The
original home of tiger fishing is Zimbabwe. Back in the colonial days of
Rhodesia, people would go to the Zambezi river or lake Kariba for their
holidays. One of the most popular sections of the Zambezi for fishing was the
area around Deka. This is the middle Zambezi, below Victoria falls and the
Batoka gorge and above the giant, manmade Kariba dam.
That
section of river, where the current is fast, the gradient quite steep and the
water highly oxygenated by the many rapids, is home to some of the finest tiger
fishing in Africa.
It is in
this area that Simwenge Lodge is situated. A small and intimate, family owned
lodge, Simwenge reminds one of the fishing camps of old. Accommodation is in
tents, which are equipped with air conditioners. The lodge has a spacious, open
bar and dining area, situated to catch a bit of breeze on hot days. In front of
that is an infinity pool with a view over the river.
Fishing is
done from bass tyle fishing boats and the lodge also has a larger pontoon boat
for bigger groups or for sundowner cruises on the river. There are plenty of
fishing options, with excellent and productive water both upstream and
downstream of the lodge.
One of the
favoured methods used in the area by regulars is spinning with a large inline
spinner. A piece of fish fillet is attached to the hook, and it trails behind
the lure offering a natural scent to any following tiger fish. This technioque
is very effective in the area and accounts for many trophy fish.
Apart from
the tiger fishing, the area also offers species such as bream, chessa and
nkupe. Tigerfish though, are the main target of sport fishermen visiting the
area and they are challenging to catch. The boat drivers at the lodge are very
experienced and have an uncanny ability to find fish in all conditions.
I had the
privilege of watching a local guy catch a large tiger on some of the most
rudimentary fishing tackle imaginable. He was fishing with a tiny hook and
earthworms for chessa. His reel was an old tin can and his rod was made from
two broken pieces of rod, spliced together. In the process of catching a
chessa, his catch was eaten by a tiger, which tested his skill properly. We
loaned him our net to land the fish, and we were very impressed that he managed
it.
One evening the chef cooked us the most delicious pizzas imaginable and we ate these, seated around the fire. We were entertained by the lodge staff, wearing frightening-looking masks and traditional African attire, dancing around the fire.
Days were
very hot, as only the Zambezi valley can be. The wind invariably picked up
during the mid-morning, which gave us some respite from the intense heat.
Simwenge is
a destination that gives guests the real experience of old, traditional
Zimbabwean tiger fishing. From the accommodation to the fishing techniques, it
is all authentic and real.
The
coastline in Southern Mozambique is quite different to what it looks like
further north. Large sweeping bays, edged by massive, forested dunes make up
this part of the coast. Where the sea is flat and devoid of swell further north,
there are waves in Southern Mozambique, giving the ocean an altogether
different appearance.
One of the
more spectacular bays in Southern Mozambique is Ponta Mamoli. This picturesque
point and bay is also home to the impressive White Pearl Resort. The resort is
a five-star establishment, built amongst the dune vegetation and has a
magnificent view overlooking the warm Indian Ocean.
I was
privileged to visit White Pearl with my wife, Pam, and we got to sample some of
the luxury and decadence of the amazing resort. I was there to get some fishing
done offshore from the jet ski. That area has some magnificent offshore fishing
on offer, with a huge variety of gamefish which frequent the area and some
exceptional reef structure to concentrate the fish around.
There is a
launch site at the resort, with dive boats operating out of there, and a
tractor to push and pull boats as needed. The lodge is connected by hundreds of
metres of wooden boardwalks and each chalet is isolated enough from the next
one to offer guests total privacy.
Meals are
served in one of the dining rooms, or alfresco, depending on conditions. The
food was excellent, prepared from the freshest of ingredients and stylishly
presented. Staff are very attentive, with each chalet having a dedicated,
private butler.
The sea
conditions were a little challenging, as there were quite strong winds during
our stay, but that didn’t put us off. We headed out every morning at first
light on our jet skis, taking on the swell and the spray in search of some
trophy gamefish.
I was very
excited to land a nice wahoo one morning. One of the fastest fish in the sea,
this speedster stripped a lot of line off my reel’s drag before I could get
control and bring it in. It was a challenge landing it and getting the hook
out, without using a gaff – as I was releasing my fish.
