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Editors Comment By Ant Williams
I
n the early 80s, I watched a TV documentary - produced I think by BBC - entitled “Water Wars”. It detailed the world’s water resources and the lengths man was going to in order to secure water reserves for the future. Towns and cities in the USA were pumping water hundreds of miles, across deserts and over mountains to feed growing demand. Some came from dams and rivers, while other sources included natural aquifers of underground water. The producers claimed that future wars would not be fought over ethnicity, religion, minerals or even dwindling oil reserves, but rather over water. At about the same time, I attended a talk organised by the Zambezi Society (ZAMSOC) and presented by a water engineer. At that time, ZAMSOC were actively lobbying government against further dam construction on the Zambezi River, and would later be very active in monitoring exploratory drilling and surveys in the valley for natural gas and oil. Proposed projects such as the Batoka Dam just below Victoria Falls, and the Mupata Gorge Dam not far up-stream from Kanyemba (which would flood Mana Pools) were high on government’s agenda, and needless to say, met with much opposition. The water engineer discussed these, as well as various damming initiatives taking place in other parts of Africa, and concluded by saying, that no matter how loud we scream and shout, or how long we kicked and fought, all these projects will one day come to pass. Simply, man needs water and while short term projects may be focused on hydroelectric generation, long term demand for drinking water would win over any opposition or argument ever put forward. Understandably so. Water is a basic right, and it is a paramount responsibility of any government to supply clean drinking water to its citizens, be they city dwellers or rural folk. This is something the government have largely failed at achieving in the cities, as large parts of most centres in Zimbabwe are without municipally treated and distributed water. The problem is not a lack of water, as our storage dams are capable of supplying considerably more water to the cities, but rather a crumbling infrastructure unable to purify, pump and distribute the water. Many low density suburbs have not had running water for five years or more, while those that do enjoy municipal water, do so only intermittently. Around this, a booming industry selling water storage tanks, and another selling clean water (mostly borehole) has flourished. Many depend on these facilities to secure and manage their own water requirements, while government is either unwilling or unable to provide this basic requirement. Imagine my surprise - along with just about every other Zimbabwean - when a letter circulated widely on social media apparently issued by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate on the 23 September this year stated that through their various water management authorities, government would take “control” of all boreholes supplying water commercially. The letter says “The decision has been necessitated by the need to protect our finite groundwater resources which are at risk of being mined by the commercial water operators.” The letter further advises authorities to monitor water levels and quality to ensure groundwater resources are not depleted. The cherry on the cake... government will now levy a charge of $3 per thousand litres of “mined” water to finance these operations. Really!? The very root of any groundwater depletion is government’s inability to supply this basic service from adequate existing reservoirs and dams built for the purpose. If anyone is responsible for this debacle, it is them! World experts do not fully understand underground aquifers and the dynamics of groundwater. I doubt V o l . 25 # 3
Zimbabwe - or many other countries for that matter - have any detailed geological mapping of this water resource. How then do they propose to monitor or protect it? I imagine the only incentive for this take-over of underground water is financial gain, which in all likelihood will never be used for anything remotely related to water supply. Simply levying a charge to monitor the water will not control its use, especially as there is no alternative. It is simply a tool to extort still more tax out of an already over-burdened populace who suffer under a crumbling infrastructure. I, as much as anyone agree that protection of natural ecosystems is important. Wetlands, river systems and underground water resources all need to be managed carefully. I abhor the building of dams as their long term effect on delicate river systems can be disastrous. I do love the fishing they provide, and know this is selfish. But if government is serious about protecting and supplying future necessary water, urgent attention should be given to rehabilitating pumping stations, treatment plants and the decaying network of piping supplying water to the cities - most of which have fallen into disrepair through lack of use over the last decade. Taxing us further for their incompetence is ludicrous. As I write, Batoka Gorge dam is set to go ahead and will be a reality soon. It is the lesser of evils, but an evil nonetheless. Mupata Gorge will also likely happen once the Mana Pools area loses significance should proposed mining operations there go ahead as proposed in a recent report in Zimbabwe’s Sunday Mail. Apparently a sedimentologist and geological consultant Dr Dennis Shoko said about surveys done by Mobil in the Zambezi Valley “They worked on the structure of our basin in areas such as the Mana Pools, the Cabora Basin and Zambezi Basin. Remember we also share this basin with Mozambique, which has also discovered oil.” The government apparently plans to start drilling. Indeed, natural gas to feed thermal power stations would alleviate pressure on dams needed for hydroelectricity and solve our electricity woes... but at what cost? Pack your fishing rod, your tent, binoculars and a tin of worms, and go visit the Zambezi. It may not be there forever and is spectacular at this time of year. Tight lines.
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returning to “There is nothing like find the ways a place unchanged, to ve altered.� in which you yourself ha la Nelson Mande
CONTENTS - VOL 25#3 On The Cover...
The Hump-backed bream (Serranochromis altus) is one of the native Zambezi largemouth bream, and is related to the nembwe. Found naturally in the Upper Zambezi, Okavango and Kafue systems it is a typical predatory bream sought after by artificial lure anglers. Hard and aggressive fighters, they are found close to the mainstream of the river, in deep water beneath aquatic vegetation, and often close to the interface between the fast current and slacker water of back eddies. The Zimbabwe record stands at 2,45kg caught above Victoria Falls. Humpbacks will fall to bass-type lures, livebaits and even worms. The fish pictured on the cover was caught in Zambia around the Barotse flood plains (Lukulu) by Kevin Hogan, but has also become a targeted species for specialist anglers visiting the Kafue river in Zambia and the Okavango in Botswana. The African Fisherman is published six times per annum by Mag-Set Publications (Pvt) Ltd, as a service to the community, and is committed to the preservation of the environment and its angling resources. We support junior angling and a policy of selective harvest of all species, and catch and release of certain species, and the fostering of goodwill among all beneficiaries of these resources. Email fishunt@zol.co.zw, adhunt@mweb.co.za P a g e 4 V o l . 25 # 3
Special Feature
Kafue Adventures - Part II.................... 28
Lunar Guide.......................................... 38
Diary of Forthcoming Events................ 38
Competition Comment
Unwitting Sea Rescue..................... 32
Update
New Four-Strokes from Mercury.......... 26
BASS Bulawayo Winter Tournament 2014.................................. 15
NAUZ Celebrates 70 Years at Charara in December.................................... 20
Feature
Pinkies in Rising Water......................... 13
Regular Columns
Editor’s Comment.................................... 3 Mail Bag................................................... 7 Junior Anglers’ Letters............................. 8 Gallery ..................................................... 9
TOYOTA All-Species Tournament..................................... 34
This n That
The Importance of Forage Fish............. 16
National Parks Waterbuck............... 21 Amazing, Wild Kariba BEWARE!....................................... 24
The Way it Was
Kariba’s Hostoric Bush Clearing.... 22 Kariba A Little Nostalgia Part III. Tiger Bay Anecdotes................................ 35
Fact File
Purple-Faced Bream.............................. 18
D E P A RT M E NT S EDITOR IN CHIEF - Anthony M. Williams. SUBSCRIPTION ENQUIRIES - Should be directed to Kylee at: P O Box 6204, Harare, Zimbabwe Tel: (+263-4) 572786/7, Fax: (+263-4) 576706, email: fishunt@zol.co.zw. ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES - Kylee - Zimbabwe - P O Box 6204, Harare, Zimbabwe, Tel: (+263-4) 572786/7, email: fishunt@zol.co.zw. SOUTH AFRICA - AFRICAN SPORTING PUBLICATIONS - Mickey - P O Box 10447 Aston Manor 1630, South Africa, Fax: (+27 11) 3962729, Email: adhunt@mweb.co.za, Fax to Email: 011 252 6107.
COPYRIGHT Copyright of all material is expressly reserved and nothing may be reproduced in part or whole without the express permission of the publishers. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of editorial content the publishers do not accept responsibility for omissions, errors or their consequences. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers, their distributors or representatives, the editor or the represented body. GENERAL - The editor welcomes contributions submitted for publication in The African Fisherman. All work submitted is considered to be done so on a voluntary basis without expectation of financial compensation. Contributors maintain ownership of their work and may publish it elsewhere. By submitting material for publication, authorisation is given to edit by for content, clarity, or brevity. Although all possible care is taken with material submitted, the editor cannot take responsibility for lost articles V o l . 25 3 a gright e 5 to and#photographs. The African Fisherman reserves the right tohttp://www.africanfishermanonline.com all material used, and the right to re publish such material at their discretion. The publishers reservePthe deny the publication of any work for any reason.
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Mail Bag Reader's Letters Dear Editor A lot has been written and said about the damage sport fishermen and woman are doing to the tigerfish in the river. All of us have our theories regarding fishing, with very few being the same! What is required is a scientific study to determine the effects on sport fishing on the tiger population. This would enable us to correct any bad practices currently being used. The question must be asked by all those who enjoy catching the mighty tigerfish, “Am I doing any harm to the species and if so, is there a better method I can employ that will reduce this damage?” I have fished in the lower Zambezi for well over 20 years now and have watched how catches have declined. In those early days, almost no-one that I knew of, released fish. Once caught, they never returned to the river, but were eaten or just discarded. Big Five Safaris - a hunting/ fishing outfit in the Chewore area run by the then manager, Mr Bruss - enforced a ‘catch and release’ system. He was a tiger fisherman of note, that had done most of his fishing in Kariba. In spite of greater numbers of sport fishermen releasing fish, catches are diminishing and I believe there are a number of reasons for this at Chewore, the first being illegal netting down river. Between the local Zimbabweans, the Zambians and the fishermen in Cahora Bassa, the off-take must be huge. All of us have caught fish with gill net cutting into fish that have escaped. Whilst netting has been practised in this stretch of the river for many years, it was generally done for local consumption. It is now done on a commercial basis with the resultant offtake increasing immensely.
