You remember that time you got special permission to fly in a chopper to go fishing for golden mahseer in the remote rivers of Bhutan? We don’t either. But Keith Rose-Innes does. Here’s his story of a place few people have ever fished.

Why fly to Bhutan, this remote mountain kingdom wedged between India, China and Tibet? Years earlier my fishing friend and the owner of Ponoi River Company in Russia, Ilya Sherbovich, had been there. He had walked the banks, fishing for trout in crystal clear tributaries that feed all the major rivers. He had also fished for golden mahseer, the details of which he somewhat sneakily kept mostly to himself. He landed some incredibly big fish, which was why he was heading back, with me tagging along this time, for a return trip of mammoth proportions.

The trip was possible because Ilya had received special permission and an invitation to be hosted by avid Bhutanese fly fishermen, Ugyen Rinzin and his team mate Kencho Tshering, who have fly fished their home country for decades. Passionate patriot of his country and a dynamic entrepreneur, Ugyen is also the former Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Nature (RSPN) and started Bhutan’s only fly tying factory, all details I would only find out on the third last day of the trip because, in an effort to fit in and not sound like an arrogant Westerner, I had tried to not ask too many questions and chose instead to learn what I could when info was offered.

In preparation for the trip Ilya wasn’t too forthcoming with details, other than to say his friends from Bhutan had everything covered.

“We will be camping, we have a helicopter with us, bring 8 to 10-weight rods, 15 – 25lbs leaders, floating lines with intermediate tips and felt sole boots. See you at the boarding gate of Dubai-Delhi.” he said.

Like all other adventures with Ilya, I would be relying on his knowledge and local connections. Tagging along on one of the most amazing fly fishing adventures that had taken two years of planning, wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for me as I have been on the receiving end of Ilya’s incredible passion for fly fishing exploration before. He’s taken me on various trips to the far reaches of Siberia in search of arctic char and giant taimen. Ilya has had several IGFA taimen fly fishing world records under his belt and, when he does these trips, he does not stuff around.

SHOP THE MISSION

For Siberia, think M18 helicopters and the 2004 World Champion Rafting team at our disposal. So, if Ilya invited me on an exploratory trip to the so called crater rivers on the northern part of the moon and instructed me to pack lightly as the space ship doesn’t have much cargo space, I would believe him and I’d turn up on time at the boarding gate, wearing space boots in anticipation of another great trip.

Keith Rose-Innes on a once-in-a-lifetime invitation from his friend Ilya Sherbovich to fish restricted rivers in Bhutan for massive golden mahseer. Read the full story in issue 16 of The Mission.