We also
managed to catch a variety of trevally species and some yellowfin tuna. The
area is definitely a healthy fishery, with plenty of predators to target. There
are also quite a lot of sharks around, so fish had to be pulled in fairly
quickly in some areas, to avoid losing them to the ever-hungry men in grey
suits.
It was a
very successful trip, not just from the fishing point of view, but because the
wives were very happy to bask in luxury while we were out fishing. They could
lie on the beach reading a book and raise a flag with our room number on it, to
get the butler to come down with his tray and take drinks orders or bring some
snacks. White Pearl guests definitely get a taste of the high life!
I was lucky
enough to do a trip recently with my wife Pam, to Mozambique’s spectacular Ibo
Island. It is in the Quirimba archipelago, just north of Pemba. We stayed at the
lovely Ibo Island lodge, a short walk from the island’s small harbour. The
lodge, with its thick walls, built from fossilized coral and painted brilliant
white, is cool and comfortable. It is decorated with a blend of antique style,
slave coast art pieces and artfully placed cushions and throws of sea blue
fabrics – giving it the mood of ancient East Africa.
That
evening we relaxed on the rooftop dining area and had sundowners followed by a
dinner of fresh seafood, a gigantic platter of crayfish, prawns, crabs, fish
all harvested from local waters and beautifully prepared by the lodge kitchen. The
moonlit view over the calm sea from up there was beautiful.
The
following day we had the opportunity to explore the island and take in some of
the rich history and culture of Ibo. In days gone by Ibo was a slave and ivory
trading centre, and there are still the remains of three forts on the island,
some with old cannons still in place. The island is an absolute paradise for
photographers, we spent most of the day exploring and taking pictures. The
people were remarkably friendly and welcoming, we found them to be patient in
understanding our questions and answering with a smile. We were shown to the
home of the oldest man on the island, Joao Baptiste, who gave us tea and entertained
us with stories of days gone by.
We were
also taken on a Dhow to a nearby sand island, where a Bedouin style tent had
been set up, with a lavish picnic and ice-cold drinks. After a superb
snorkeling session over shallow coral reefs, we tucked into the prawns, crab
cakes and other delicacies.
After
another good night’s rest in our spacious room, we packed our bags and fishing
gear and boarded the forty-foot Maxim Cat; Never Say Never to begin our
journey to St Lazarus banks, an oceanic atoll which comes to within 10m of the
surface. The trip was about 50 nautical miles from the island and would take us
around eight hours. We were going to stay out there for a few days on the yacht
in order to do some fishing.
Conditions
were unbelievably calm. The sea, unruffled by any breeze was flat and smooth
and the current was moving at a sluggish 2.5 knots. With the gin clear water
those conditions would have been exceptional for diving. Unfortunately for
fishing it wasn’t ideal. The water temperature was around 30 degrees and the
air temperature and humidity had us gasping for breath, with no cool wind for
relief.
Despite the
conditions we still managed to catch some fish. In fact, we caught most species
that one would expect to catch there, just not the numbers that are usually
caught at that exceptional spot. We mostly stuck to throwing poppers and
stickbaits and vertical jigging, but when the heat got unbearable we also upped
lines and did some trolling.
Over the
top of the atoll, we caught reef species such as grouper and structure loving
game fish such as GT’s and a variety of other trevallies. On the drop offs we
caught some dogtooth tuna and wahoo, and in the blue we got stuck in to some
decent tuna and dorado.
I always
get very amped when I fish an area like that, as I am very aware that almost
anything can happen. It is the kind of place where your next cast could hook
you a sailfish, a giant dogtooth tuna, a monster GT or just about any other
predator of the Indian Ocean. That kept me going through the sweat and the
burning muscles.
Pam and I
had a great time and caught some decent fish. On our way back we chatted about
the trip and how amazing it had been. Sadly we only had one more night on Ibo,
before flying out. We both agreed that next time we come we are definitely
going to spend more time on the island and also try some of the fishing
potential in the waters nearby.
Unique is
not a word that I generally just throw around, but it does have its place. A
good example would be the blend of luxury and barefoot simplicity that exists
at Manda Bay Lodge, a small boutique lodge on Manda Island in the Lamu Archipelago
in northern Kenya.
This family
owned and run resort is set apart from other east African beach destinations in
a number of ways. The large, airy cottages, built from local materials, blend
into the tropical island vegetation as though they were always meant to be
there. Each has its own private veranda overlooking the white beaches and
sparkling blue waters of the Indian Ocean.