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The limit set by the Authorities is five fish per person. I am of the opinion that is way too high. It is not sustainable for every angler to each take five large breeding hens out each day. Before we took over the Chewore Campsite there were groups fishing very hard for profit, taking out any fish caught for sale. This is no longer allowed and all tigerfish MUST be released. The ‘catch and release’ folk, whilst having good intentions (and I have been in this category for a long time), need to re-think their tactics and ask AM I DOING DAMAGE ? We have moved onto Circle hooks at the Lodge and the vast majority of our hookups are in the mouth, not deep down in the gut and it gives me great pleasure knowing that when I release the fish, it WILL survive to fight another day. Getting used to the Circle hooks took some time and experimentation, but it was well worth it in the end. I ask all that visit the campsite to migrate to Circle hooks. It is under consideration that from next year, only Circle hooks will be allowed to be used in the Lodge and Campsite. Alongside Parks, we will be doing whatever we can to reduce illegal netting. We look forward to seeing you all on the river over the next few months. Remember to ask yourself, “Am I doing damage?” If you have any doubt, do try the Circle hooks, it stops that nagging feeling. Terry Kelly Chewore Lodge and Campsite, Zambezi.
into conservation and how they should care for animals. They began years ago with a wonderful collection of mounted “touch” buffalo, warthog and antelope heads etc. Unfortunately when you stroke them too much the hair comes out after a while. Not only that, they have met with accidents over the years and some are in poor shape, especially the buffalo and warthog. We are appealing to you for donations of any old trophies you might no longer want or need, or any other items of interest for a Conservation Education Centre. Anything that would help educate upcoming generations of young Zimbabweans who live in cities, to become aware of their natural heritage and to conserve it. Mukuvisi would be VERY grateful. If you can assist please contact SOAZ on soaz@mweb.co.zw and/or the Chairman of Mukuvisi, Simon Pitt, on payday@ touchstone.co.zw. Many thanks Sally Bown Administration Officer SOAZ/ZPHGA/ZTOA I have arranged to deliver a selection of over 100 past magazines of both African Fisherman and African Hunter for use at the Education Centre as well as various surplus-to-requirement fish mounts I have. It always amazes me how many urban children have not experienced our fish and fauna and hopefully these items will help. I am sure other readers may have items of interest for the Education Centre - Editor
Dear Editor Mukuvisi Woodlands in Harare does a wonderful job educating urban children
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Junior Anglers Letters
Dear Editor My name is Ryder Rousseau. My Dad took my brother, sister and me fishing at Lake Chivero. I caught the first fish of the day, I let it go in my pond because I wanted to keep it forever.
Dear Editor On 23rd and 24th February 2014, my Dad and I went fishing at a farm dam near Chinhoyi. We caught 16 Bass. I caught 6 of them. Many thanks James Wakefield. (10 years old) Dear Editor I have just come back from Kanyemba on the Zambezi where we stayed at Tiger Odyssey. On our last day there, I went fishing in the gorge with the men. After waiting patiently on a long drift my rod finally went “zzzzzzz” ... I wanted to strike but my Dad said wait because the line was coming towards us and heading under the boat. I waited until the line got taut again. When he said “go”, I struck and the rest is history! It took eight minutes to land this monster, we took a photo for evidence, then released him back into the river to grow some more. After I released him, the men congratulated me on biggest fish caught. Logan Stirrup 12 years old
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Gallery Send us your brag and unusual photos
Yesterday I was pulling a knot tight when the line broke and lure hook pegged into my hand! I really had to pull hard to tear it out. I think the emotional shock stopped the pain, though I had to squeeze blood out to clear any germs. I always try to be careful! The wound is healing well - I thank the Lord for that. Could have been worse. I nearly gave up/panicked at the time, but I had to pull it out which was hard to do as it was stuck tight. To leave it longer means possible complications and it will stick fast at the surface causing more pain. I was alone here, no one to help, but that may have been better as for example my sister or cousins would have wanted to take me to hospital. That would have frightened me more! I turned down the suggestion of going for an injection to see how I would feel later or the next day. I think the shock/adrenaline blocked pain and I believe the Lord helped from above with love! I have read of worse hook ups. Regards Michael Everton Port Elizabeth, RSA.
Painted Dogs Spotted in Kariba The Kariba Animal Welfare Trust (KAWFT) has worked tirelessly over the last few years to protect the wildlife in and around Kariba. Aside from their anti-poaching patrols, treatment of wounded and sick animals (often those hit by cars), supplementary feeding of game during the dry months - such as the animals on Antelope Island - and dissemination of information to the Kariba community, their ongoing work with keeping the town and approaches free of litter, is to be commended. Wild Dogs or Painted dogs as they are now known, are a threatened species in Africa, and known to be sensitive to human pressure. Recently, KAWFT reported “We received a call on Sunday 22nd June from Nyasha Chirengende - Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe - who was driving near Nyanyana and he passed some army guys who advised him there were three Painted dogs down by the river. He headed off there swiftly and found there were indeed three Painted dogs!!! This is so exciting as to our knowledge we have not had them this close to Kariba for A LONG TIME and for Nyasha, it was the first time he had seen them in this area.” Apparently, the dogs were three males, which then headed off towards the airport. “Six days later we received another call that the Scholtz kids saw four dogs on the Powerline/Nyaodza road, just before the road goes up into the hills.” Reports KAWFT. “Of the four males, one is a youngster. There could possibly be six or more as there were others in the bush where as these four were on the road. We are hoping to get photos of these from other people that were there and saw them as well. The dogs then headed from there towards Charara Estates.” V o l . 25 # 3
Painted dogs spotted close to Kariba at the Charara turn-off in 2010.
If anyone has had any sightings from Makuti to Kariba, please advise KAWFT as it is of great interest to know and to then pass on the information on to Dr Gregory Rasmussen. Record as much as possible including; DATE – Day, month, year SEEN WHERE - If unable to be exact, area. Example: Makuti to Kariba road approx. half way between Makuti and Kariba. HOW MANY ADULTS OR ADULTS AND PUPS NUMBER OF MALES AND FEMALES PICTURES - that can be sent by email. Any other information you can advise. Please also send all information and any photos to Dr Gregory Rasmussen of Painted Dog Research Trust. Information is vital for research. He is focused specifically from Kazungula to Kanyemba - greg@painteddogresearch.org, Tel (+263-774) 665-390 or Skype: Lycaonp. Alternatively, if you have any photos/videos please compress them in a folder and label it as follows: your email address/date/AM or PM (For example: johnsmith@yahoo. com10July2013AM) and upload the folder to us at: https:// www.transferbigfiles.com/dropbox/gregor17896.
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Dear Editor I sent you photos about two weeks ago asking for an ID on a small fish of about 15cm long caught in Charara, which is very similar to the bigger fish in this photo. Looking in the very old Fishes of Rhodesia, the closest I came across is the Purpleface Largemouth. Is this correct? Incidentally, we must have caught about 10 or 12 in 4-5 hours of fishing at Zebra Island, so they are obviously well established there, all ranging (at a guess) between 200-300grams. Maybe someone can use this information if useful. The book Fishes of Rhodesia is very old and does not have colour photos of all the fish mentioned in the book, so I am still not sure, as there are other types of Largemouth which are in black and white sketches. There was an updated version of this book called the Fishes of Zimbabwe, but at a glance it seems that only the title changed, and possibly some of the text. There has been no upgrade of the colour photo plates or black and white drawings. Do you know if there has been a more recent publication on the fish of Zimbabwe? And if so where could I find one? Regards Muller Ferreira
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Interesting catch, and as suspected, they do seem to be Purpleface largemouth bream (Serranochromis macrocephalus) as confirmed by Dr. Neil Deacon. He comments “Note that this is an upper Zambezi species, which is interesting as none of the other species have established themselves in the Lake. It occurs to me that we are getting more and more photos of `largemouth’ bream which makes me think that the crayfish might be having an impact on the food chain as many of these species prey on crustaceans and molluscs”. See the Fact File information which appears on page 16. As to an up-dated book on Zimbabwe’s fish, our own Professor Brian Marshall published a book “The Fishes of Zimbabwe and Their Biology” which is very comprehensive. I believe there may still be copies at either Master Angler or Feredays in the Borrowdale Village in Harare, as they did have stocks at one time. More information on page 17 too. - Editor.
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Gache Gache’s Pink Hippo Hi Ant I thought you might like to share this tid-bit with your readers… At Gache Gache Lodge on Lake Kariba we have an ALBINO HIPPO that is now about 15 months old, living in the Gache Gache River. It is quite something to see and apparently only one of two in Africa… not sure how true that is. We had a visit from Mike and Kent Davis from Shearwater who named him ERMINTRUDE… We have our own name for him and that is CHIPOLATA!! Kent wrote on their website after his visit “Then sure enough – the Eureka moment: there on the banks ruminating with the rest of the bloat was a truly rare wildlife gem – A 15 month old Pink hippo. It was utterly spellbinding. Never in all my blessed years of being privileged to witness so much of Africa’s wild munificence had I been prepared for the exquisite rarity of a baby albino hippopotamus. Even rarer in the modern world - he seemed totally unaffected by his celebrity status, and the whole family seemed as close knit as any.
Photo: Mike Davis
“It is entirely fitting that the exceptionally dedicated Ray Townsend is the gatekeeper to this phenomenon, ensuring it remains under his ever watchful eye. Shearwater would like to thank Ray for his amazing hospitality and to commend him for his tireless anti-poaching campaign, which has literally revitalised this Kariba tributary into a fishing, bird and wildlife haven. His efforts need support and recognition particularly as he is now the guardian of one of the rarest big game wildlife specimens ever encountered.” Pat Townsend Gache Gache Lodge
SA Cricketers Enjoy Zim Fishing
During their recent tri-nations tour to Zimbabwe, members of the South African Protea cricket team took some time out to enjoy a little R&R on our bass waters. While several of the guys enjoyed a social outing at Darwendale, Dale Steyn took part in one of the inter-club bass leagues hosted by Capital City Chapter at Bhiri dam (downstream of Darwendale) and fished with Clive Harris of the Master Angler in Harare. The dam has been fishing particularly well over the last few months, and the fishing did not disappoint Dale. Says Clive “The very first tree we pulled up to yielded four really good fish, and by lunch time we had lost count of the bass we had caught.” Dale caught some big fish, but not into the double digits Bhiri has produced in recent months. Not satisfied to be teaching Zim’s bass (and cricketers) a lesson, Dale was also able to fit in an excursion to Victoria Falls and the Chobe in Botswana, catching the tigerfish run where he also subdued a number of good fish on surface lures - one over 7kg. Other team members and management visited Chikwenya Safari Lodge on the Zambezi where they too enjoyed a few days tigerfishing. Clive remarked “Dale is a good fisherman, and extremely competitive, even on the water”, while in the background, someone was heard to mumble it might be a good idea to maroon him on one of our dams the next time they visit Zimbabwe’s cricketers. By all accounts, a good time was had by all, and their company enjoyed among the bassers. V o l . 25 # 3
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Dear Editor A group of us were fortunate enough to spend New Year in the magic that is the Save Valley Conservancy in the South of the country. This trip has become somewhat of a tradition for most of us in the group, and being born and raised in Zim, there are few other places we would choose to break in a new year. December/January brings heavy rains to the lowveld and most of our days were spent hiding from the rain in camp. On the days where the sun decided to show itself, we were either out on gamedrives or fishing in the nearby dams. On one of these days we decided to try our hand at fishing for catfish in one of the small, waterhole type dams where ‘maramba’ are in serious abundance. Feet up, drinks in hand, fishing rods in holders, we had spent most of the day hauling in fish after fish, all of notable size, and at times having two or more hookups at once. One member of our group, Jen, was given a new rod and reel for Christmas and was breaking it in nicely as the day went on, often was the case that we would leave our rods in the holders and walk off to get a drink or just stretch the legs, which Jen had done in this case. Hearing a shriek coming from Jen’s direction, we all turned to her to see what the commotion was about, a maramba had taken her bait and had pulled her new setup into the murky, brown water. To be honest, our first reaction was not one of action, it was more of side splitting laughter as we watched the look of despair on Jen’s face as her rod and reel disappeared.
