FISHING |
BAINES OF MY LIFE
THE OLD ADAGE OF “IT’S A TOUGH JOB, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT,” IS THE JUSTIFICATION BRAD CARTWRIGHT HAS FOR EARNING A CRUST BY TRAVELLING AROUND, BEING FILMED FISHING. AND THERE’S ANOTHER TOO: “HAPPY WIFE, HAPPY LIFE!”
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nce a year we drag our wives, kicking and screaming from the comfort of their homes, on a film shoot to an exotic and luxurious destination like Seychelles or the islands of Mozambique. Bear in mind that we are forced to film ourselves fishing for a living, so when we make these magnanimous concessions to our patient and understanding better halves, the warm glow of generosity seeping through our souls is a tangible thing. The rest of the year we travel as an allmale crew, and more often than not, the only home comfort we have is the warm glow of single malt after a hard day’s work. It seems we agree on one thing though, and it’s that we all love the lower Zambezi. It’s been a number of years since we featured Baines River Camp in our television show, and being one of the most luxurious properties available on the entire length of the Zambezi, when they invited us back we knew we couldn’t leave our significant others out of the loop without risking the chilliest of cold shoulders! So it was that we hopped an early morning Airlink flight to Lusaka and, after a comfortable road transfer, were happily cruising down the river, cold beverage in hand, before the sun hit its zenith. At over 2500 kilometres, the Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa and is in fact the longest east flowing waterway on the continent.
MAIN IMAGE: Nothing beats a sunset in the African bush! RIGHT HAND PAGE, FROM TOP: Two boats – one for spectators (the wifely support team) and another for participants – like Brad Cartwright. Orreochromis mossambicus – or the Tilapia provided hours of fun. Sightings of buffalo are common at Baines.
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