Hanging
from the rafters on thick hemp rope on each veranda are day beds, with
colourful covers and cushions made from east African Kikoi fabric. These
comfortable beds are the perfect place to lie up in the heat of the day,
catching the ocean breeze and allowing one to lazily take in the scenery of the
island.
The lodge
is far away from any other settlements or resorts and a stay there is a truly
private and exclusive experience. The island itself is well maintained and kept
neat and tidy, emphasizing the feeling of being in a remote and unspoiled
paradise. Nobody bothers you if you take a long, leisurely walk and you are
free to wander anywhere you please. Staff are low key, but always helpful and
pleasant.
The food at
Manda Bay is nothing short of fantastic. Meals consist of fresh food, prepared
with skill and love. A lot of seafood is offered on the menu, and these are
incomparable with regards to freshness, abundance and some of the most
delicious flavours that one can imagine. Guests that visit the lodge leave with
a new appreciation for the delicacies of the east African coast.
There are
many activities on offer at Manda Bay, including: Fishing, snorkeling,
kayaking, windsurfing, laser sailing, waterskiing and inflatable tube rides.
There are miles of private beaches to walk on and collect shells. The lodge
also offers Dhow sailing excursions, which are peaceful and pleasant, taking one
back to the days of traders sailing along that coastline. An evening trip to
the thousand-year-old Manda ruins, built from coral stone and situated amongst
some ancient baobab trees, is also a well worthwhile experience.
For me
though, the fishing is the most important activity on offer, and it is
spectacular. Every type of fishing from estuary, to inshore fishing can be done
here as well as big game excursions offshore for giant marlin and tuna. The variety of habitats for fish is
incredible, with plenty of inshore reef, a massive mangrove lined estuary
system and miles of tropical ocean with no other fishing boats in sight.
The range
of species on offer at Manda bay is mind blowing. We caught Oxeye tarpon, river
snapper, and a variety of trevally species in the mangrove channels, both on
fly and light lures. The inshore fishing
produced more trevally, including some monster GT’s and king mackerel,
barracuda etc. This was where we had a lot of fun with medium and heavier
spinning tackle. The fly guys also had an absolute ball fishing the massive
rock ledge drop offs at the estuary mouth. The offshore blue water fishing is
simply incredible, with very few boats operating on that part of the coast,
fish stocks are in excellent condition. The opportunity is there to catch
black, blue and striped marlin as well as sailfish, broadbill swordfish and
giant yellowfin tuna. I spent a night out targeting broadbill swordfish on the
lodge’s sportfisher, and thought that I had hooked a world record broadbill,
but it turned out to be a massive, foul hooked, manta ray!
Manda Bay
Lodge is one of those resorts that easily doubles up as a romantic getaway and
an amazing fishing and watersports destination. Each time that I have visited
there it has been for fishing and I have rued the fact that my wife was not
with me to share the beauty, comfort and luxury of this special lodge.
It is not often that anybody gets the opportunity to fish a pristine
fishery these days. There are just too few of these untouched areas left
on the planet. Last week myself and Brad Cartwright (of Wildfly Travel)
had the amazing opportunity to explore one of the few of these areas
that still remains virtually untouched. The idea was to check out the
jigging and Popping potential of the area, with particular interest in
seeing what the dogtooth tuna population is like.
Mike Mason, owner of Neptune Warrior, Invited Brad and I to come
along and explore the fishing around Remire, where he has just secured a
lease. Remire Island is part of the Amirantes group and has never been
used for tourism before. It was previously a private getaway for the ex-
president of the Seychelles.
We obviously jumped at the opportunity and headed accross there, with
as much tackle as the airlines would allow us to carry, (actually a bit
more). WE flew from JHB to Mahe, then from Mahe to Desroches and then
did a boat transfer of around an hour and forty five minutes to Remire.
Below is our first view of Remire Island as we arrived. We knew that
it was going to be a pleasant week with the little island to ourselves.
We were going to be fishing from Mike’s new Cabo Sportfisher, a
really comfortable boat, which is a great fishing platform for jigging
and popping. The plan was to explore the area and check out the
potential. The Cabo has a fuel tank that takes a thousand litres of
diesel, and that meant that our range was enormous.