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After a while we had all settled down, resigning ourselves to the fact that the rod and reel were now gone for good when Darren was into another fish, bringing it in, he noticed it was heavier than usual and soon saw that it was tangled up in some fishing line. We managed to trace the fishing line back to a certain purple rod and reel sitting on the dam floor, and after a good 15 minutes, Jen was reunited with her Christmas present, and the fish that nearly got away! One lucky catch...
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Feature By Ant Williams
S
Pinkies in Rising Water
ummer is here, and it is only a matter of time - we hope - before the onset of Southern Africa’s rains, and with it fresh inflows into dams and rising water. For many anglers, the advent of rising water is cause for concern, as fish seem to scatter and the big’uns are hard to find. But it can also be a time of plenty. I love to hunt my fish. Simply sitting in the baking sun hour after hour, line dangling in the water in the hope of “finding” a passing fish, seldom holds my attention for long. Size is rarely an issue for me, though don’t get me wrong, I love hooking and landing those oil-swirling mothers as much as the next man. But when they are not playing, then it is time for a change in tactics. I have written many times that I am a simple fisherman. Yes, I can read... and even write a little bit, but some of my best fishing has been very low-tech - lounging in a deckchair on the shore - perched on high bank sight fishing, or stalking along a river bank casting into back eddies and current breaks. And the best fish for this approach at this time, is arguably the pinkie, redbreast bream or Rendalli (Tilapia rendalli) as it is variously known. While they are an all-year-round fish, taken around the Potamageton, and oxygen weed in places like Kariba and the Zambezi, rising water presents an opportunity to actively hunt these little guys. As Kariba’s waters rise to flood the surrounding shoreline, the red breasted bream flock into the warm shallows to take up residence in this food haven, and present a target rich environment that can fill a keep-net in hours. Lakeside vegetation which has sprung up as the water receded, and soil now rich with animal droppings and other deposits of terrestrial life, draw these little vegetarians, and for those with fond memories of bream fishing with a float as a kid, the pinkies will not disappointed you. Take the kids too, they are sure to be hooked for life.
Literally everywhere shallow bays through the middle and western sections of the lake will soon be inundated creating thousands of acres of submerged grass. Shallow gullies which cris-cross the bush-cleared plains enable one to manoeuvre a boat through the sea of weed, to find the many little lagoons and open “ponds” amongst the tangled mass. The approach of a boat... even under the silent power of an electric motor, will spook the fish into hiding. But, within a few minutes, life around will return to normal. In the pools and clearings among the grass, signs of the quarry materialises as blades of grass twitch, and noisy swirls shatter the surface. On the smaller dams where it is possible to safely walk the lake edge, keeping a low profile so as not to spook the fish, it is possible to cast at visual fish, or the arrowheads cutting the surface as they frolic in the shallows. Any disturbance on the surface will get their attention, and it is not uncommon to have two or three fish fighting over your offering. Porcupine quills work well in these very shallow conditions, while bubble floats and earthworms are old tools for catching them in deeper water. Nice long (8’) whippy rods are great for casting from the shore, and really make the fight something to get the adrenalin flowing. Fishing from a boat in deeper submerged vegetation where the terrestrial grass is now a couple of feet below the surface, the
Most bubble floats are designed to be partially filled with water, enabling them to be cast further, whilst not being too heavy that they sink. Little or no weight is used below the float, and the baited hook drifts free just above the vegetation
Even the littlies put up a good scrap and are fun to catch, even if they never make it to the table
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He probably doesn’t know it, but the area he is wading through is ideal for pinkies combination of bubble float and worms is a trusted technique which almost never fails. Rig a 6’ spinning rod with bubble float, a No.10 hook, and a juicy clump of earthworms, and prepare for some fun. It may take a few attempts to get the rig set correctly, adjusting the depth of the hook to sit just above the thick matted grass, and not in it, as this is important. Too shallow, and the fish may not locate the bait easily, too deep, and they will pull it into the tangled, grassy bottom before one can set the hook. Many of the gullies which run up into the shallow plains and even around islands like Spurwing and Fothergill, and in the Gache Gache basin open out to form little pools which offer the ideal fishing hole. While this technique is better suited to finding deeper sections of grass, as mentioned, do not overlook the very shallow water around islands. Surprisingly big fish seem to forage there, and though only a few inches deep, many such areas will be worth investigating. Finding grass which has not begun to rot, is not too deep, or too shallow, and has some fishable holes, will also produce a keep-net full of pan-size fish in a morning. Often, a little movement of the float to attract their attention and get them feeding on the worm is a good idea. As is so
Flooded areas that open out on the flats are prime spots. Keep an eye on overflying birds, as they will spook shallow fish and identify the best areas. Remember too, your profile against the sky will have these fish scurrying for cover, so a bit of stealth is required P a g e 14
A beautiful fish, both to look at and as table fare. Most fish coming from the shallows are pan-size often the case with this bubble float technique, if the bait is not moving, the fish will not strike. Quite often though, the bite comes as the float stops moving, and the fish can get a hold of the bait. Hard strikes are not necessary, and a gently backward pressure will usually tell you if there is a fish on the other end. If you feel him there - usually pulling the hook in the opposite direction as if engaged in a tug of war, set the hook with a sweeping motion of the rod. If the float bobs around a few times, with no definite movement away from you, or with no actual contact being felt through the rod, the chances are the fish has not got hold of the bait, and striking will just pull the bait away, and spook the fish. Learning to control the urge to strike, and how to feel if the fish has a good mouthful of hook, is challenging, but once accomplished, it is not easily forgotten. Red breast are spirited fighters, and will put up a scrap worthy of their size. On light tackle, and even light line, they can be challenging and most enjoyable. For those fishing inland dams like Chivero where a good many submerged ant-hills still dot the lake, target these with lightweight tackle, a quill and flying ants. Casting just over the crest of the ant hill, retrieve the bait slowly to sit close to the crest, often near the water line... and wait. This visual-type fishing is exciting and most rewarding.
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Competition Comment By Maureen Youngman
BASS Bulawayo Winter Tournament 2014
B
ass Bulawayo held its annual Winter Tournament at Inyankuni Dam on the 14th & 15th June 2014. Luckily due to the better rains last year the dam was sitting just above 30% capacity as opposed to the paltry 5% last year, hence we were able to field 31 two man teams this year. Last year was by invitation only due to the low water level. The teams consisted of 13 ladies, six juniors and 43 men. Weather conditions were very good - lovely winter sunshine but very chilly in the mornings, with no mist. Fishing was difficult but most teams managed to weigh in fish, albeit not very big ones. Size limit was 30cm and the largest bass of the tournament was caught by Ian Beatty with a weight of 1.690kg. Ladies largest bass was caught by Kerry Stewart – 1.095kg and the junior largest bass of 1.04kg was caught by Travis James. Bass Bulawayo were very fortunate to have ING-CO t/a Viking Hardware as their main sponsor again this year and the prize table held an amazing array of tools, hardware, paints and Easy Sheds, with grateful thanks to Shlomo Lepar. The ladies were not left out with fishing gear, jewellery and the odd “lady like” tool. All the juniors received fishing gear courtesy
of “World of Fishing” in North Cliff, Johannesburg. Thanks to Steve & Zara Engelbrecht for the lovely discounts. All anglers were catered for on the Friday and Saturday nights by Servcor, who produced lovely hot meals on both nights, leaving the competitors free to socialize and spin lots of fishing stories. The winning team was the Bass Bulawayo duo of James Crawford and Kevin Taylor with a total weight of 8.650kg. This is the fourth time this team have won the tournament. Second place was taken by another Bass Bulawayo team – Marc De Villiers and Ian Paterson with a total weight of 8kg. Third place was Ian & Kevin Rae with 7.245kg. The men’s Individual Aggregate went to James Crawford with 8.290kg. Ladies aggregate went to Natalie Adlam with 2.030kg, and the best junior angler was Raymond De Villiers with 2.495kg. The Bass Bulawayo Winter Tournament is one of the best bass tournaments held in the Matabeleland region and has been taking place for more than 40 years now. It always has a wonderful prize table and a great atmosphere, and we look forward to our next tournament on 13th & 14th June 2015. Why not come join us?
