On the commonplace map, land-locked Zambia doesn’t exactly stand out for its size or geography. Yet, it has direct access to the rich Zambezi River and the vast Lake Kariba to the south, and it’s actually much larger than Texas – it could fit one-and-a-half of France within its borders. There’s so much to explore here, with the natural and angling challenges offering a distinct challenge from fishing in Europe.
Building up to a Zambian Adventure
In Europe, angling is very much seen as a casual hobby, and while there are sporting events, most recreational anglers will go to a body of freshwater, cast a couple of lines, and relax in a deck chair. Nice and simple, offering a calm day with splashes of excitement and all while enjoying the great outdoors. Perhaps the biggest concern is navigating the close seasons across each country to allow for the fish to restock.
It’s a hobby of experience, skill, and stamina, with all anglers being happy to play the waiting game in the hopes of hooking something potentially very impressive before battling it to land. It’s this angle that’s allowed fishing to become popular even beyond anglers in entertainment. A seemingly very detached space, even the online slots library has turned into a fishing frenzy thanks to the aptly-named Fishin’ Frenzy.
The classic but ever-popular slot lets you see the many different kinds of fish with their different values on each spin, but when you hit the feature, you then get to catch them and cash in. It’s all about landing the big catch, and that’s what the hit TV shows have capitalised on. River Monsters is the chief example of this, with Jeremy Wade happy to get dragged into waterways to try and battle out truly monstrous fish – including the big one in Zambia.
Catching Tiger Fish on the Zambezi River
As was brought to light by Jeremy Wade in River Monsters, the tiger fish is a particularly daunting and challenging fish to catch. Boasting distinctly predatory coloration and large, nasty teeth, they tend to weigh between 12 and 18 pound, but several have been recorded over 30 pounds each. Key to their draw as a game fish is their fight.
Tiger fish are incredibly aggressive and powerful fish. They’ll strike quickly, run the reel for tens of meters without being able to be reined back, and will happily breach and flail to try to get the hook out. The prime time for tiger fish is in the rainy season, usually in the sweet spot of the local fishing season between May and October.
Of course, taking on the Zambezi is about much more than casting the right bait and lure: it’s a wild river and comes with many of its own challenges. Getting to a good spot in the rainy season is tough, but even more pressing is navigating wildlife. Huge Nile crocodiles lurk on and by the shoreline, while deceptively deadly hippopotamuses will wallow in a bloat where they see fit.
Fishing for tiger fish in Zambia offers a unique challenge and the best the country can offer, but it’s always best to rely on local knowledge to do so.
