| For years, when I lived in Rhodesia, I'd visited | | | | hook from the mouth of the fish. It's quite a |
| Lake Kariba on numerous occasions and dabbled in | | | | skillful operation as care must be taken not to |
| a spot of fishing for tiger. In more recent years I | | | | harm the tiger (and not to get bitten!). Next step |
| discovered the pleasure of tiger fishing on the | | | | is to release the catch by lowering him gently into |
| Zambezi River in Zambia. Quite a contrast in both | | | | the water until he's ready to swim away. Policy |
| style of fishing and in size of the catch. There are | | | | along the river - and I think it's a great one - is |
| ENORMOUS tiger fish in the Zambezi River! | | | | "catch and release". All the camps and lodges |
| For the uninitiated the tiger is a game fish which | | | | adhere strictly to this policy and the result is |
| puts up a real fight. Even the smaller ones don't | | | | excellent fishing with good size catches. I suppose |
| get landed without some considerable effort. On | | | | because the fish don't get killed they stick around |
| the river one goes out in a small boat with a | | | | and grow! |
| boatman who doubles as a gilly. Sometimes he | | | | My best catch was a remarkable 15 pounder - |
| fishes for the bait, sometimes the bait is already | | | | not bad for a small woman in her late fifties, who |
| loaded in the boat. Having chosen a likely spot he | | | | had gout in both feet at the time! I must say this |
| baits the hook for you, then you cast off - and | | | | monster catch was the highlight of my fishing |
| wait. The tiger is quite wily and will often nimble | | | | "career" and certainly good reason to go back to |
| your bait away without you noticing. Once you | | | | the Lower Zambezi Valley for more. On that |
| feel him on the line you strike and, with luck and a | | | | occasion my boatman was a particularly nice chap |
| bit of skill, you're reeling him in. The fish will go wild | | | | called "Thousan". It's certainly a small world in this |
| to get away and it's then a battle between you | | | | part of Africa - when I went back last year my |
| and him. If you can get him up to the boat, your | | | | boatman, Sam, turned out to be Thousan's cousin! |
| gilly will net him and you get the chance to see | | | | And he remembered seeing the photo of this |
| your prey close up. Just check the teeth! | | | | auspicious occasion that I had posted to Thousan |
| Thankfully I've never had to put my hands near | | | | a few years before. |
| them - the brave gilly tackles them and hooks a | | | | So, if you fancy a spot of tiger fishing, head for |
| weighing scale into his mouth. The weight is | | | | Zambia and the Lower Zambezi Valley. There are |
| announced and you have your picture taken. | | | | some wonderful places to stay on the river, and |
| It's not over yet! With great dexterity - and | | | | you'll not find a friendlier bunch of people |
| considerable gentleness - the gilly removes the | | | | anywhere. |