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  • 5 months ago
River.Monsters.S04E06.Mongolian.Mauler
Transcript
00:00My name is Jeremy Wade and for the past 30 years I've been traveling the globe on the trail of fresh water monsters
00:16Normally, I'm hunting them down in the lush and humid tropics, but this time I'm in a totally different zone
00:24As I travel deep into northern Asia
00:27It's a desolate place where only the tough survive
00:33This is actually quite a grim unpleasant side
00:37The prehistoric predator I'm after has a savage reputation for attacking anything that gets in its way
00:44Including unwary fishermen
00:57I first became hooked on stories about river monsters as a kid
01:15From Giants with a deadly 10-inch dagger in their tail
01:19To creatures that can literally shock you to death
01:27First go amazing first go
01:29There's one monster I read about called the time in but I always wanted to catch
01:34But I always thought either they're now extinct or they're now so rare that they're all but impossible to find
01:41But recently I've been getting reports that have made me think again about catching this legendary predator
01:47As a boy I read a legend about a time and trapped in ice
01:51It was so large the starving livestock herders survived the harsh winter by slicing off pieces of the living fish
01:59When spring arrived and the ice melted this giant time and climbed onto the land and ate all the herders
02:07Far-fetched but it speaks volumes about how this fish is regarded
02:15They can grow up to six feet long with a mouth packed full of needle-sharp teeth
02:20And I've had a recent report that shows what level of aggression they're capable of
02:30A man was fishing for time and when he felt a violent strike on the line
02:37After a struggle he managed to bring the fish in
02:47At which point it turned and bit his arm drawing blood
02:52I wonder if it's aggressive enough to be deadly
02:58Timon were historically found in Siberia China and Mongolia, but they've been fished to the brink of extinction in most places
03:07These reports I've been getting come from what could be their last stronghold
03:12northern Mongolia
03:14One of the most remote places on earth
03:20Mongolia is the landlocked kingdom of Genghis Khan
03:27His brutal armies the golden hordes terrorized Asia and half of Europe
03:33It may look hospitable now, but winter temperatures regularly dropped a minus 40 degrees
03:42And only the toughest creatures can survive in this
03:48It's the end of summer I only have a small window to fish before the iron grip of winter will tighten again on this land
03:56After a couple of days traveling I arrive at a tiny town called moron that's rarely visited by westerners
04:06From here. I'm heading into desolate wilderness
04:13I've never been to Mongolia before but when I'm somewhere new I like to tap into the knowledge of the local fishermen
04:20It's worked well for me in the past allowing me to pick up pointers on technique bait and location all helping me to catch the monster
04:32I'm after
04:36But Mongolia is unique in my experience because here nobody seems to know anything about fish or fishing
04:44I'm totally mystified. How can there be a land without any fishing culture team in estimate?