BASS BULAWAYO WINTER TOURNAMENT RESULTS 2014 Junior Winning Team Mark & Daniel Stockenstrom Junior Individual Aggregate Raymond De Villiers 2.495kg Junior Biggest Bass Travis James 1.040kg 1st Place Senior/Junior Team Etienne & Raymond De Villiers 4.435kg Ladies Winning Team T. Paterson & D. Kendal-Ball 0.475kg Ladies 1st Place Individual Aggregate Natalie Adlam 2.030kg Ladies Biggest Bass Kerry Stewart 1.095kg 1st Place Male/Female Team Dave & Natalie Adlam 4.35kg Men’s 1st Place Individual Aggregate James Crawford 8.290kg Men’s Biggest Bass Ian Beatty 1.690kg Top 5 Teams 5th Team Overall 4th Team Overall 3rd Team Overall 2nd Team Overall 1st Team Overall
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Bruce Collin & John Gibbons Ian Beatty & Gary James Ian & Kevin Rae Marc De Villiers & Ian Paterson James Crawford & Kevin Taylor
4.820kg 6.305kg 7.245kg 8kg 8.650kg
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This
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The Impor tance of Forage Fish An article published by IGFA examines the importance of bait fish both to man and to the food chains they support, and looks closely at the economics of harvesting the smaller fishes of the ocean, or leaving them in their respective food chains for the betterment of the more significant species we as humans do utilize. This discussion and the theories can be applied to inland waters too, especially those that support viable and productive sport fisheries, which are capable of producing significant cash flows and employment to surrounding communities. Better utilising the sport fishing resource is also likely to release pressure off the environment as a whole, aiding in conservation of natural habitats. value when left in the water as forage for larger predators. We have no idea what their economic contribution is to important recreational fisheries? It’s time that these little fish were recognized for the big impact that they have on other recreational and commercially important species. Fisheries managers need to take into consideration their natural role in marine ecosystems to ensure that we are not robbing the ocean of food for its larger predatory species. IGFA has begun working with a number of other organizations to highlight new science on forage fish and to elevate their importance to fisheries managers so that they can be better conserved and managed.
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ome of the world’s largest fisheries are for small, short lived species such as menhaden, anchovies and sardines. While some of these fish are consumed directly by humans, most of these fisheries reduce their catch to fish and animal feed and fish oil for everything from vitamins to cosmetics. Some of these species are managed and have sufficient data to assess the health of stocks and determine how much fish can be harvested. Others have little to no data, making sustainable management difficult. However, these small fish also have another important role in nature. They represent a critical link in ocean food webs because they feed on plankton, which produce energy from the sun, and they transfer this energy to seabirds, marine mammals, and larger fish such as tuna, salmon, and cod. As such, fisheries managers need to consider not only how many of these “forage fish” can be extracted from the ocean for human use, but also how many fish need to be left in the water as food for other fish. New and emerging science has demonstrated that these little fish have a big impact, indeed. One study reported that, of all the ecosystems studied, 75% had at least one key predator species whose diet consisted of at least 50% or more of forage fish. 29% of the ecosystems studied had at least one major predator that had a diet that consisted of 75% or more of forage fish species. Therefore, when forage fish stocks decline from over fishing so do predatory species that feed heavily on them. Globally, commercial forage fish fisheries have an economic impact of $5.6 billion dollars, annually. However, the supportive value of forage fish - or their subsequent benefit to larger, commercially important fish when left in the water - is $11.3 billion. In other words, forage fish have a higher economic P a g e 16
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20 Walter Hill Avenue, Eastlea. Tel: (04) 791 531 / 799 632 Mobile: 0773 358 255 Email: kevin@insure.co.zw
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Fact File
Purple-faced bream Serranochromis macrocephalus (Boulenger, 1899)
Description Diagnostic features: relatively long pectoral fins; dark vertical bars on body. Serranochromis macrocephalus is a relatively stocky fish with a straight predorsal profile and a large mouth with well-spaced large conical teeth. It can be distinguished from S. robustus by its relatively long pectoral fins (23–29% SL), and the dark vertical bars that are generally present on its body. Females are usually olive brown or yellowish with grey bars, while males have a red flush on the soft parts of the dorsal, anal and caudal fins. Breeding males become a dark olive colour with a purple flush on the top and sides of the head. There are a variable number of large brownish egg spots on the anal fin, and their form and pattern are diagnostic for this species. The spots become bright red with white edges during the breeding season. The species grows to about 35cm SL and a weight of about 1.5kg. Distribution The upper and middle Zambezi, Cunene, Okavango and Kafue systems, as well as some southern tributaries of the Congo. In Zimbabwe purple-faced bream occur in the upper and middle Zambezi and it are now abundant and widespread in all parts of Lake Kariba, having grown from a small population restricted to the western part of the lake during the 1960s. The two serranochromines supposedly collected from Sawmills (Gwayi River, Middle Zambezi) may have been of this species, although Gilchrist and Thompson (1917) identified them as S. angusticeps. If the were S. macrocephalus then this supports the view that they were present in the western Middle Zambezi before Lake Kariba was created. The species is now also established in the Zambezi River below Kariba and will probably invade the rest of the system (Marshall, 1998). Feeding The diet of this species in the upper Zambezi consisted primarily mormyrids, followed by cichlids; small specimens (15cm SL) consumed more Barbus spp. (27%) and fewer cichlids (22%) compared to larger ones (Barbus spp. = 7%, cichlids = 34%). Some insects were also taken (van der Waal, 1985). In Lake Kariba juveniles (7cm SL) fed on fish (62% occurrence), crustaceans (20%) and chironomid larvae (24.5%) as well as other insects, and 48% of the fish examined had algae in their stomachs, possibly ingested when they were catching other prey (L. Mhlanga, 2000). Reproduction Males and females both reached sexual maturity at 15cm SL P a g e 18
and spawned during the summer months (van der Waal, 1985; Winemiller, 1991). A sample of females with an average length of 23.8cm produced an average of 810 eggs per fish, although some larger females produced up to 1200 eggs Growth and mortality In Lake Liambezi S. macrocephalus grew to about 22cm SL in two years but the growth rate slowed down after that, with the fish reaching only 30cm after eight years. The early growth rate was similar on the upper Zambezi floodplain, but older fish seemed to grow faster than they did in Lake Liambezi, although only a few were collected and this conclusion may not be correct. Angling and eco nomic importance Serranochromis macroephalus is becoming more important as
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a commercial species in Lake Kariba, where in 1997 it made up 3.0% of the Zambian catch and 1.6% of the Zimbabwean catch; the difference is probably because the Zambians use smallermeshed nets (Songore et al., 1998). In the upper Zambezi it made up 2–5% of the catch (Bell-Cross, 1974). Anglers frequently catch them in Lake Kariba where they take worms used as bait for tilapias, but most specimens are too small to be of much interest. Zimbabwe angling record: 0.582kg, Lake Kariba, 1999 (G. Mitchell). Zimbabwe spearfishing record: 0.550kg, Lake Kariba, 1977 (D. Kenmuir).
The other Serranochromis Species
Nembwe Description: Nembwe (Serranochromis robustus robustus) Diagnostic features: deep body; relatively short pectoral fins; small anal fin spots restricted to posterior part of fin. Serranochromis robustus robustus is a heavy-set fish with a deep robust body, especially in large specimens, with a wide mouth and large, well-spaced conical teeth. It can be distinguished from S. macrocephalus by its relatively short (19– 23% SL) pectoral fins and a deep olive horizontal band running the length of the body. Juveniles are very bass-like in appearance but can be separated from all Micropterus species by their continuous, not deeply indented, dorsal fin also by their colour pattern — the solid, longitudinal, dark band. Adults are generally olive to bright green in colour, with a dark olive band running the length of the body. The fins are olive in colour and the dorsal and caudal fins have a yellow to orange (sometimes whitish) margin. The anal fin has small orange to red egg spots, sometimes outlined in white with a brown to black outside border, concentrated in the top, posterior half of the fin. This also helps to distinguish it from S. macrocephalus, which has large spots distributed all over the anal fin. In Zimbabwe breeding males become darker olive in colour with a bright yellow flush on the belly, and the anal fin spots become brighter in colour. They also develop a bluish sheen on their backs and are known as ‘big blues’ by anglers (Minshull). Nembwe grow to about 45cm SL and 3.5kg in weight, although a specimen weighing 6.1 kg was reputedly caught in the upper Zambezi. (There is some doubt about this record. Jubb (1967) cited it from a report in the Northern Rhodesia Journal, 1958, but this report cannot be traced in that journal.)
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Thinface Description: Thinface (Serranochromis angusticeps) Diagnostic features: laterally compressed head and body, concave head profile, speckle head, mouth and anterior body. Serranochromis angusticeps has a greatly compressed head and body with a large, protrusible mouth angled at about 40–55° and relatively fine, small conical teeth. The head profile is distinctly concave, although not to the same extent as in S. altus. The diagnostic feature of this species, not found in any other member of the genus, is the speckled head, mouth and anterior portion of the body. These speckles vary in colour from brown to red and there are four brownish lines that radiate from the eye. The body is light olive to brown dorsally, fading in intensity on the flanks and shading to a pinkish or off-white belly. Breeding males have a bright yellow head and a blue-grey dorsal and caudal fin, each with dark brown spots. The dorsal and upper part of the caudal fin is edged with red. The anal fin is yellowish with orange egg-spots, each with a cream outline. The species grows to about 40cm SL and about 2.5kg in weight.
Humpback Description: Humpback (Serranochromis altus) Diagnostic features: deeply concave head profile; no speckles on head and anterior body. Serranochromis altus is a distinctive species, with a very deep body and a characteristic deeply concave head profile. The mouth is large and extremely protrusible with 4–6 rows of closeset conical teeth. It is olive brown in colour with silvery flanks; each scale has a brown centre giving it a chequered appearance. The head is plain but has dark spots on the fins and the dorsal and caudal fins have yellow or orange margins. The anal fin is yellowish with rows of large pink egg-spots. It grows to about 41cm SL and 2kg in weight. S. altus can be separated from S. angusticeps by a less compressed head and no rusty red spots on the body.
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Competition Comment Submitted by Denise Rae
T
N A U Z C e l e b r a t e 7 0 Ye a r s a t Charara in December
he National Anglers Union of Zimbabwe will be celebrating their 70th anniversary this year with an informal fishing get together staged from the NAUZ Charara site at Kariba. Known as the “70th Celebration All Species”, Denise Rae the NAUZ Chairperson said “It has come about due to the Namibia Light Tackle Boat section not been able to host the Zone 6 in December, and therefor our National and Presidents teams will not be fishing this year. It was decided that as a Union we need to get our anglers fishing more and we are encouraging all NAU members to participate along with National and Provincial Colour holders in an event which will celebrate our milestone anniversary.” Anglers will not be required to pay any kind of an entry fee, but are requested to bring along two (or more) prizes which will be put into the hat for gifts to lucky and good anglers. The event will be fished over the 7,8,9 of December 2014 at the Charara site. Anglers looking for more information or entry details can contact the following on any of the email addresses seen on the flyer on the right hand side.
