Dottie and I, Tom and Katherine Culligan, Chad Overway and Jennie Montague, are in Kruger National Park, South Africa, where we can get as close to beautiful wild creatures in the air, trees, land, and water as common sense and safety (ours and theirs) will allow.
The national park, known for its incredibly rich wildlife population, is also home to 53 recorded species of fish, some of them quite large and prized as gamefish. But in Kruger, one cannot fish for them because, like all the other animals, they are protected.
As I observed the rivers in which the 53 species of fish dwell from the relative safety of our safari wagon, two other important reasons came to my mind: crocodiles and hippos.
Crocs can average about 15 feet in length, and Hippos weigh between 3,000 and 9,000 pounds. They can move very fast in and out of the water. I’m sure either one would put up a heck of a fight on my 5-weight fly rod – for two seconds or so – before they swallowed it and me whole.
The Kruger National Park authorities didn’t need to remind me that fishing wasn’t allowed. There were plenty of large and hungry resident “wardens” in the water to enforce the ban.
But, for the record, the water there is relatively warm, which means no trout. The most prized sportfish in nearby waters, where fishing is allowed, is the tigerfish.
In the western game fishing world, the tigerfish is considered Africa’s equivalent of the South American piranha. Like the piranha, individual tigerfish have interlocking, razor-sharp teeth, along with streamlined, muscular bodies, and are extremely aggressive and capable predators who often hunt in groups. The African tigerfish has been known to attack and catch birds in flight
The goliath tigerfish is among the most famous. The largest one on record weighed 154 pounds.
When I first read this description of a tigerfish, I wondered why it was considered a gamefish at all unless the players/anglers were all very tough and crazy guys with missing limbs, and the winners were determined by whoever got away alive.
But apparently, going after tigerfish is a popular pastime on the Zambezi River near Victoria Falls in neighboring Zimbabwe, which is our next destination.
Further research prior to our arrival revealed the presence of several guides that will take me up the Zambezi for tigers and other local fish. The general description went something like this:
“If you book a Zambezi fishing tour with a professional fishing guide, you will set off on a small boat, drifting peacefully between the Zambezi River’s channels, mild rapids, and small pools. Close to the Falls, these tried and tested local hotspots have consistently proved themselves, regularly producing prized catches, including Tigerfish and the Yellow-Belly Bream. Further upstream, you have the opportunity to explore some uncharted fishing territory.”
Reading that, I was tempted for a brief moment to consider that option, but like the bream in the previous sentence, my own yellow belly negated any sense of curiosity. A fish that can weigh 100 pounds, with lots of big, sharp teeth, the temperament of a piranha, and can jump out of the water and catch a bird in flight is far too much “game” for me. And, regarding fishing in uncharted waters, did I mention the Zambezi River is also home to crocs and hippos?
The title of my column suggests that I love fishing in the places we travel to —but maybe not this trip.
(Bill Lynch is the former editor and publisher of the Sonoma Index-Tribune and the author of three books. His new novel, MEKONG BELLE Love’s Impossible Choice, is available at Readers’ Books in Sonoma and on Amazon. Contact Bill at [email protected])
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Publish date : 2024-10-04 18:09:56
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