04:53No, he's saying traditionally Mongolians. They don't eat fish
04:59Most people in Mongolia are Buddhist. I've been directed to a temple on the edge of town where I might get some answers
05:14It's actually believed that if you kill fish that's going to bring bad luck to you
05:21This would explain why I'm finding no fellow fishermen and why Mongolia's rivers are the last bastion of the mighty time in
05:35Without any local knowledge to help me I feel the pressure to start fishing as soon as possible
05:39I found a place near the temple where I can't resist dropping my line into the water
05:47The time in I'm after are ferocious predators
05:51I've heard they like their prey alive and squealing
05:55Local reports say they pick off prairie dogs as they swim across rivers
05:59So I'll try to trigger their predatory reflex by creating a disturbance on the surface with a spinner or a fly
06:06When you're using something like that
06:12To entice the fish that's just got so little weight to it. There's no way you can cast that out
06:18Using its own weight. So you're using the weight of the line
06:24You've got a heavy line and a flexible rod and that's what actually gets this very
06:30Light insubstantial fly out onto the water
06:36I've only fly fished a few times before so it doesn't exactly come naturally to me
06:46Despite that, I've had some interesting results
06:49No, we're just gonna break the fish off
06:58My fly casting is starting to come right
07:00It's not long before I get a take
07:02It's not long before I get a take
07:04It's not long before I get a take
07:06It's not long before I get a take
07:08Oh, something actually took that
07:10Oh, here we go, here we go
07:14It's not a timing but it's my first Mongolian fish
07:18It's not a timing but it's my first Mongolian fish
07:22This is a dace, a member of the carp family
07:24Not exactly a monster, but at least I'm on the food chain
07:26All I have to do now is move up it until I reach the top
07:30The next day I meet up with my guide Janga who knows the area where the man was bitten
07:48Hi gentlemen, I'm Janga
07:52Hello there
07:54He's agreed to take me there
07:56Over a hundred miles into the wilderness
07:58But he insists on two more people joining our team
08:02Janga is the only one who speaks English
08:08Our transport is an ex-Russian army six-wheeler
08:12This is the only reliable vehicle for the terrain ahead
08:28All roads stop at the edge of Moron
08:30From here on out it's going to be off-roading
08:32All the way up to the Russian border
08:34A lawless area where few people dare to go
08:38I'm here in the summer but this landscape has a darker side
08:48During the winter of 2010 it was so cold that millions of yaks, horses and other livestock died
08:56But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger
08:58And that applies to fish too
09:04All around are signs of how life is just clinging around
09:06For most of the time
09:18Right I thought that was going to be a cow in the distance
09:20That's actually a horse, it's still got the bridle on it
09:22So this is a grim sight
09:24But a very graphic illustration of how harsh this landscape is
09:30Looks very benign when you sort of see it in the wide
09:34With this thin layer of green over it
09:36But you start looking closely
09:38And this is the kind of thing that you see
09:46This carcass strewn landscape is making me uneasy
09:54It doesn't help that I can't communicate with two of my travelling companions
09:58And the third Janga isn't saying much
10:12After a bone-shaking 10-hour drive
10:14We drop down into a valley
10:16Where tonight's camp will be
10:18This is the first water we've come across
10:34While setting up camp, Janga casually drops a bombshell
10:38A couple of years ago
10:40A couple of years ago
10:42I was camping here with a couple of people
10:44Yeah
10:46And we've been shot at
10:48We were here
10:50Heard a gunshot
10:52And the bullet just
10:54Hits the rock
10:58I can't believe what I'm hearing
11:02The bullet hit a rock not far from Janga
11:04The chances are it was a warning shot
11:16But they weren't going to hang around to find out
11:18So we just
11:20Packed everything up
11:22And just went back
11:24Fast as we can
11:26Who was shooting at you?
11:28Ninjas
11:30Ninjas are prospectors
11:32Part of a gold rush sweeping Mongolia
11:34After massive deposits were found here
11:40Some areas of the country have become like the wild west
11:48This is a place
11:50That no police or anything here
11:52So they wanted to do something they want to do
11:58Janga hasn't been back here since
12:00And although he and his friends have agreed to help me catch a timon
12:04We'll have to watch our backs for renegade gold diggers potentially taking aim