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Email fishunt@zol.co.zw, adhunt@mweb.co.za
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This
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National ParksWaterbuck
W
e recently received the following query on Facebook page - “Why was the waterbuck chosen as the [National Parks] insignia dating back from the era of the old Rhodesian Department of National Parks and Wildlife Managements as their official logo, and, which has subsequently been carried forward to the Zimbabwe era? What was its significance to be actually chosen as the face of the badge itself? I could be wrong here, but I seem to remember that the explorer David Livingstone had some correlation to the choice”. One would think there was a logical and easy-to-find answer... but not so. Several e-mails were circulated to those who might remember, or who worked at Parks during one of its various eras. One such commentator speculated that the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management’s inaugural director Graham Child did his PhD on the waterbuck. A former parks warden believed that it was because the waterbuck was plentiful around Hwange Main Camp and also in all the country’s other national parks, and maybe it was because the waterbuck was so strongly associated by the media with the Operation Noah wildlife rescue mission as Lake Kariba filled. Well known conservationist and former Parks warden Ron Thomson believed it was chosen in the mid-1970s at about the time the new Parks and Wildlife Act came into force because no other wildlife authority in Africa was using this animal as a logo at that time and that Archie Fraser had a lot to do with the choice. Graham Child’s doctorate was NOT about Waterbuck. It was on the large game in the Lake Kariba Basin, prior to the lake filling up. Ron also confirmed it had nothing to do with Operation Noah,
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which was purely an operation conducted by the old Southern Rhodesian Game Department. Steve Edwards who now operates Musango Safari Camp on Kariba, says “When I joined the Department in 1972 as a young cadet ranger - all of 16 years old - I, like many of my ilk wondered why we had a waterbuck head as an emblem on our badge. Surely an elephant or a lion or a buffalo would be more suitable ? “The story I was told is that before the Department of National Parks and Wild life Management was formed in 1964, there were three wild life-associated departments within the government - the Game Department (formed in 1952 as part of the Department of Mines and Lands), the Department of National Parks and I think the Conservation Department or the Natural Resources Board not sure here though. These three departments were amalgamated under new legislation in 1964 to form the Department of National Parks and Wild life Management. Each obviously had their own badge. The decision to adopt the waterbuck’s head was due mainly to other game departments throughout Africa already having elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, etc., and we needed to be distinctly different. “The waterbuck occurs throughout Zimbabwe and within most of the ex-game reserves and ex-National Parks and protected areas - it was a choice to signify a species that was synonymous with and common throughout. And as part of the amalgamation of the three departments.” So, it would seem that is why Kobus ellipsiprymnus was chosen to symbolize what has now metamorphosed into Zimbabwe’s National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
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The Way
I
it
Was
Kariba’s Historic Bush Clearing
t is always fascinating to see the remnants of the huge old chain links used for bush clearing operations still seen at certain places around Kariba. Reminders of a distant past, they were linked to bulldozers and massive steel balls, and were dragged through the bush, swatting down any and all trees in their paths. Only certain areas of Lake Kariba were cleared, in preparation for commercial net fishing zones envisioned by the planners, which today still form attractive features for sport fishermen targeting tigerfish. The accompanying pictures were taken by Mr. T.G. Vorster who was contracted at the time to clear certain areas. His son
Mike writes “The photos were taken by my father whose company undertook the contracts for the bush clearing on the southern side of Lake Kariba. I was on the job as a 16 or 17 year old attending Churchill School at the time.” Caught for posterity by British Pathe, newsreel footage, the internet has various videos on Kariba and the various preparation and construction stages. Follow the link below to view this and other related reports. - http://www.britishpathe. com/video/new-methods-clear-bush/query/kariba Subscribers to African Fisherman’s digital magazine, CLICK HERE.
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1. They chopped the trees down by Axe only to discover that when the water rose and they got their feet wet, they just fell down. 2. The catamaran that we used to take people, supplies and machines up to the work sites after the lake started to rise and the access roads we built were cut off. 3 & 5. The chain that was dragged behind the tractors to pull down the trees. A section of this is on display at Bumi Hills reception area. 4. The Coffer dam being flooded. 6. Kariba fishing in 1959. 7. The little Piper Tri-Pacer planes that were used to fly spare parts and people back and forth. 8. The runway Mr Vorster built at Bumi near their base camp. 9. An offloading point on the Sanyati River taken from one of the supply planes. 10. The Contractor’s sign for bush clearing at Kariba. Email fishunt@zol.co.zw, adhunt@mweb.co.za
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This
n
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Amazing, Wild Kariba
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! E R A BEW
terrible tragedy played out on the shores of Lake Kariba in September. A deck hand from a mooring houseboat, leapt ashore to secure the mooring lines, and while doing so, was attacked and killed by lions. The death of the crew member as a result of a seemingly simple task, which is played out hundreds of times a month around the lake, represents the greatest loss but is not the only casualty in this affair. The lions themselves were part of an ongoing, comprehensive research program into Matusadona’s lion population and ironically were being monitored by researchers shortly before the attack took place, setting the scene for all the players in this malady, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. ALERT, who are carrying out the research, made an official statement shortly after the attack on September 4th, stating “ALERT’s Principle Researcher for the Matusadona Lion Project was tracking lionesses from the Eastern Pride in the Mucheni area. A visual was obtained at 5pm and they were followed as they headed south west to the other side of the peninsula they were on. After losing visual contact the
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researcher anticipated their movements and waited at a look-out point some distance away. At this time a houseboat was arriving into the nearby bay. Just after 6pm - when lions are often at their most active - shouting was heard from the houseboat and our researcher arrived at the scene within 10 minutes to find an employee had been attacked by the lions.” Matusadona is a National Park, and due to its location and general lack of infrastructure, is a very wild area. Few people realise that within this amazingly beautiful and rugged wilderness, danger lurks at every turn. It was only a few years back, that the team of boaters participating in the annual “Turbo Challenge” - which sees owners of Turbo Glass boats crossing the lake from west to east, and back again - nearly lost one of their team to lions while camping at Tashinga, the National Parks camp area on the shores of the lake. While crocodiles have been much in the limelight recently, visitors to the lake, and especially those fishing and mooring along the Matusadona shoreline should be more aware of the dangers there. Not only lion, but buffalo, elephant - and if you
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are really fortunate (or unfortunate as the case may be) rhino could be lethal if encountered while on the shore. The researcher at the scene did try to intervene, but with dark approaching the lions were emboldened and not easily chased off. They say “Using the research vehicle the lions were driven off the victim but first aid unfortunately could not be given as the lions remained in too close proximity. The man sadly passed away at the scene. Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority scouts arrived shortly after, and with their help, as well as that of a paramedic on the houseboat, the victim’s body was safely retrieved.” Very sad indeed. Two lionesses, known within the Matusadona Lion Project study as F106, “Gogo”, and F114, “Ngoda”, were subsequently destroyed by Park’s staff following this incident. There was no evidence to suggest either of these lions was injured or ill prompting them to attack a human. It is believed because the victim was moving alone at night in the bushes he may have approached the lions unknowingly and presented an opportunity
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the lions did not ignore. The lazy, lounging and even playful demeanour of daylight lions change dramatically when night falls. Under cover of darkness, lions become the supreme predator and hunter. If for whatever reason visitors need to be on shore in a National Park at night, be sure to have a bright light or torch and move in a group if possible. Lions are afraid of few things at night, but light is one thing which will invariable make them wary. ALERT’s project is no doubt hampered by the incident too, and they comment “This has been a huge blow for the Park, the lion population and the study, however the real tragedy is in the loss of the victim. Our deepest sympathies and thoughts are with his family left behind.” More information on the incident and ALERT can be gained from their website - http://www.lionalert.org/article/ Matusadona_Lion_Project_Update.
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Update
New Four-Strokes from
B
runswick Marine have announced the introduction of their new 80, 100 and 115hp FourStroke outboards, which despite their low profile (and lowest weight in the industry in this HP segment), feature a 2.1-litre, four-cylinder, eight-valve, single-overhead-cam design that delivers more torque and horsepower. The new Mercury FourStroke engines are built with the same architecture as the reliable and popular Mercury 150 FourStroke to ensure they start and run consistently and last longer no matter what conditions they face. These new outboards are heralded as the industry’s easiest to maintain, with an exclusive lifetime maintenance-free valve train, no-mess oil-change system, no tools-required fuel filter, colour-coded maintenance locators and an up-front freshwater valve flush system. An all-new, hydro dynamically designed standard gearcase (with a 2.07:1 gear ratio) decreases drag to improve efficiency and performance, increasing operating range. Boasting improved overall performance and docking manoeuvrability for heavier boats, added thrust and holding power for low planing speeds or overall holding in rough waters, the new robust Mercury Command Thrust gearcase delivers unequalled control and power for heavier boats or boats that tend to operate
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with more hull surface remaining in contact with the water. The Command Thrust models use the same bigger gearcase housing as the Mercury 150 FourStroke, but with an all-new 2.38:1 gear ratio. In a recent press release Mercury state “It’s the first true oversized gearcase in the industry for outboards in this horsepower range. heavy boats and boats with less efficient hulls benefit from the gearcase’s ability to quickly lift a hull out of the water, resulting in greater acceleration and superior ability to hold plane at slower speeds. There’s even a 115hp Command Thrust model with lefthand rotation for improved handling and docking in dual-engine installations.” This new engine lineup was engineered and manufactured to provide the smoothest, quietest ride and feature Mercury’s anticorrosion protection that includes Mercury’s exclusive XK360 low-copper alloy, stainless steel components and the MercFusion paint process, which is engineered specifically for the harshest marine environments. Mercury backs up its world-class corrosion protection with an industry-exclusive three-year factory-backed limited warranty. For more information in Zimbabwe, visit their Agents/ distributors at Chase Marine in Bulawayo, or mail them at sales@ chasemarine.com or land line (+263-9) 68502,70376.
