Pongolo River Tigers: Budget fishing style.

[Barbus13]

Just to add my 2 cents worth. I have fished with the Pongola River Company water. The river below the dam is a completely different animal to above it. Comparing chocolate to the river-equivalent of Sterkies.

I used my 7 weight TFO BVK and used a 300 grain line. I was able to cast it fine for an entire day, no issues. Its a little more work but I found the positives to outweigh the negatives.

There are some very deep sections and drop offs that you just will not be able to fish adequately without a fast sinking line. You may not need to go to a 300 grain but an intermediate will just end up frustrating you. You wont be able to get down to the good drops offs where the big fish lie as easily and there are spots where you need to get the fly down quick.

Having said that having a floater with some poppers is awesome fun in the late afternoon's so don't forget that either.

Hi Bryan.

Awesome to hear from someone who has fished the venue. Thanks on the tip to take poppers, will definetly do it, sounds like fun. Will be buying a DI5 line to be safe. Which patterns produced when you fished?


Hi Korrie.

Baie dankie vir die kontak details, wag nog vir oop datums, maar gaan joune (Phongolo Reserve) as "backup" hou....waardeer.

[Andre]

Yup, poppers are a must for tigers. My personal feeling is that you are going to need heavier than a DI5, depending on the depth that you are fishing, but that's just me, you should be able to get away with most situations with it.
For patterns and colours, basically any colour really, although I found that the white and black combination works best, but generally anything goes for tigers. They aren't the worlds most difficult fish to catch, but basically the main challenge is to keep the hook set once you have him on. So, when he hits the fly, a low rod, strip strike to get the hook to set is the tactic, and hold the line with the rod still low, let him have his few jumps, and if its a large fish, you might let it take some line, but generally, hold him for the jumps, and once he's had his fun, then you can reel him in. If you allow him to strip line off the reel, you stand less chance of seeing the aeriel acrobatics that make tigerfishing so much fun.
Take a hook sharpener with you, lots and lots of flies, because they get seriously noshed, and a pliers for hook removal.

Hi Bryan.

Awesome to hear from someone who has fished the venue. Thanks on the tip to take poppers, will definetly do it, sounds like fun. Will be buying a DI5 line to be safe. Which patterns produced when you fished?


Hi Korrie.

Baie dankie vir die kontak details, wag nog vir oop datums, maar gaan joune (Phongolo Reserve) as "backup" hou....waardeer.

[Bryan]

You dont need anything fancy. Clousers in a variation of colours to keep things simple. Best combination was Black / Red / Orange / White tied sparsely on wide gape hooks. But Black / Orange, Olive / White, Chatreuse /White and Black / Purple also worked.

[Barbus13]

You dont need anything fancy. Clousers in a variation of colours to keep things simple. Best combination was Black / Red / Orange / White tied sparsely on wide gape hooks. But Black / Orange, Olive / White, Chatreuse /White and Black / Purple also worked.

Sounds straightforward. Appreciate Bryan, will try an tie a few myself, so taking 30 flies for 3 days, half tied myself and half bought

[Bryan]

Menzi, the local guide ties some nice flies too, if you get stuck.

[Barbus13]

Yup, poppers are a must for tigers. My personal feeling is that you are going to need heavier than a DI5, depending on the depth that you are fishing, but that's just me, you should be able to get away with most situations with it.
For patterns and colours, basically any colour really, although I found that the white and black combination works best, but generally anything goes for tigers. They aren't the worlds most difficult fish to catch, but basically the main challenge is to keep the hook set once you have him on. So, when he hits the fly, a low rod, strip strike to get the hook to set is the tactic, and hold the line with the rod still low, let him have his few jumps, and if its a large fish, you might let it take some line, but generally, hold him for the jumps, and once he's had his fun, then you can reel him in. If you allow him to strip line off the reel, you stand less chance of seeing the aeriel acrobatics that make tigerfishing so much fun.
Take a hook sharpener with you, lots and lots of flies, because they get seriously noshed, and a pliers for hook removal.

Many thanks Andre for the info and tips. So strip strike is the order of the day.....just a question after the first strike is it wise to stike again.....this time more a flick action with the rod, just to ensure the hook gets into that boney mouth. So giving a tiger line to run is not prefered as such? When he jumps I bow to the fish....no slack line, should he jump left of me I should keep rod down near water on the right side? Thanks on the sharpener.....would have forgotten that. So 30 flies for 2days to 2 and a half days might be to few? Strip basket a must on that river or not?

[Barbus13]

Menzi, the local guide ties some nice flies too, if you get stuck.

He still there? Read about his Menzi Clouser he ties. Good guide and nice human being.

[Bryan]

Not 100% sure if he is. Strip basket helps a lot. Don't know for sure about the second strike option but my view would be that 1, you wont have time :smile: and 2, you might dislodge the fly. As Andre says best thing is too keep constant pressure.

There are some big mamas there. There is one that got away that I will be back for. Cast into a little bay and saw her coming from three metres back, did everything in my power not to change the retrieve and bam, on! Solid hook up & next thing I see this fish jump 5 foot into the air about 20 metres other side the boat and I am thinking, what the heck is up with that fish. Then my line starts carving through the water like Moses at the Red Sea. I can actually hear it. Only then do I realize it is the fish I've just hooked. It was so fast that until that point I genuinely thought it was another fish.

Anyway big run after the jump, knot in running line and lost fish. Many tears as that was a 10 pounder. Menzi reckons it would have been up there with the one a youngster caught a few weeks prior to me being there thats many people have seen. I at least sort of made up for it by landing a 7 pounder later in the day. Got lots of little guys and a few in the 2 to 3 pound range.

[Barbus13]

Not 100% sure if he is. Strip basket helps a lot. Don't know for sure about the second strike option but my view would be that 1, you wont have time :smile: and 2, you might dislodge the fly. As Andre says best thing is too keep constant pressure.

There are some big mamas there. There is one that got away that I will be back for. Cast into a little bay and saw her coming from three metres back, did everything in my power not to change the retrieve and bam, on! Solid hook up & next thing I see this fish jump 5 foot into the air about 20 metres other side the boat and I am thinking, what the heck is up with that fish. Then my line starts carving through the water like Moses at the Red Sea. I can actually hear it. Only then do I realize it is the fish I've just hooked. It was so fast that until that point I genuinely thought it was another fish.

Anyway big run after the jump, knot in running line and lost fish. Many tears as that was a 10 pounder. Menzi reckons it would have been up there with the one a youngster caught a few weeks prior to me being there thats many people have seen. I at least sort of made up for it by landing a 7 pounder later in the day. Got lots of little guys and a few in the 2 to 3 pound range.

Bryan you are making me throth at the mouth How the hell am I gonna wait till November for that, if you are telling me these tales and experiences? Is the viz always that good as in the pictures? Thanks for the tips. When are you planning to go again?

[Korrie]

There was one fish, that I hooked into on my last trip
I could not hold the line, in my stripping hand, it ripped about 2/3rds of the fly line thru my hand.
Then came off.
I can honestly say I don't know the size of it, maybe a 2 pounder or maybe a 10 pounder, but that was a fish with jet fins and serious torque