12:16We just have time to set up camp before sunset
12:18Getting shot at
12:24Getting shot at is not something that I was
12:26Necessarily banking on
12:28Or the possibility of that happening
12:32And having heard that the whole landscape takes on a different aspect
12:34We're wide open here
12:36Surrounded by high vantage points
12:38Janga also said that
12:40This wasn't an isolated incident
12:42He also heard gunfire at night
12:44Quite regularly
12:46And this
12:48Was probably cattle rustlers
12:50Also known to operate in this area
12:52So
12:54It's going to make the fishing
12:56Considerably more challenging
12:58Than I expected
13:00That I wasn't expecting at all
13:16I'm in Mongolia
13:18Near the Russian border
13:20Looking down a man-sized fighting fish
13:22Called the timon
13:24I've traveled over a hundred miles into the wilderness
13:26To a river where I've heard a man was savagely bitten by one
13:30Timon is sent to be territorial
13:36I'm hoping the toothy assailant
13:38Still prowls this river
13:42It's hard to reconcile the beauty
13:44With the dangers in this landscape
13:46From the harsh weather
13:48To the gun-toting gold diggers
13:50I've heard can be found in these hills
13:52It's going to make the fishing
13:54Considerably more challenging than I expected
13:56After a restless night
14:04I'm now focused on what I've come here for
14:06The river
14:08And catching my first timon
14:10This landscape is very different
14:12From what I'm used to
14:14The moment it looks pristine
14:16As if it should be teeming with animals
14:18But for most of the year
14:20It's a very different picture
14:22Which is why there's so little wildlife here
14:24The river is frozen over
14:28For six months every year
14:30So anything living in that water
14:32Has got to be tough
14:34Scratching a living from whatever
14:36Comes its way
14:38Is also a very hard place to live
14:40Compared to a tropical river
14:42There's almost no food
14:44Timon will often stick to one area
14:46For long periods of time
14:48If a strike doesn't come quickly
14:50It most often means it's already spooked
14:54Or there isn't one there
14:56To maximise my chances
14:58I have to keep on casting and moving
15:00Covering as much water as possible
15:02So we'll drift down the river
15:04In a raft
15:06I'm used to rivers where I can jump in and out
15:10Wearing just shorts
15:12But here the water is bitterly cold
15:14I need waders and thermal clothing
15:16To give me some protection
15:22We'll be cut off from the outside world
15:24If anything happens to us
15:26We could be days away from help
15:30Each day Janga's friends
15:32Tolga and Bayra
15:33Go ahead to set up camp
15:34While I fish
15:36Hour after hour casting my line on the water
15:38Trying to provoke this aggressive fish into striking
15:42The plan is to go down the Del Jamoron
15:50Through 60 miles of inaccessible landscapes
15:54Where hopefully the armed ninjas haven't yet reached
15:58But there's always that uneasy feeling
16:00Of being watched
16:04At the water's edge
16:06Something catches my eye
16:08There must be hundreds if not thousands
16:11Of one inch long fish fry here
16:14These are very young
16:16Linock and Grayling
16:18What's significant to me is the fact that they're here
16:20They're not in the main river
16:22They're in this little shallow pocket
16:24That's inaccessible really
16:26From that deeper water
16:27And the fact that they're here
16:28That tells me that the main river
16:30Is not a healthy place to be if you're a small fish
16:32There are dangerous predators out there
16:34And this if you're a small fish
16:36Is actually the safest place to be
16:44Mongolia is proving to be a Jekyll and Hyde landscape
16:47The calm waters give way to rapids without warning
16:54Dangers come from above and beneath
16:56Hitting a submerged boulder could tip us into the frigid torrent
17:00While overhead loose rocks frequently drop from the granite cliffs
17:14Tymen like fast running water
17:16Because it's perfect for ambushing prey
17:18They hold in the calmer eddies that form behind rocks
17:22Waiting for their food to come to them
17:24All the time I'm looking out for a flash of the Tymen's distinctive red tail
17:36Main current is surging in that direction
17:38You've got a bit of an eddy
17:40This is a classic but a counter current
17:42And I was thinking I might see a Tymen down here
17:44The riverbed is strewn with slippery boulders
17:48And getting a sure footing is not easy
17:54One slip and I could be swept away
18:00After working the rapids for hours
18:02There's something on my line
18:04And it's putting up a strong fight
18:06Yeah it's a fish
18:12How many descendants of the fearsome warrior Genghis Khan are alive today?
