Tiger Fishing on the Zambezi River - Fly or Bait

Both the Lower and the Upper Zambezi are Meccas for fly fishermen over the months of May, June and July when fishing for these beasts is at its best using lure and feather. Why these months you ask? Well, it depends on water levels. May is the time of year when the river has reached its highest level over the floodplains, and it turns to start emptying its bounty into its main channel. A variety of species ranging from robbers and barbs to bulldogs and bream have been up on the floodplains from January breeding and feeding, and are now forced to make their way into the main channel, before dropping water levels cause them to be landlocked, and eventually stranded on dry ground.

The tigerfish, and other predatory fish such as the Nembwe bream and sharp tooth catfish, feed on these “baitfish” which find themselves concentrated in feed off channels and bays. In June there is a mass exodus of these baitfish, moving down stream to areas of more cover and structure. This movement causes “bait balls” to be formed and they separate from the safety of the clay bank edges and move out into deeper waters. Here they are rounded up and attacked by tigerfish and grey headed gulls - very similar to that of Bonito or albacore feeding in frenzies out at sea. This makes for extremely exciting sight fishing with varying sizes of tigerfish being caught - from 4 to 10lbs readily, and on occasion fish between 12 and 16lbs are landed.

As the water level drops over the rocks of the Mambova and Chobe rapids from August to November, so the targeting of shallow water tigers becomes more of a reality from the confines of wooden dugout mokorro. This is truly the most natural way of fishing for tigerfish, also lending itself to great bird watching and the feeling of really being one with the river.

By the end of November the rainy season starts, and water levels start to steadily rise again, bringing with it dirty water and an end to fly fishing the Zambezi.