just a two-hour flight from Beijing by commercial airline. We strongly suggest that you let us plan your flight itinerary and issue all tickets. This allows us to handle and expedite the visa processing as well as the internal flights (Beijing/Ulaanbaatar/Beijing). We will get the best fares and plan itineraries to meet your objectives. Please keep in mind that delays and cancellations can occur, and if we have not done your ticketing, there is very little we can do to assist you in the event of a problem.
Travel Documents: A valid passport
is required for travel to China and Mongolia, plus a single-entry tourist
visa for Mongolia. You will be required to present the visas upon
entry and exit. We will arrange all necessary visas. In the
case of the Mongolian visa, tourists must have an official invitation from
Mongolia. Our Mongolian partner will send these invitations directly
to us. The visa processing cost is in addition to the land package
(approximately $200 total). 
We will ask you to complete the visa application
instructions carefully, complete the form, obtain the passport-sized pictures
required, and return these to us along with your valid passport.
The visas will be stamped inside your passport, which must have at least
two empty pages on which to stamp the visas.
There is a departure tax from both China and Mongolia
of approximately $12 each. The departure tax for China must be paid
in local currency. The rate at the time of printing is 90REM.
Please make sure to have at least this amount of local Chinese currency
before checking in for your departure flights.
Baggage Requirements: The weight restrictions per traveler varies from airline to airline. However, you should pack reasonably; it is suggested that you keep baggage weight under 50 pounds. Overweight baggage charges will be your responsibility. Please consider packing essential fishing gear in your carry on. This will avoid any inconveniences on your fishing trip.
The Camp: The camps
are strategically positioned on nice stretches of river in the remote outback
of Mongolia to enable fishermen to access over 90 combined miles of river
by jetboats. These are isolated wilderness facilities with very limited
access to the outside world, enhancing the fishery and the adventure experience.
Our clients have given us glowing reports about the standard of service
and level of comfort at the camp. Each has a dining lodge, bathhouse
and shower facility; 110 volt electricity supplied by our on-site
generator is available for charging video cameras, etc. 
Fishermen will stay in traditional Mongolian gers
which are felt tents wrapped around a collapsible wooden frame. They
are 9 feet high and 15 feet in diameter, much larger than standard wall
tents, and are equipped with framed full-length single beds, ample shelving
for storing gear, and an area to sit down and relax by a wood stove.
each ger accommodates two fishermen.
Cuisine: Food is prepared by an experienced
Mongolian kitchen staff which has accompanied Jeff on past trips and clients
have been quite pleased with the food. Meals include a wide range
of traditional Mongolian and American dishes. After a soup course,
grilled lamb, beef, chicken and fish prepared in a variety of ways may
accompany side dishes of steamed carrots, beets, cabbage, potatoes and
other vegetables. Mixed salads are served nightly. On the river,
fishermen can enjoy a shore lunch of barbecued steak, venison or pork,
and one day a week will dine on lenok, pike or grayling prepared by their
American guide. If fishermen find it impossible to take a break,
more simple lunches of soup, sandwiches and desserts are always available.
All food is prepared with properly filtered water,
so there is no need to pack bottled water.
Alcoholic Beverages: Beer and soft
drinks are provided at camp and are included in the land package cost.
However, due to the difficulty of finding quality liquors, fishermen should
bring a supply of the drink of their choice; none will be available at
camp. Bringing liquor into China and Mongolia is not a problem.
Insects: Mongolia is a dry country
with remarkably few bugs, but mosquitos and white socks are present in
some of the wetter areas. Take insect repellant just in case.
The Guiding Staff: Our guiding staff
at the camps consists of highly experienced guides, who are professionals
and well respected in the fly-fishing world. More importantly, though,
they are very personable and will do everything possible to make your fishing
vacation in Mongolia a memorable one.
Gratuities: Gratuities are not included
in the package cost and are left to the client's discretion. The
camp manager will be happy to give you tipping guidelines; for planning
purposes fishermen can expect a range of $350-$425 per person per week.
All tips will be pooled and distributed among the entire Mongolian and
American camp staff.
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pounds.
In Russia there are reports of taimen up to 200 pounds. On the rivers
to be fished in Mongolia, the average taimen is around 32 inches and roughly
10 pounds. However, almost every day there will be multiple chances
on fish over 50 inches. Taimen are an aggressive fish that will eat
anything they can fit in their mouth. During the 1996 exploratory,
one of the guides demonstrated how Mongolians fish for taimen with prairie
dogs. After shooting a prairie dog and rigging the bait, the guide
cast out his prairie dog and reeled it back as fast as possible.
The result was incredible. A 45-inch taimen came out of the water
and slammed the bait. Fortunately for fly fishermen, a simple mousepattern
will suffice in bringing these huge fish to the surface. Streamer
patterns on either a sink tip or floating line also work well. In
the past, fishermen have resorted to wets after multiple refusals on mice,
poppers, etc. 
Suggested Clothing
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