18:16The answer right after this
18:18DNA tests show that Genghis Khan has roughly 16 million descendants living today
18:24I'm in the Mongolian wilderness going after a giant Tymen
18:42A fish with a reputation for attacking anything in its territory
18:46They're rumoured to lurk in rapids
18:48And I may have one on the end of my line
18:50Yeah it's a fish
18:52I'll bring it up here
18:58This is not the fish I'm looking for
19:00It's a linok
19:02I'm gonna get it on soft grass
19:08Very very strong fish
19:09Actually very hard to keep hold of this when it wriggles
19:12This is a relative of the Tymen
19:14Wow
19:15Strong strong fish
19:16Strong as these fish are though
19:17Tymen will eat these
19:18A big timer will just inhale this head first
19:20But a good sign
19:22Whoops
19:23A fish on a lure from these rapids
19:25Very very fast water
19:26It's amazing how fast
19:27The water can be
19:29And fish will still live there
19:31This linok only weighs around 3 pounds
19:34But it has an incredible strength for its size
19:37Like everything in this savage environment
19:39It's a lot tougher than it looks
19:41It's getting towards the end of my first day on the river
19:48And we have to get to the safety of camp before it's dark
19:56Janga is loosening up as we get to know each other
19:59I suspect he knows a bit more about this fish than I first thought
20:03Because he now reveals a surprising tattoo
20:07I mark myself with the Tymen tattoo on my arm
20:12The tail of his Tymen tattoo is represented by a wolf
20:16Because the Tymen is the only predator in Mongolian waters
20:19And is sometimes called the river wolf
20:22His design also contains an eagle, another top predator here
20:28Janga clearly sees the Tymen as a creature to be feared
20:37I ask if he's aware of any humans falling foul of them
20:40And he let slip that he knows about the same incident
20:43That I've come to investigate
20:45It was a big fish
20:46I don't know
20:47It was like round four feet
20:49And he was handling it
20:51And that Tymen just beat his arm
20:57Arm on a muscle
21:01So that he was slitting
21:04Janga seems concerned about me wanting to catch one of these fish
21:10Tymen is real aggressive
21:14Mean
21:15It's a real scary fish
21:20Just gonna scare me
21:27This is all fleshing out my mental profile of my adversary
21:31And what I have to prepare for
21:36I'm already keeping a watchful eye on the surrounding hills
21:40But I've also got to be wary of the ground under my feet
21:59Amazing how camouflaged this thing is
22:01Tolga has just found a venomous snake just in the grass
22:04Near the camp
22:06I mean in between the tents
22:08This snake is a type of pit viper
22:11Its fangs inject a cocktail of toxins that dissolve flesh and paralyse prey
22:19Medical help and any anti-venoms are potentially days away
22:22It's quite hard to see when it's still
22:26But that's quite disconcerting
22:28I might have been walking within feet of that
22:30You know this morning
22:31What's interesting though
22:32More interesting is that one of these was seen in the river last year
22:35On the surface
22:36And a Tymen came up and took it
22:38A fish that takes venomous snakes
22:40I mean that really does say something about this predatory fish
22:43We take it far away from camp and let it go
22:54I've only got a short amount of time to catch a Tymen before the winter freeze
22:58So I fish every bit of water I can
23:07Here it's so clear I can see the fish the Tymen feed on
23:10Hopefully there's one nearby
23:25Right this is fish
23:27It's not a Tymen
23:29I seem to have caught everything in this river except what I'm after
23:33In this case it's a grayling
23:35They're found all over Asia and Europe
23:38And can grow to two feet long
23:40That's the sort of trademark sail-like dorsal fin
23:45Very pretty fish
23:46Quite stripy flanks
23:47Relative of the trout
23:49It's got this little adipose fin here
23:51Very nice to catch that
23:54Get my striking reflexes
23:56But I think the biggest role the grayling have in this river
23:59Is actually food for the Tymen
24:01It's actually quite unusual for me to catch fish that I can see
24:06Normally the rivers that I fish are quite murky
24:09And this water though is wonderfully clear
24:12Particularly now it's going down
24:14It's getting clearer almost by the day
24:16We carry on drifting down the river for another couple of days
24:28With no luck
24:32I'm beginning to think that my childhood dream
24:34Of catching a monster Tymen
24:36Will remain just that
24:38A dream
24:42Seeing my frustration
24:44Shanga arranges for me to meet someone who might be able to help
24:47I'm instructed to enter a traditional Mongolian tent called a geir
24:58I assume whoever is in there can help me find the Tymen I'm after
25:04But the person I see has never cast a line
25:07I'm deep in the Mongolian wilderness, on the trail of a legendary predator called the
25:30Timon, a river monster of my childhood dreams. My time here is running out, but finally I may
25:39have found somebody who can help me catch this rare fish. I was expecting maybe a gun-toting
25:49gold digger, but it's a shaman. The first thing that strikes me is that she's nothing like
25:57the witch doctors I've met in places such as the Congo and the Okavango in Africa. They
26:03are always elder statesmen of the village, but in Mongolia both men and women can be shaman.
