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(Click to enlarge)
Greg with big Tigerfish
Lake Kariba
Bridal Veil Falls – Nyanga
Mountains, Zimbabwe “
Wahoo in Mozambique
waters
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Greg Vincent >Africa
Having left the Caribbean Greg returned to his roots and
embarked on a fact finding mission exploring parts of Southern Africa to see
what commercial possibilities lay there as to the fishing. With old family
friends to support him and providing local knowledge and resources i.e. a
vehicle, a place to stay and base from Greg began exploring the fly fishing
opportunities in Zimbabwe
and Mozambique.
Greg fished extensively throughout The Nyanga and Chimanimani mountain ranges of Eastern Zimbabwe whose misty peaks and moorlands soar
to over 8000 feet. These are the headwaters of the mighty Pungwe river that
drain into the Indian Ocean. The crystal
clear waters of the Pungwe River not only creates Africa’s deepest vertical
drop waterfall at over 2300 feet but also has some of the best sight fishing
for wild trout in all of Africa. Many other rivers in the area also held
trout, some brown trout only as well as several manmade lakes that have a
good population of stocked trout. Greg was fortunate to meet a local manager
of a large estate in the area who provided maps as well as a 4 wheel drive
vehicle to climb the many off road tracks. Greg would hike many of the
existing trails as well as break new tracks looking for waters to fly fish.
Moving west from the mountains and onto the western plains
Greg began fly fishing the Zambezi river as well as lake Kariba for mostly
the fabled Tigerfish. The Zambezi
immediately upstream of the big reservoir was a favourite spot in the slower
moving Mlibizi gorge. Greg was also experimenting with a mix of dry Kapenta (
small baitfish introduced to the lake ) and wet or fresh kapenta. Chumming in
the gorge which was in places over 60 + feet deep would bring the tigerfish
within range of the fly. The dry kapenta however would float allowing flies
to be tied ( based on the thunder creek minnow pattern ) and presented as a
crude version of a dry fly. The tigerfish taking them from the surface. Break
off was comment as a wire trace would prevent the fly from floating. The
water below the lake was much faster with large rocks and eddies. A different
type of fishing and also fish. The tigerfish being sleeker in order to
navigate the faster flows. Greg has a mount of a tigerfish he landed weighing
18 pounds.
An invitation to attend an offshore billfishing tournament
sponsored by the Central African deep-sea fishing association saw Greg
fishing for the first in the Indian Ocean.
This particular trip is best read in a publicated article. Please read
article The Afterlife
The overall fly fishing in this part of Africa was well
worth experiencing but Greg felt that it would be difficult a sell to
existing and new clients as it was the mystic and enchanting elements of Africa and her people that dictated how he as an angler
felt and not necessarily the actual fishing. Obviously and naively as a
younger man then it was still all about the fishing.
As it turned out it was very fortunate for him that Greg
did not attempt to settle in Zimbabwe
as hoped at that time. A beautiful country and people destroyed by a ruthless
and greedy dictator.
Next> USA
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(Click to enlarge)
Marlin in Mozambique
waters
Mahi Mahi in Mozambique
waters
Fly fishing under an African Sun
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