A New Species

In the lower valley, the three rivers join in a floodplain and then split again to form a small delta draining into the Rah River.  Many inland pans are filled int he wet season Dec-Mar, which form rich ecosystems and are the breeding grounds and nursery for smaller fish species in spring.  When the pans dry out in summer, shoals of juvenile fish enter the main river, providing abundant food for the tigers.  This is one of the reasons why the Tanzanian tigerish grow so big.   In addition, the Tanzanian species (scientifically described as Hydrocyrus tanzniae in 1986 is also genetically quite different.  A cousin to Hydrocyms vitiates, the better known tiger shish species found int he Okavango and Zambezi systems, t seems to grow larger in a confined area, is palmer-striped and has a different dental structure with and a much heaver, bony jaw-line

The Tanzanian fishery

On the Ruhudji and Mnyera Rivers you float between giant fig trees and water berries covered in tangled sheets of tassel pods and other creepers.  Forest thickets in the higher reaches crawl with colourful insects, birds and game, including lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, puku, warthogs and yellow baboons.  Wake-up calls from lions every morning and animal tracks on the sandy riverbanks where you take you lunch-break are a reminder of the danger that lurks close by in the mambo woodland.  The turbid waters also boil with life and besides a variety of tropical fishes of every shape and hue, there are bi9g nasties like crocodiles and hippos.

The log-strewn rivers are ideal for ambush predators such as the tiger fish.  Fishing baitfish are frequently seen frantically ‘scurrying’ up mossy logs and steep clay banks, desperately trying to evade death-by-tiger.

African fly fishing safari guides

Point out productive lay-downs and log-jams in deep channels with require accurate casts of the fly.  Fast strips induce the most strikes, which often catch you by surprise on the lift for the next cast.  Once successfully booked, a fierce struggle follows with powerful ins at uncontrollable speeds and aerial displays of bone and teeth gnashing at you wire travel.  sometimes it feels like you’ve hooked a moving car when an 18lb_ tgershish grabs your fly and runs downriver with all cylinders firing.  Most battles do indeed end with thrown hook or a log-wrap, or when a fish manages to cut through the withe or engulfs the entire trace and snipes the leader. So how do you land these?

Tackling Tanzanian tigers: technique with true grit.

These game fish are underestimated, even by experienced fishermen.  I spent five months in Tanzania, my guidance was requested weekly.

Three general tips repeatedly came to mind:

Firstly, you need to be in a relaxed state of mind and not rush the casting, which sounds obvious I know, but you really need to calm yourself, down; secondly last accurately at structure; and thirdly, you need to get down and dirty and bully these fish.  If you don’t, you’ll land very few, and if any.  Strip-strike as hard as your 30lb leader will allow you to and set the hook on any touch to the fly. Big fish miss the take, due to the sudden stop of the fly, making it feel like a heavy structure has eeen snagged.

As you may have gathered

Select tackle by trial and error.  Rods break like dry reed and fly lines get stripped, or knot, raising angler’ frustrations. Selections of 9 and 10 weight rods loaded with fast-sinking 300-350 grain shooting heads will see you through a week of chaotic line and hauling and rod strikes.  Yes, rod strikes!  The initial hook-set is mainfested by a hard and controlled strip-strike.  This rarely sets the hook permanently and a series of rod strikes, by pulling the cork handle hard towards the body on a tight line, is recommended.  Although an essential part of the fight, this is when most rods snap. Fish are still landed when rods break, hooked so deep, you need long-nose pliers!

When hooking into speedy predatory fish, line control remains problematic.  It can be solved to with a collapsible laundry basket lined with a wet towel to lubricate the running line for stripping.  Besides protecting your fly line, lubrication will also protect your fingers.  Common tiger fishing injuries include lacerations from teeth and line burns not he fingers, and although a Boga Grip may prevent the former, line burns are still abundant in the tropical heat – which may exceed 40 degrees centigrade.

Pulling the strings

As on of the few internationally recognised African freshwater sport fish, tigerish comfortably earn their stripes amongst the top game fish species in the world.  

The Tanzanian outback is a pretty place, politically stable with more than 120 indigenous tribes, each with their own dialect of Kiswahili. Moreover, it is one of the last frontiers which offer signs of wild African animals in their unchanged habitat.  The countryside varies from frontier- feel villages, seas of grass and waves of hills. Covered in patchworks of varying Miombo woodland. Tropical rainforest clings to the slopes int he highlands at the sources of the Mnyera and Ruhudgi rivers. It may cost you an arm and a leg! But these are the kinds of places where trophy tigers come to the fly.