26:15Although most people in Mongolia are Buddhist, many also follow an older animistic religion,
26:21a pagan belief system with deep roots stretching beyond the age of Genghis Khan.
26:28What she's actually saying is that everything has a spirit. Even things that we regard as
26:39inanimate, the mountains, the sky, the water, the trees, spirits are basically all around.
26:45everything out there has a spirit. The water spirit owns the fish. It's almost as if the
26:52fish are the children of the spirit. The shaman tells me that these spirits are ever present
26:59and have the power to keep me from catching a Timon. I'd assumed the powerful feeling of
27:07being watched was down to the ninjas, but now I'm not so sure. She offers to contact the spirit world,
27:16and I'm hoping this will give me some guidance as to what to do. Just after sunset, the ceremony
27:23to summon a spirit begins. For me, spirituality and fishing have a lot in common. Casting a line on the water
27:34is like asking a question or saying a prayer. Both rely on faith. Faith that you're going to get an answer.
27:41Or in my case, a fish.
27:48You don't just become a shaman in Mongolia. A spirit picks you in childhood, but only reveals itself in later life.
27:56She starts by banging a drum to help her enter a trance-like state.
28:09Whoa!
28:11Whoa!
28:12Whoa!
28:13Whoa!
28:14Whoa!
28:15Whoa!
28:16Whoa!
28:17Whoa!
28:18Whoa!
28:19Whoa!
28:20Whoa!
28:21Whoa!
28:22Whoa!
28:23Whoa!
28:24Whoa!
28:25Whoa!
28:27Whoa!
28:35How May God need my GirlfriendOps?
28:36What I say before my eyes, she transforms from the soft-spoken person I met in the Gerh
28:42to a gruff-voisted Oracle.
28:47She is literally a woman possessed.
28:52Having looked at my palms, although fishing is a bad thing, it doesn't please the spirits,
28:58there is some good in me and the spirit will bring the fish to me.
29:05But what I've got to do, not just here but other rivers, is when I go to the river,
29:09I've got to make some kind of offering to the spirits before I fish.
29:15I've promised that if I catch a time and I'll let it go unharmed.
29:22I've travelled thousands of miles to try and catch this fish, and so far I haven't gotten close.
29:33I'll take any help I can get.
29:42Before setting off again, I do as the shaman ordered and go down to the river to give an offering of yak milk to the spirits.
29:52My time on the river is getting short, and there's still no sign of any timing.
30:02A fisherman's fortune can turn on a dime. You can go day after day without anything, but then suddenly all of your frustrations dissolve in a second.
30:08A fisherman's fortune can turn on a dime. You can go day after day without anything, but then suddenly all of your frustrations dissolve in a second.
30:22I see a large shape in the water heading towards my lure. Could this be my first timing?
30:33After travelling miles and miles on a remote river in the Mongolian wilderness, time is running out to catch the elusive timing.
30:51Yeah, it's a fish. I feel like I've caught nearly every type of fish in these waters.
30:59It's strong, it's so strong.
31:01Except what I'm after.
31:05That's a fish. That's a fish. After seeing the telltale flash of time and red, I'm sure that I have the monster I dreamed about on my line.