Below is a picture of the Cabo parked in front of Remire:
We used an aluminium tender boat to get from the island to the boat
each day. The tender boat is also great for getting into the shallows to
access water around the various flats in the area.
Below is a pic of the tender boat:
The first morning found us exploring the shallow water around Remire
reef on the Eastern Side. We worked water from 3m to 12m deep with
poppers and stickbaits. Brad caught a 9kg GT with a light setup, casting
a two ounce chisel plug. We also caught a number of bluefin trevally
(kingfish), which were great fun on the light tackle. We had plenty of
Bohar Snapper attacking our surface lures, and this was a great
indicator that the area is in great condition. The big Bohar’s would be
one of the first fish to dissappear if the area was being exploited. I
caught the snapper below on a Darkstar Tuna 120 popper, which it smashed
as if it was starving.
Despite the look on my face, I actually enjoyed landing this awesome specimen!
We then moved into some deeper water along the drop off in the same
area. We noticed that the water was actually quite murky (by Seychelles
standards), as the current was coming off the shallow reef and pushing
over the drop off. We cast some poppers there anyway and had a number of
attacks by sharks, as well as whoo, green jobfish and some large
yellowfin tuna (in 18m of water!) Brad hooked a big yellowfin on light
tackle and fought it for about half an hour before the leader knot
finally had enough and parted. I landed one of around 35kg, using
heavier popping gear. I tried holding the fish on the boat for the
cameras, but had my teeth shaken loose as it thrashed around in my arms,
so I dumped it overboard and felt sorry for myself, as I knew that my
wrists and forearms were going to be properly bruised after that. I
landed a doggie of around 15kg’s on the jig, and was stoked to see that
they were indeed around.
We headed back to our Island in the late afternoon, to regroup and
sort out our tackle and discuss what our plan was for the next day.
Below is a pic of the guesthouse that we stayed in on the Island:
The guesthouse is fairly simple, with everything one needs. Each room
has twin beds, an en suite bathroom and aircon. There is a little self
service pub, with unlimited ice and plenty of cold drinks. The food was
truly excellent, cooked by Belinda, a Seychelloise chef, who has a way
with seafood. While it is not a luxury resort, we wanted for nothing and
really enjoyed the Island. I think it is ideal for groups of up to
eight guys, who will have the place to themselves and be able to relax
and unwind after a tough day’s fishing.
We decided to try the western drop off of Remire reef the following
day, as the water would be cleaner on that side due to the current
pushing onto it from the open sea. At the first spot we stopped along
the ledge we could see dogtooth tuna below the boat, and our first casts
with poppers had the doggies come charging to the surface to come and
see what was going on. On about my third cast I had a doggie charging my
Tuna 120 popper, just to turn away short. I decided to try and let the
lure lie still in the water when it got near the boat and sure enough it
was attacked with a vicious strike and I ws on with my fiorst doggie on
surface lure for the trip. It wasn’t a huge fish, somewhere between 15
and 20kg’s, but was awesome to catch. Once we had figured out how they
like the lures presented to them we started catching plenty of them on
poppers and stickbaits.
Below is a pic of Mike Mason with a Doggie he took on a Darkstar Ulua
120 which hit him with a spectacular smash and created a patch of white
foam just metres from the boat:
Doggies in this sort of size range were plentiful, and we landed a
few of them on that morning, before moving on to a pinacle that Mike
wanted to explore with Jigs. On the way ther we saw some huge Yellowfin
in the 50-60kg range jumping nearby. They seemed to be everywhere, but
we weren’t after them and decided to leave them alone.
Mike put out some lures behind the boat at one stage as we moved
along the underwater ledge (which is about 13 miles long). We quickly
pulled them in and stowed the trolling tackle though, as we could never
move more than 100m without hooking up to something, and we were never
going to get anywhere. The sheer numbers and variety of gamefish was
nothing short of astonishing. From small stuff like Kawa Kawa and
rainbow runners, to Marlin, sailfish, wahoo, doggies, yellowfin etc. It
was insane!
We arrived at the jigging spot and sent our jigs down and immediately
went tight with some doggies and GT’s. We couldn’t land any small fish
at that spot, because anything smaller than 7kg’s was eaten on the way
up, and we are not talking getting taxed by sharks here. We had doggies
taxing us, even eating smaller doggies and I had a fish taken by a very
determined marlin, which ate the fish on my line 3 times before ripping
it off the hook and heading off with its meal.
