Mountain Freestone · Acidic Metamorphic · Sichuan, CN

Mengtun River 孟屯河

Mengtun River 孟屯河 terrain map

The Mengtun runs off the high snow of the Qionglai range through a Qiang valley of stone watchtowers and pine forest west of Chengdu, before joining the Zagunao and, below that, the Min.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Forecast · Tomorrow
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
40% projected
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Estimate
Level
Moderate rain recently
No gauge reading
Water temp5.0°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather10°C
WindN 4 km/h
Pressure1020 hPa
Rain · recent23.3 mm
Rain · ahead0.9 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

Water temperature for White-spotted Char
Cool — slow
5°C est.ideal 7–14°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for White-spotted Char
When
Late summer into autumn once meltwater drops — subject to Aba's current closed-angling dates, which are unverified / 融雪退去后的夏末至秋季——须以阿坝州当年公布的禁钓期为准,该日期尚未核实
Where
The Mengtun runs off the high snow of the Qionglai range through a Qiang valley of stone watchtowers and pine forest west of Chengdu, before joining the…
Why this works
Good — water clarity is right today, though time of day could be better.
Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Yangtze-basin ban water under 川农规〔2024〕2号
  • Angling is permitted outside designated year-round no-angling zones and outside the closed season (provincially 1 Mar – 30 Jun; Aba may set different dates totalling at least four months)
  • One rod, one line, maximum two hook points, hook gape under 2cm, no boats or rafts, ~2.5kg daily retention though a single fish over 2.5kg may be kept
  • ⚠️ Organised group trips must notify the county fishery authority 15 days in advance
  • Whether this exact reach lies inside a designated no-angling zone is unresolved — such zones must be signed on the bank, so a local guide can settle it
  • Never target Sichuan taimen
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
About this water

The Mengtun runs off the high snow of the Qionglai range through a Qiang valley of stone watchtowers and pine forest west of Chengdu, before joining the Zagunao and, below that, the Min. It is the one Chinese river with independent first-hand fly-fishing accounts behind it and a working outfitter on it — cold pocket water fished with light rods and weighted nymphs at around two thousand metres. It is also water inside the Yangtze ten-year fishing ban, where angling is governed by closed zones, a closed season of at least four months, and a strict limit of one rod and two hook points. Read this as a place to understand before you travel, not a fishery you can plan a day on — and note that unlike the two Beijing fisheries in this pack, nothing here is simply open and ticketed. / 孟屯河源出邛崃山脉的高山积雪,穿过成都以西一处遍布羌族碉楼与松林的河谷,先汇入杂谷脑河,再入岷江。它是国内唯一有独立第一手飞钓记述、且有在营渔具向导的河流——海拔约两千米的冷水急流,用轻竿与加重若虫作钓。此地同时位于长江十年禁渔范围内,受禁钓区、每年不少于四个月的禁钓期,以及一竿一线、钩尖不超过两个的严格限制约束。请将本页视为出行前的了解材料,而非可据以安排钓程的钓场——与本册中两处北京钓场不同,此处并非买票即可入场。

Under the surface

A snowmelt river in the Qiang and Tibetan valleys west of Chengdu, running off peaks beyond five thousand metres through pine and rhododendron to the Zagunao below. The water is cold and fast over grey stone, the pools short, the season narrow. Villages of stone towers stand along it, and the valley is walking country long before it is fishing country. / 成都以西羌藏河谷中的一条雪融河流,源出五千米以上的雪峰,穿过松林与杜鹃,注入下游的杂谷脑河。水冷流急,灰岩铺底,潭浅季短。沿岸立着石砌碉楼——这里首先是徒步的山谷,其次才是钓鱼的河。

Wading: Cold fast snowmelt, altitude above 2,000m, remote valley with limited rescue

  • River
  • Acidic metamorphic
  • Confined
  • Pocket water
  • Step pool
Conservation note

White-spotted char (*Salvelinus leucomaenis*) here is an introduced or escaped population — there is no native *Salvelinus* in Sichuan — and an introduced char is NOT a protected fish. Separately and still true: Sichuan taimen (*Hucho bleekeri*) and *Schizothorax* snow trout both occur in this catchment and ARE state-protected. Know which fish you are holding before you decide what to do with it. / 本河的白斑红点鲑(*Salvelinus leucomaenis*)为引入或逃逸种群——四川并无本土红点鲑属鱼类——引入种群不受保护。另需注意:川陕哲罗鲑与裂腹鱼均分布于本流域,且均为国家重点保护物种。作钓时务必先辨明手中鱼种,再决定如何处置。

The full read · show the working · for White-spotted Char · confidence 85%
How the 72 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature70 × 30%21.0
Flow60 × 25%15.0
Clarity95 × 20%19.0
Feeding Time60 × 15%9.0
Pressure75 × 10%7.5
Conditions total= 72
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Related guides
Booking & contacts