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Special Feature Compiled by Ant Williams, in association with Clive Harris and Derek Hinde
I I t r a P s e r tu n e v d A e fu a K
T
he Kafue River is one of Africa’s little known angling gems. A major tributary of the Zambezi, few of us get to experience it other than at the point where it enters the Zambezi not far from Chirundu. Rising on the northern Zambian border, much of its course is inaccessible, and those roads that exist, are often bad, vehicle breaking dirt and black cotton soil, a fact which discourages most would-be visitors. Information is generally scarce too, but for those who accept the challenge, the fishing for Africa’s mighty nembwe and other largemouth bream, is unmatched anywhere. Over the last few years, Clive Harris (of the Master Angler tackle shop in Harare) and good friend, Derek Hinde, have travelled to Zambia to fish the Kafue at various junctions, searching for the ever elusive mix of accessibility, unspoiled river and usable infrastructure - accommodation, fuel etc. Their first two visits were covered in the last issue - Volume 25 No.2 and detailed their trip to Kafue River Camp close to the northern boundary of the Kafue National Park, and then to Musungwa Lodge at Itezhi Tezhi dam. In this issue, we cover their final visit to a place called Namwala downstream of the dam. The primary specie has been the largemouth breams Serranochromis - most notably the nembwe (Serranochromis robustus), yellow belly or robbie as it is known, but has included thinface largemouth (Serranochromis augusticeps), P a g e 28
humpback largemouth (Serranochromis altus) and the African pike (Hepsetus odoe). Interestingly, tigerfish do not occur in the Kafue system, a bonus when fishing the types of lures traditionally employed for the largemouth bream - plugs, jigs and plastics. The Kafue is fascinating and with a basin area of 157000km², is interspersed with varied river terrain. Along its course, it feeds farms - both small and large-scale, supplies the copper mining industry, and through its two dams - Itezhe Tezhi and Kafue Dam - provides hydro electricity. Its many swamps, dambos, flood plains and wetlands make for rich and
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diverse Flora and Fauna quite unique on the African continent. Having fished two very different locations along the Kafue, Namwala seemed to offer the easiest road access and with Itezhi Tezhi so close, fuel (costs around $2/litre) and provisions would not be a problem. With help of some Zambian farming friends, accommodation too was located. Clive writes “The lodge in Namwala (contact the owner - Mr. Evans Banda on telephone +260 979 412 791) is basic but comfortable - clean sheets, hot
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showers, self catering - but take your cooking/camping gear. At K200 (around US$35) per day per lodge for two people sharing, it is very affordable. One can beach the boat right at the chalet at night, safe with all-night security guards.” There is also a good concrete launching ramp at the Fisheries Department at Namwala. Alternatively, some devoted Zambian anglers keep an eye on water levels, and once the river is off the flood plain, they range an area downstream of Namwala, driving across the plain and simply camping at likely spots. Derek has done this too, and says it offers a great and inexpensive option, which was comfortable and safe. Nearest fuel at Namwala is at Itezhi Tezhi which is about 60km by road, or can be reached via boat and a taxi ride to the fuel station with a chigub - but also about 80km by boat. “We did fill up at Choma on our trip in” says Clive. One is not right on the Kafue, but several winding channels through the lagoons connect to the main river. Clive continues “It’s about 8-10km to the main river, and easy to navigate, just follow the current. The water level in this section of the Kafue is controlled by discharge from Itezhe Tezhi, about 80km upstream. In May the water is high and during our visit, was still flowing into the lakes and dambos of the flood plain. The river is wide and winding and up to 20 feet deep on the outside river bends where the current is strongest. Vegetation is thick on both banks and consists of huge waterberry trees, a variety of thorn bushes, reeds and grasses. Again a fully equipped bass boat is ideal with a good trolling motor to hold position in the strong current.” While pike are an interesting species to catch in the Kafue, and abundant, and other bream will be caught, the Kafue is really for the purist nembwe fisherman. The Upper Zambezi above Victoria Falls does produce largemouth bream, though they are not as prolific, and due to the easy access, under greater pressure, both from sport and commercial fisherman. “We caught only Nembwe - mostly big males, three to five pounds.” says Clive. “Our most productive spots were the vertical clay banks, pitching 3/8oz. weedless jigs (black/red) dressed with a red craw trailer. Some bites occur visually only inches from the surface and the mud bank - real heart stopping stuff! Often a missed strike will result in a second bite as the fish are very aggressive and super quick giving an amazing fight when hooked.” Tackle consisted of seven foot, medium heavy G Loomis bait casting rods with a Curado E-7 reel spooled with 14lb clear fluorocarbon. Clive reminds anglers “Remember to re-tie often as these robbies have extra long, sharp teeth, perhaps they have adapted to eating the red claw cray?” The largemouth bream are a sensitive and finite species. Experience has shown, that it is entirely possible to deplete nembwe in an area within a few days by over-fishing it. Catch and release is the name of the game, and few Zambians will be impressed with the “cooler-box brigade” exploiting this amazing sport fish. Respect their home waters and leave as good visitors, safeguarding this pristine resource for those who follow. Space does not allow truly comprehensive coverage of all that is the Kafue, but a visit or call to Clive will be most informative (+263-4-885660). The Kafue has much to offer the adventure angler, though accommodation and access points need careful research. Most access points require a night stopover at Kariba or Livingstone (if travelling through the Falls),
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Route to Namwala: This trip was done in a day, leaving Harare at 3am and driving through Chirundu. After the border, turn left on T1 to Mazabuka, through Choma, then north west 170km to Namwala. This is the easiest route to access the Kafue, tar road all the way and completed in one full day from Harare.
AN OVERVIEW OF KAFUE RIVER COURSE The river follows a course of approximately 960 kilometres, rising on the Congo/Zambia border close to Kipushi (near Lubumbashi in the Congo), it makes its way southward and before it reaches the Copperbelt towns, it loses its wide flood plain narrowing to 30–40 metres and meanders less.
and expect a full day’s travel on the Zambian side. Alternatively, Lusaka would be a good stopping point before proceeding to the river. The main Livingstone-Lusaka highway is a busy road, so expect to take it easy. As to which area was best, Derek says “Both have their points. I think the lower section has better fish, but the upper section is very different and interesting and there is still much to learn of both sections, so my advice – fish them both!!!” Clive says their first trip to the upper Kafue and in the game park was the best. “Here, you really feel like you are in the wilderness... no noise, no sounds of trees being chopped, no people to speak of, and no litter! The river is spectacular and fishing not bad. Added to which, the bird life and game is amazing.” says Clive.
The character of the river forms a less meandering dry-season channel with sandy banks and islands. Continuing south-west it enters the Kafue National Park, and then skirts the south-east edge of the Busanga Plain, then south through Chunga before turning east as it passes through the Itezhi Tezhi Gap, the site of the Itezhe Tezhe dam wall. Below Itezhe Tezhe dam, the river flows sluggishly across a flat plain called the Kafue Flats and for the third time develops intricate meanders in a maze of swampy channels and lagoons. This time however it also has an immense shallow flood plain which no roads or railways cross, 240km long and about 50km wide, flooded to a depth of less than a metre in the rainy season (deeper in some lagoons and permanently swampy areas), and drying out to a clayey black soil in the dry season. The Kafue Flats are the third major wildlife area of the river. Tens of thousands of Kafue lechwe live on the Kafue Flats and are adapted to wading the flood. The area also has one of the greatest variety and concentrations of birds in the world. The Lochinvar and Blue Lagoon National Parks have been established on the flats. The Kafue Flats end at Kafue town and from there, as the rift valley gets deeper, the river drops 550m over 60km through the Kafue Gorge. The Kafue Gorge Dam backs up through part of the gorge back toward the Kafue Flats. Beyond the Kafue Dam, the river meanders little and eventually finds its way to the Zambezi about 60km away. Tiger fishing is often very good at the confluence, as the tiger and other species enjoy the nutrient rich waters of the Kafue.
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This
n
That
By Sandy Innes
Unwitting Sea Rescue
T
he mention of the island of Margaruque in Mozambique, brings to mind the time I went there first before Joe Kennedy had opened up a nice hotel. The wife and I went to the islands and set up our camp. I went in my own boat and arranged supplies and equipment to be taken over with a dhow, there was another couple there and the two wives soon got together as I’d arranged with the husband - also an angler - to come with me, as he’d no boat. One afternoon we got back to our camp quite early, and whilst enjoying a beer we heard my wife who’d gone with his wife – collecting shells etc shouting – “Sandy! Sandy!” quite some distance along the beach. We ran towards them to be told, by my wife “I saw someone way out in the sea wave to us – and heard a shout for help”. We looked seawards and saw nothing, however, my wife insisted and begged me to go out with my boat and look, she was so adamant, and positive about the matter that I went and took the boat down in the direction she’d indicated. I did a couple of long circles and then said to my friend, “The tank is nearly empty, but I’ll do one more circle” and glory be! There in the water we spotted two persons, young ‘men’ one supporting his companion who was unconscious. We soon lifted the boys into the boat and sped for home, where the wives were anxiously waiting. We soon had the boys in bed and tended to – and marvelling at the good luck of finding them. Thanks to the excellent ears of my wife Dorothy. The following morning I was up early and the boys told us the whole story about what happened the previous day. The transom of their boat had broken off and they’d lost the big motor. However the boat was still afloat and they could see the main road leading towards Inhambane, so thinking they could swim to the main land – they both dived in – to go ashore to seek help. However, they didn’t realize how strong the current was and they were soon swept further away from the shore, and found themselves in difficulties. Thinking their life jackets were holding them from swimming to the shore they abandoned them, which was a fatal mistake, because the current simply swept them seawards – until hours later, the one boy was too exhausted and could not stay afloat. His companion who was much stronger, took him in the classic life saving position across his chest, and they floated along together until they were swept past the island of Margaruque where my wife Dorothy spotted them – and I managed to find them and rescue both with my boat “NEMBWE”. Very fortunate. Meanwhile another angler – also staying at the town of Inhambane saw the disabled boat and towed it home. Fortunately the Portuguese coastal government boat was still in operation then (around 1972) and the parents with the coast guards made a search and I spotted them and waved a towel to attract them to us. I shall never again witness such a reunion that brought tears to our eyes. P a g e 32
Earlier on during that trip with my wife, while travelling from Beira to Jo’burg I was called upon by the manager of the Zavora hotel early one morning, to go to the help of people who were drifting about a mile offshore – sitting on the keel of a capsized boat. I’d had my jog before breakfast and noticed a life saving rig all in good order. Anyhow I got the rig pulled up by some onlookers and fixed about 200 yards along the beach to where the boat with the two people sitting on the keel hanging on to each other were. I stripped off and with the life belt on my shoulder, I swam out to the boat, with the rope – intending to tie it to the front, so as to have the boat towed in by the watching crowd. The man on the boat, an elderly fellow – shouted “No! No! Man. Take Lady Olive off first!” Anyhow I did as he asked and the lady safely tucked in my arm, I was pulled to shore. I turned and swam back to the boat as people attended to the lady, and tied the rope to the boat giving a signal to the crowd to pull us ashore. Amidst much back slapping etc, I then put my pants on and went back to our camp, where my wife was wondering where has he been? Later on a message was delivered to me – it simply said – “Sir Hugh and Lady Olive request you to join them for drinks and dinner.” Only then did I realize whom I’d rescued. He was then Chief Justice of Southern Rhodesia, and the fishing camp located on the Zambezi known as Olive Beadle, named after his wife. For years after – Sir Hugh never forgot to send us a Christmas card. Also when I told him about the young lad I’d rescued, on the same trip – he asked me to contact the man who’d been with me when I pulled the boys out, and young Keith was given the “Meritorious Conduct Medal” by Clifford Dupont, then president of Rhodesia. It happened a long time ago. When things were good!