Below are two GT’s which I landed on consecutive downs with the Jig: First this one
Then this one
Enough to make anyone sweat, when jigging in 60m of water in 40+
degrees of heat and more than 90% humidity. Not for the faint hearted!
We had a pretty good idea what was going on below at most times, as the
water is very clear and we could see a long way down. We also had an
underwater cameraman in the water most of the time and he just kept
saying things like; “Oh Man!There is a big wahoo 20m that way and three
huge doggies right beneath the boat”. This running commentary kept us
going, even when the arms felt like giving up. Luckily for us most times
a jig was sent down it was eaten, so there weren’t fruitless hours of
jigging inviolved…
Below is a Black Jack head after a run in with a big Dogtooth on the way to the surface:
We trolled teasers for a bit, to try and get a sailie on fly, and
raised a few sails and a black marlin of around 80kg, which would have
been perfect on the fly, but sadly it didn’t eat the fly at the transom
of the boat. The number of sailfish was pretty spectacular, and we had
them coming in on poppers and stickbaits on pretty much every session.
Below is a pic of Mike with one that he caught on a Darkstar Ulua 120
stickbait, while spinning from the boat:
Tropical species such as Black Trevally were fairly common on the jigs, and we also got a couple of longfin amberjack.
Below is a Black Jack that had a really long dorsal fin:
Another species that almost becvame a nuisance when fishing surface
lures was the green jobfish, which were very aggressive and kept hitting
both poppers and stickbaits.
We
had some outstanding sessions where we hooked some really nice doggies
on both topwater and jig. In fact we finished all our jigs before the
end of the trip due to getting creamed by some massive doggies that were
just unstoppable. I wasn’t too sorry to see the end of the jigs though,
as that meant more time on the surface lures, which is my personal
favourite way of fishing.
I hooked a monster doggie right below my feet one afternoon on
popper, and couldn’t help myself screaming out when I saw the size of
the beast that launched itself out of the water in front of me with my
popper clenched in its big teeth. We followed it with the boat, staying
right above it, to stop it from cutting me off oin the ledge as it
headed for deep water. I had hooked it in 20m of water! only 100m away
the water was 90m deep. Anyhow we safely negotiated the passage back to
deep water with the fish below us, and as I was starting to relax and
thinking of the fish as mine the hook inexplicably pulled…
Brad got a couple of nice doggies on stickbait too. The fish below
was taken on a Sebile Stick Shad, also right on the surface and no more
than 10m from the boat.
I finally got a good doggie on the surface as well, which was
probably somewhere in the region of 50kg and gave me one hell of a pull.
This one took a Ulua 120 stickbait and also headed for the dropoff, but
we followed and the hooks held, so all worked out well:
All in all this was one of the best fisheries I have ever had the
good fortune to experience, with mind numbing numbers of big doggies and
other aggressive predators. The doggies had no problem coming to the
surface to hit topwater lures, which makes it doubly amazing. The pic
below is of a Ulua 120 stcickbait 3 hours after being taken brand new
from the packaging and tied on, just to show you what I am talking
about!
With stunning locations like this within our reach, it is great to
know that we can enjoy this sort of bluewater action without having to
travel halfway around the world to places like the coral sea. I firmly
believe that this is one of the finest bluewater, big game fishing left
on the planet. The rates are pretty reasonable by Seychelles standards,
and the variety of fishing available is mind numbing. For example, we
took a day off from the blue water fishing and waded the flats catching
bonefish on fly, just to give our aching muscles a break. Where else in
the world can you do that?
And of course to top it off, the Seychelles is just one of the most
scenically spectacular destinations there is, with its beautiful clean
water, turtles nesting on the beach (we had one laying eggs right in
front of our guesthouse in broad daylight), sooty terns, frigate birds
roosting on the island and a peace and serenity that is only shattered
by the smashes of marauding gamefish and screaming of tortured drags…
Details of this trip are available from Brad Cartwright at Wildfly
Travel, give him a shout and get a quote, it may just be worth doing
something like this once in your life, before it goes the way of all the
other fisheries out there. I am going to host two trips there next
year, which can be booked through Brad, so give him a shout and find out
more about it.p>
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