31:15That almost took it on the drop as it hit the water. That's a good size as well.
31:20Yeah, we need to get just clear of the... Let's get... Let's keep away from this rock. Let's just come into... Let's just go behind. Oh, ****.
31:29That came off, that came off. I sort of... Trying to muscle it past this snag here. But, er... That just slipped off the hook.
31:42The shaman said that I would get to see a taiman, and that's exactly what's happened.
31:51But I've travelled over 4,000 miles, been fishing for days, and I'm wondering now if this is the closest I'll ever get to one.
32:04Djanga tells me of a likely spot further downstream, where there's a good set of rapids. I start fishing immediately.
32:13It's easy to get dejected, but I'm trusting my intuition again.
32:18This is just where a taiman could be lurking.
32:27Then, I spot a large one coming up in the water, and I feel my hopes rise.
32:32Now, taiman tend to be quite territorial. If they're seen in the spot, very often they're still there later.
32:37So, a bit of luck in a few moments' time, this could be inside its mouth.
32:41Taiman are the undisputed masters of Mongolia's icy waters. Will my lure trigger its legendary predatory instinct?
32:51Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, got a fish, got a fish.
33:05Something has hit my lure and is fighting hard. Again, I see the distinctive flash of red. It's another taiman.
33:16That's a strong fish, a strong fish, this.
33:18And this feels bigger than the one that got away.
33:21It's actually just in this heavy water, and that heavy water is moving upstream.
33:25So, I'm just giving constant pressure. There it is, there it is, there it is.
33:29It's in among some rocks. If my line catches on one, it could easily snap.
33:34It might be ready.
33:48To secure the taiman, Janga grabs hold of its tail.
33:52Fantastic.
33:54We both know its teeth are capable of causing some serious damage.
33:57There's nothing like bringing a good-sized fish in to make you forget all your frustrations.
34:05My first taiman. Not a monster, but a great start.
34:10And there's a big old rapid, and this was just right on the edge of that rubber fish.
34:15And it's just bouncing down, bouncing down.
34:18And it's got a little bit of a kick in that tail there, and there's suddenly...
34:22And look at that, that's a lovely fish. That's a lovely fish.
34:25Wow.
34:30So, my first taiman.
34:31And it's still got a lot of fight left in it, actually.
34:33I mean, it's just one bar of muscle.
34:38But very, very strong fish.
34:39And I mean, just to survive in these rapids, this water...
34:42I mean, there's more white water than, you know, still water here.
34:45And this thing was living right on the edge of that.
34:50I mean, this fish really, really living up to its reputation.
34:53Its mouth is packed with needle-sharp teeth.
34:59They're angled back like a shark's.
35:01So whatever it grabs hold of won't get away.
35:05Now, although this is a predatory fish, it's also true to say it's a very pretty fish.
35:10It's a very nicely marked fish.
35:12But these spots, of course, serve as perfect camouflage, really, in this rocky river.
35:18Just blending in with the background, I mean, it makes it a real stealth predator.
35:22The shaman warned me not to kill or harm any taiman.
35:28I release it quickly so I don't damage my chance of finding an even bigger one.
35:32Yeah, I think it's ready to go.
35:33There it is.
35:34Shoo.
35:35I'm eager to carry on fishing.
35:36But it's near nightfall.
35:37And we have to get to the safety of our nearby camp.
35:51After catching my first taiman, there's a new confidence among us.
35:58And we share stories far into the night.
36:06I get up early the next morning to have one last go in the rapids near camp.
36:24This time I'm going to try heavy duty fly fishing.
36:35Maybe this will deliver the big fish I'm after.
36:48The taiman will most likely be holding in the eddies and boils behind the big rocks.
36:53So this is where I aim my casts.
36:56But with such a strong current bumping my fly, it's hard to feel the exact moment when I have a take.
37:04All of this is adding to the pressure, as this could be my last chance here.
37:11And I feel that I'm starting to make mistakes.
37:13Yeah, it's a fish.