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Competition Comment Submitted by Tom Oxden-Willows
TOYOTA All-Species Tournament - Olive Beadle, Zambezi
T
he annual Toyota All Species held from Olive Beadle Fishing Camp attracted 56 anglers who fished an area from the Pump station to the Gwaai River mouth on the Zambezi River. The very windy conditions at the time surprisingly did not appear to bother a few anglers who managed to weigh in some good mixed bags. This all species event is deliberately geared to encourage mixed male female teams to participate and was won for the third time in succession by team “B.L.T.C. TOYOTA IRA” Vic and Jo Ireland. The overall winning team was an all male team Mike Querl and Graeme Jansen van Vuuren who between them scored a massive 523.302 points. Notable catches were a 2.615 nkupe by Ian Rae, a 1.715kg Kariba bream by Dave Hunt, a 9.105kg barbel by Simplisio Shamba, a chessa of 1.230kg by Denise Rae and a Cornish jack of 5.030kg by Graeme Jansen van Vuuren. Chessa were difficult to get which was unusual, as September is usually a good time for them. Barbel was the most prolific catch. Although tigerfish were on the bite the incessant wind made fishing for them difficult. Hosts of the event Bulawayo Light Tackle Club would like to thank all the anglers for their festive spirit especially at the prize giving and a special thank you to Toyota Zimbabwe Bulawayo Branch for their very generous sponsorship which was most evident at the prize giving.
RESULTS TOYOTA ZIMBABWE – BULAWAYO BRANCH TROPHY Winning Male/Female Team BLTC TOYOTA ‘IRA’ 248.255 points TOMDOR CHATHAM TROPHY Runner up Male/Female Team ALDA 187.278 points 3rd Place Male/Female Team TOYOTA SIMPLE BEE 115.278 points BOB FRASER MEMORIAL TROPHY Leading Team THEM & US 523.302 points SWDAS TROPHY Male Individual Aggregate Mike Querl 272.649 points 2nd Male Individual Aggregate Graeme Jansen van Vuuren 245.653 points 3rd Male Individual Aggregate Adam York 00.934 points CLUB MOPANI TROPHY Ladies Individual Aggregate Jo Ireland 117.639 points 2nd Ladies Individual Aggregate Heather Oxden-Willows 79.403 points 3rd Ladies Aggregate Sakile Sibanda 57.531 points RIVER RANGERS TROPHY WATTFRIDGE TROPHY Leading Male team THEM & US 523.302 points Biggest Barbel Simplisio Shamba 9.105kg 2nd Place Male Team ARI HYUNDAI 392.809 points TUFF SALES TROPHY 3rd Place male Team WE WITH THEM 270.889 points Biggest Cornish Jack Graeme Jansen van Vuuren 5.030kg MANSED TROPHY BLTC 201 COMMITTEE TROPHY Leading Foreign Team NAUTILUS 82.029 points Biggest other Scaled Fish (Kariba Bream) Dave Hunt 1.715kg TILE WAREHOUSE TROPHY TABANI NKOMO MEMORIAL TROPHY Most Species THEM & US 7 species Biggest Nkupe Ian Rae 2.615kg BOB AVELEY MEMORIAL TROPHY NATPAK TROPHY Individual Aggregate Bream Sakile Sibanda 8.405kg Biggest Vundu Mike Querl 27.720kg KELVIN MOTORS TROPHY MAT SOUTH DISTRICTS TROPHY Biggest Tiger Ian Rae 4.755kg Junior Individual Aggregate Matthew Brandt 29.645 points ACOL CHEMICAL TROPHY WESTERN TROPHY Biggest Chessa Denise Rae 1.250kg Junior Highest Scoring Fish Tiyana Brandt (8 points) Nkupe
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The Way It Was By David Scott
Kariba - A Little Nostalgia... Part IV Tiger Bay Anecdotes
I
n the early 1980s, along with Frik and Sue Maas, we surveyed an idyllic site on the western shoreline of the Ume River, Lake Kariba and designed and built Tiger Bay Resort, opening for New Years of 1982 (covered in Vol.25 No.2). As one could imagine, boating blunders stories were common and some bear repeating here. That well-known early boat operator based in Andora, Guy de Bary, whose boat En Avant was for many years commonly seen cautiously hugging the Kariba shoreline, no further from Andora than an hour or two, suddenly became emboldened enough to convey a well-known General and his party up the Ume River. One of our great friends, No-name-no-pack-drill, decided after a liquid lunch to serenade En Avant as she proceeded sedately back past Tiger Bay by whizzing round and round her at close quarters and high speed in his potent little ‘Puddle Jumper’. What he didn’t realise was that the General was seriously trolling for tiger behind Guy’s boat, and with each orbit our friend was winding more and more of the General’s line around the Puddle Jumper’s propeller. Only when his outboard motor ground to a halt through fishing line friction V o l . 25 # 3
did our friend realise what he was doing, and was told off in no uncertain terms by an extremely irate skipper and his esteemed angry guest in language not suitable for publication in a family magazine. Then there was the little family, Dad built like a Blue Bulls lock, Mum a petite Scottish lass, and their daughter of about twelve. Dad came for the fishing, Mum and daughter for relaxation. I had to take Dad morning tea and a packed breakfast not a minute after 5am daily, and he would disappear for several hours in his boat, invariably returning with a keepnet full of good bream, which we had to fillet and freeze for him to take home. On their way back to Kariba on one occasion, with the Ume basin at its most fractious, they ploughed slowly on for a while, until the skipper decided to tie up to a tree and wait until the waves abated. Approaching the selected tree with caution, wifey was given the unenviable task of roping it. With the boat plunging up and down a couple of metres, the skipper soon realised she was in real danger of being severely hurt, so he changed positions with his relieved missus. Perched precariously on the prow with rope in hand and
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when he judged the time was ripe, the skipper abandoned ship and leapt into the fork of the tree. As he came to roost he dropped the rope just as the boat’s motor cut. He watched in horror as his boat and family started drifting away rapidly in the strong wind. Unperturbed, wifey gave the starter numerous long whirls, but without success. It suddenly dawned on Dad in his eyrie that the first caddy tank had probably run dry, and she should change it. By this time, however, the battery was flat, and distance and wind made voice communication unsatisfactory, despite Dad’s desperate voice rising in pitch with each metre of separation, turning his face purple, flustering his wife, and making his young daughter cry. If they had heard him, some of the language he used would have made them happy to leave him in his tree, possibly for ever. The last Mum and daughter saw of husband and father in the distance he was tying knots in the four corners of his handkerchief for a make-shift hat to give his balding pate some protection from the burning midday sun, still perching precariously amongst leafless branches. Hours later another boat eventually found Mum and Daughter drifting, sorted their problems, and the family became somewhat frostily re-united. Not his real name, but one balmy, windless Sunday morning “Godfrey” decided his 18-foot cabin cruiser needed a good wash in lake water. He tootled gently out of the harbour and headed out for a few hundred metres. Keeping the motor running at idle to get the benefit of a cooling breeze, wearing only a cozzie, he ducked into the cabin and came out with bucket and mop. Leaning over the side to fill his bucket, he started cleaning his motor and transom, whistling happily while gradually working his way forward.
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Up on the narrow deck around the cabin, Godfrey continued leaning far down to fill his bucket. But inadvertently stepping on a wet patch, he suddenly found himself man overboard. Thinking clearly - he had been a fighter pilot in the Second World War - he instantly decided not to chase his boat and possibly exhaust himself whilst probably failing to reach it, so he trod water as his pride and joy took its leave of him. Slowly, ever so slowly, it gradually completed a full circle and came heading obediently back to him. As he told astonished friends in the pub later, he only just had enough strength left by then to grab the transom ladder as it came abreast and haul himself gratefully back on board. There’s a good reason to never boat alone, even in the calmest weather. About the Author - David Scott was born a Wedza farm boy, with a father who understood and loved wild places feelings which he luckily passed on to David, and by the time David was seven or eight years old, his father had taught him to fish and shoot. Schooled at Ruzawi and Bishops, he went into farming and was twice runner-up tobacco grower of the year in the 1970’s. Among other things, he was involved in the design and building of Tiger Bay Resort at Kariba and Magaruque Island off the Mozambique coast. Now the Administrator of an Harare Care Home, David has published several books - Twenty When? - which reconciles evolution with the story in Genesis, and Rhinos’ Revenge which tells of the rhino’s plight in Africa and their retribution.
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D i a r y o f F o r t h c o m i n g E v e n t s 2014 / 2015 6 -10 December National Anglers Union of Zimbabwe - “70th” Celebration “All Species” Charara site - Kariba. Email: Gavin Ferguson kobisuezw@adtech.co.zw, Tom Oxden-Willows willfit@gatorzw.co.uk, Pauline Brine briner@zol.co.zw, Denise Rae cpfhold@mweb.co.zw, Rob Mc Kenzie robnauzmat@gmail.com, Wayne Carllson wayne.carllson@bata.com 17 & 18 April 2015
18th Let it Swim Tigerfishing Tournament, Jozini Dam
13 & 14 June 2015
BASS Bulawayo Winter Tournament 2015
For upcoming event submissions email fishunt@zol.co.zw
MEDICAL RESCUE NUMBERS FOR KARIBA: TAKE NOTE Kariba has its own Emergency Medical Centre run by MARS, the Medical Air Rescue Service in Zimbabwe with a doctor, ambulance and trained medics. The clinic is open from 7am to 7pm. Take a note of the Kariba numbers below, in case of emergency: Tel: +263 61 3006 or after hours mobile numbers: +263 772 560445 or +263 772 377406 Visitors to remote areas in Zimbabwe should always make sure that their medical insurance cover is adequate in case of emergency medical evacuation. Many policies do not cover pre-hospitalisation medical care (i.e. getting from a remote destination to hospital via air or road rescue services). MARS Zimbabwe can advise you on this, and, if necessary, provide you with appropriate cover.
