Hi guys....anyone visited this spot before. It is lower zambezi,just inside the zimbabwian border.It seems the camp isn't to clued up on the flyfishing side. Any advice from near bye spots will help. Visiting in end September. ... Thanks in advance
Printable View
Hi guys....anyone visited this spot before. It is lower zambezi,just inside the zimbabwian border.It seems the camp isn't to clued up on the flyfishing side. Any advice from near bye spots will help. Visiting in end September. ... Thanks in advance
Give it a skip.
About 1km downriver is jecha point, much better if you don't know the area and need a guide. A bit more pricey though but nothing ridiculous.
Tell them to take you right upriver to the gorge. It's a bit of a drive but its secluded, water is crystal clear etc. downriver has decent fish too but lots of pressure, dirty water from the Kafue etc. Where the Nyakasanga (sp?) comes in downriver is very nice too but it's a serious boat trip all the way down there.
The Zambian camps in that section of the river aren't cool as they're not in a reserve or concession so wildlife is a bit marginal.
Zim side has loads of wild dog, lion, leopard etc.
Crap loads to tsetse flies too...
Well...dont take any cattle, then the tsetse flies wont be a problemQuote:
Originally Posted by jock0
my father in law is booking the trip...so we stuck at that spot.they fish it often...a fish of 25lb came out there recently...I am led to believe its in the Zim side as we enter from Zambia over the Zim border..
It is on the zim side, about 2 or 3km's down from the bridge at most. I've probably spent 100days over the last 20 years fishing there, family had a house on the river maybe 500m up from tiger safaris launch site. Still have mates with a lodge on the hill in town...
If you have to go with tiger safaris the make sure your staying at the camp far from the launch. The big house at the launch is pretty *** whereas the ones a bit further down have a nice splash pool with views of the water hole, big lawn looking out over the river etc. chalk and cheese.
In terms of guides, book either Thomas or Kalvin in advance, preferably Thomas. The other guys are basically just backfill drivers whereas those two can actually fish, have a good knowledge of the local wildlife, bird life etc.
Are you self catering or being catered for? Unfortunately you've got to be prepared for a bit of admin - lack of fuel if they don't get a delivery, motors ***ing out, organizing ice from the lodge down river or the hotel etc. Keep an eye on your drinks and fuel usage, just measure it roughly everyday and write it down or you could be in for a shock.
Fishing permits have also gotten very expensive so try and get an idea of what those cost before you get there. I remember them being around 20usd per person per day... Don't get caught without one even though you probably won't see a national parks guy on the water, they may come to the camp. The permits also entitle you to go all the way up and down river as opposed to being restricted to the area between c-camp and mongwe.
The fishing and wildlife makes up for the admin just be prepared for it if you can :)
If you can, try and take a day off fishing and head to mana pools for some game viewing. It is an awesome experience.
We're not going this year and I'm jealous!
thanks for the reply....my father in law has been there a couple times before,so im sure he has a good layout of how things work.We are self cattering and I heard him talk of a splash pool by the chalet so I guess we down from the main house.
I sent them a message on there facebook page and they also replied saying Thomas is the man to guide you.Any suggestions on what colour has worked best for you in the past?
Tilapia imitations, ie black, dark brown and olive variations of small brush flies. Typically two tone with a darker top and a lighter bottom section - black and olive, olive and light olive etc.
I like to tie them small but on big gama b10s hooks with a bit of lead on the shank. I battled to get a good hookset with saltwater hooks like the sl12s...
I've never had any luck on the blue and white that works downriver, probably because they aren't really any kapenta in that section of the river. They really aren't too fussy so as long as your fly has a nice tilapia profile with a few triggers and you go easy on the flash you'll be in business.
The bream really enjoy streamers like big sparse wooly buggers, size 4 and size 2 b10s as an example. Get Thomas to take you to the large shallow bays between A and B camp on the Zim side and you'll have a blast catching bream.
I'd fish a sink tip or full sink DI5 and an intermediate. The boats don't have decks so take a stripping basket, even a crappy collapsible one. I enjoyed taking a cheaply explorer extendable mesh net too - having a big net with a nice long handle helped a lot!
A boga grip is an essential as well when fishing for tigers, and a strong long nose pliers to remove the hook