37:14It's a fish.
37:15Is it?
37:16No, it's off.
37:17It's off.
37:18I've just seen a fish come up from my fly.
37:20It was in the tail of the white water there.
37:22And I think I probably pulled it out of its mouth.
37:23I should have just given it a little bit longer.
37:24It's very hard in the heat of the moment.
37:25You just get this reflex.
37:26You see the fish.
37:27I want to set the hook.
37:28But they're here.
37:29They're here.
37:30And they're coming up.
37:31After feeling the power of the taiman, I believe that a big one could pull me off balance
37:35and into the water.
37:36I need to keep my footing.
37:37I need to keep my footing.
37:38And then, I'm on the edge of the water.
37:39I'm on the edge.
37:40I'm getting right away.
37:41I'm on the edge of the water.
37:42And I'm on the edge of the water.
37:43So, it's time.
37:44It is just a little bit easier.
37:45Now, you know what's going on?
37:46Cool.
37:47I am on the edge of the fish.
37:50I'm on the edge of this.
37:52You know what?
37:53I'm on the edge of this!
37:54I'm off the edge of the water.
37:55If you're on the edge of the water, you can't put it.
37:58Time to get up through the mountain.
37:59I'm on the edge of the water!
38:01And you see this?
38:02I'm on the edge of my boat.
38:03There's a fucking boat.
38:04You see this?
38:05The sandis is no longer.
38:07Suddenly I'm being pulled towards the water. There's something big on my line. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's a fish
38:24I'm in the Mongolian wilderness on the hunt for an elusive time and my time here is running out
38:30But I know that one of these rare territorial monsters is somewhere right in front of me
38:36Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. That's the fish. That's the fish. I
38:40Mustn't let the line snag on the boulders or it's game over
38:52All right, I can see it. I can see that red tail right now. Just take it easy now
38:58The big red tail is a good-sized fish
39:02See the fish really well going out into the current there
39:06The bigger they are the harder they fight and this one's fighting with all its strength to get away from me
39:18The adrenaline is pumping my brain is telling me to keep a constant tension on the line or this fish will throw my hook
39:25Okay, spinning spinning spinning spinning
39:29It's a two-man job bringing this time and in and our first attempt fails
39:35This is not difficult because the line is around the body of the fish I've lost control of the fish
39:40I can't bring it out of the strong current
39:44Janga has to go out into the middle of the river to grab the time and hopefully without getting bitten
39:50After an intense and nerve-wracking battle a very long journey that began back in my childhood comes to an end
40:00Diamond on a fly
40:02What a fish what a fish amazing fish. This is a rare beast. I'm lucky to see one this big
40:13Right all the sides of the head on this thing wow and look at the mouth on that
40:21And just the muscle on this
40:24Just looking at this thing now you can just tell how well adapted it is for this predatory lifestyle in this fast water
40:29Very very streamlined body, but this huge mouth and the tape in there are just angled
40:34You know, they almost come back flat, which is why they're not immediately visible and it's even got teeth on the tongue
40:41If it sank those teeth into me it could do some damage. I
40:45Can feel this one still has a lot of fight left in it. It's time to return it to its element
40:50What's really nice is this fish is just flexing this fish is ready to go
40:59I'm gently supporting it by the pectoral fins just taking the weights, but Jack still holding the tail
41:04I think as soon as we let go of the tail
41:06It's going to support itself. It might think for a second or two and then I think it's going to be gone back into this fast water
41:20I
41:22I was worried that I might never catch a time and
41:27But I was lucky enough to catch two in the same spot
41:31To me this is also an indicator the fact that the top predator is still here shows that this river is still alive
41:43Time being at least this is a healthy river and just what an amazing sight to see
41:48It's been the fulfillment of a long-held personal goal in a place of extraordinary
41:54Harshness and beauty and it proves that the fighting spirit of Genghis Khan is still alive and well in Mongolia
42:02It's now time for me to leave this mysterious wilderness and head back to the modern world