KAWFT Contact details For quick response to sightings of injured or snared animals or reports of illegal activity, contact them by phone: Cavan Warran (+263-772) 690 915 - KARIBA, Nick Grant (+263-772) 607 214 - HARARE, Sonya McMaster Home Tel (+263-61) 2488, Cell (+263-772) 874 352 - KARIBA, Debbie Ottman Home Tel (+263-61) 2342, Work 2764 or 2443 Cell (+263-773) 996 487
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Tailend By “Bob Hope”
Q
Madagascar
uite a few years back I got to read an article by the late Charles Norman about the fishing to be had in Madagascar. He was a very good writer and it did not take much reading to have me itching to get there. Coincidentally, because I had been doing a lot of saltwater fly fishing, I had a sail-fish-on-fly in my sights and he just happened to mentioned the fact of calm seas and abundant “sailies”! In those days too, Zimbabwe was fairly normal and so most folk could afford a trip to a place like Madagascar. I duly contacted Charles and he kindly booked the trip and all the airline tickets etc. that were required to get there. The journey seemed it might be a bit of an adventure and involved flying to Johannesburg and then to Antanarivo, from where we would catch an internal flight to a place called Hellville. The first trauma we encountered was the refusal of the airline crew to allow the fly rods to be carried in the cabin, and so we had the usual argument, which we finally won and were allowed to carry them as hand luggage. I am am not so sure now after 9/11 that this argument is so easily won, and in fact on a subsequent trip to the Seychelles lost the argument - and the rods - for a few days, but that is another story. Now our next possible hurdle was the fact that I did know that the islanders have a custom whereby on a certain day of the year it is customary to dig up the bones of their ancestors
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and re-bury them elsewhere. I must confess that I was a little apprehensive, not wishing to be in this particular named town for too long in case this was the chosen day. Imaginations could run wild and get the better of you! However to our surprise, on arrival at Hellville airport we were greeted by dusky maidens who hung floral wreaths round our necks and although the town was not the cleanest I have ever been to, it sure turned out to be interesting. The people were friendly and had that typical laid back atmosphere one gets on an island. From the airport we were transported to the harbour, then onto a speed boat for a short 30 minute ride to the neighboring island known as Nosy Be. This island was awesome, totally unspoilt and the resort consisted of a few thatched chalets and a dining room literally on the beach, exactly what we wanted. We were greeted by an Italian manager with the Italian name of John! He proved to be an excellent manager and cook and we ate some of the best sea food I have ever tasted. These islands are incredibly fertile and whenever we needed fruit, he would despatch one of the waiters “to the jungle” to pick the required items. If I can digress a bit, whilst we were there, we were advised that John’s wife was due to arrive from Italy a few days later and this was causing great excitement. We were amused to see a boat arrive the next day with a brand new bed, and fancy
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bedding. The items were unloaded and carried ceremoniously to John’s chalet, then the surprise! The same boat was loaded up with John’s current bed, bedding and his girl friend who was banished back to Hellville! Well I guess that is all okay if you are living on a semi-deserted island – it’s either that or fishing all day, and as they say variety is the spice of life. (I am possibly now going to be lynched by members of the women’s lib club). But no matter John sure was a lucky fellow! Back to the fishing. We spent a week or so testing the fly rods on many species of trevally, tuna, bonnies, couta etc and then it was time to make an attempt on the Sailies. The boats were well equipped except for the fact that the crew were local islanders who spoke French. I continually caused confusion by attempting to converse in Shona. All this did was cause blank looks, and so we devised a system of sign language in order to make ourselves understood. I did think of making an effort to speak French but the only sentence I had learnt from a sports tour to Europe a few years earlier was not applicable here as it goes something like “Voulez vous couches avec mo ice soir” – if you do not know what that means ask a sexy french lady one day! – the response I can assure you will be the proverbial “good news” or “bad news. Now I am not sure if readers are aware of how to catch billfish on a fly, but it requires a team effort of note. The plan is to put out plastic “birds” which skip around on the surface and make a lot of noise. They are brightly coloured and attract the bill fish by causing a commotion on the surface. At the same time a strip of “belly shine” (the white flesh from the stomach of a bonito) is tied onto a longish rod and trolled behind the boat, with no hook attached. The saillies of course see and hear the “birds”, come to investigate and then see and smell the belly shine, which they immediately chase after with the hopes of an easy meal. As soon as the saillies are observed getting onto the belly shine, it, and the “birds” are reeled in at a pace that the Saillies can follow. The trick is to actually allow them to get a mouthful and taste of the belly shine, and this drives them crazy. Meanwhile the flyfisherman prepares himself with fly at the ready at the stern of the boat and as soon as the saillies are teased within range, the boat motor is cut, the belly shine whipped out of the water and the fly cast to land in the water at the exact spot that the belly shine was last seen. Sounds very professional and intricate but leaves a serious opportunity for Bob Hope to make an appearance!! – read on. It was not difficult to find the saillies as they were always followed by Frigate birds, cruising hundreds of feet up, and directly under the Frigates would be a few smaller gulls. This flotilla would follow the pod of saillies, waiting for them to attack schools of bait fish. On observing the attack the gulls would immediately dive down to grab a morsel for themselves. As soon as this happened the Frigates would in turn chase the gulls forcing them to regurgitate these scraps which they would in turn pick up. So in essence we cruised looking for Frigates and the saillies were always present below. During the first attempt at a hook up, we had a PROPER Bob Hope show. As soon as the saillies were observed up on the teaser, all hell broke loose - the crew forgot themselves and started yelling in French and to make matters worse, got as excited as Frenchmen do, gesticulating wildly, yelling and pointing at the bills breaking the surface behind the teaser. The guy retrieving the belly shine was too slow so the bait was dragged around all over the show by the pack of hungry saillies V o l . 25 # 3
that were determined to swallow the whole piece. When he finally got it to the boat, I made ready to cast, but the skipper forgot to stop the engines and when I yelled “mirai”, he being more excited than anyone else floored the accelerator and we sped away like a crazy thing, with half the crew flung on their backs in the bottom of the boat and me clutching the side of the boat with one hand and fly rod in the other! The “birds” had not been recovered either and were observed aquaplaning along behind the boat, hardly touching the water! Well we eventually stopped and had an hour long meeting out in the middle of the ocean. The sign language at first was wild but eventually became readable, and so more informed we returned to the spot where the fish had been. This time I am pleased to say we got it right. The saillies appeared in a pack, the “birds” were swiftly recovered and the belly shine teaser retrieved at a good pace. The sight was awesome with four or five fish shouldering each other out of the way to get at the bait. A saillie that is “lit up” is a beautiful sight - the electric blue on the sides of these graceful fish covered in bright yellow dots - will be with me forever, reminiscent of those neon signs we were always amazed at in our younger days - shades of “happy days”, Elvis and the Fonz! At exactly the right moment the switch was made, the belly shine whisked out of the water, I cast the fly, and it landed in the zone. It was greeted literally by an explosion of foamy water, slashing bills and hungry mouths. I managed a strip strike and the fish was on. A Sailfish has the reputation of being the fastest fish in the sea and it seemed within seconds he was leaping and tail walking 200 metres away from the boat. It was also difficult to pin point where the fish was. Because of the fact that a fly reel does not exert much drag, it is difficult to understand what it is that eventually tires the fish out. It is more an issue of the fish having to pull a great quantity of line through the water. This line is not always being pulled directly away from the angler
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but can be in a huge arc underwater, and I found myself looking where I had last seen the fish and then hearing him jumping 50 metres to the side of where I was looking. For those who want to give it a try and are technically minded, there are a few tips worth noting. Firstly I inserted about 15 metres of 20lb mono between the fly line and backing. This acts as a “shock absorber” and assists in hanging onto the fish without him managing to throw the hook. The other bit of advice is to strip out 20 metres or so of line and place it in a bucket of water in the boat before casting. When the fish takes off after hook-up the speed at which the line disappears is awesome and knots and tangles will be disastrous, so a smooth transition from loose line and onto the reel is crucial. The line I was using consisted of about 300 metres of 30lb backing tied onto the mono “shock” which in turn was tied onto the front 10 metres of a WF12 Floating Line. I guess the whole fight must have lasted 20 minutes or so and finally we were able to grab the bill, remove the hook and release the fish. We took a short break, sorted tackle, allowed the adrenaline to dissipate and then were off after another. Hooking up to a second fish 30 minutes later proved easier, however the second fish was more of a dogged fighter and instead of exhibiting the typical aerial displays for which sailfish are renowned, it decided to dive to the depths. This proved to be a problem, as a fly rod has poor lifting capabilities and it was impossible to get the fish to budge, and he towed us around for 15 minutes or so. To their credit one of the crew hit upon the idea of motoring the boat away from the fish. I was reluctant to do this as I felt I
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was giving more line away, but as soon as the angle between the rod and fish was lessened the fish immediately swam to the surface where it was possible to tire the it and force it towards the boat. However as usual there is always a “Bobbie” to contend with and the screw on the handle of my fly reel started to undo on the inside. Every time I attempted to tighten it the fish would surge away causing a beaten up set of knuckles. The fish was eventually boated, and was one of those episodes where luck plays a large part of the proceedings. But then the more you fish the luckier you get! I must take the opportunity to attempt to give some brownie points to the reel manufacturer, (Ross) because after the trip I did write to them about the screw coming undone, and they sent me a free reel!! - Moral of this little story is if you want to try this type of fishing, get good tackle from a solid manufacturer. Well the trip to Madagascar finally came to an end. It sure was an adventure and catching the saillies obviously a highlight. Times and techniques have changed and catching billfish on a fly is fairly common nowadays. Strangely enough when my thoughts return to the good old farm dam, catching “mellies” and the odd bass though may appear to be less dramatic and exciting, but, you know what, those sights of cormorants, kingfishers, Jacanas running across the lily pads, the croaking of the frogs, the fish eagle calling and the mud oozing up between my toes and splattering up on the back of my legs as I walk round the shoreline – that takes a lot of beating!
Email fishunt@zol.co.zw, adhunt@mweb.co.za
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Email fishunt@zol.co.zw, adhunt@mweb.co.za
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