Beware the Tiger

Beware the Tiger

Beware the Tiger: I woke in the dark as you do in the deep bush. Surreal surroundings on the border between Angola and Namibia somewhere. No place for city slickers. Was a warzone for decades. No people for miles. I had permission to fish off the pontoon boat of the 5-star lodge we were at. Because it was a good metre up out of the water and away from the average reach of the bigger-than-average crocodiles that swim here. Never mind the hippos.

The lodge staff had just started work. I traversed the huge lodge lounge and restaurant past the pool. And took up the post overlooking the confluence. It was still dark and taking in that particular first light, out here in the wild, was mesmerising.

The coffee came, I drank it quickly, and ventured forth down the gangway to the boats. It took me a good few minutes to scan the bush to make sure nothing was lying somewhere close in the ambush position. Waiting for me! I had been in the bush for three months by now and my survival instincts were fully deployed at all times.

I had two rods with me. I stupidly chose the small guy.

Crocodiles

I do not have any confidence in crocodile-infested waters. Sharks I’m kinda okay with. But crocodiles, and their stupid friends, the hippos, are a permanent death threat to fisherfolk. Not to mention the cats. Huge lion. Cunning leopard. All over the damn place.

They know all about ignorant anglers and take a toll each-and-every year up here in these places.

Tigers

But the very toothy encounter that unfolded on my very first cast in this place, will haunt me for the rest of my life. I came under severe fire, from a fish!

The clear river was flowing foamy. There was a little waterfall at the far end of the pool in front of me. Perfect setup. It was obvious that the fish would be hunting just where the waterfall was spilling over – but on the top side. So as smallies were gonna get rolled, they would swim out of the current, and into the waiting tiger brigade.

My little tiny Mydo Spoon was rigged with 30lb fluoro, this had been working fine on the small fish in the Okavango system the last few weeks. I got many more strikes this way. After settling my nerves a while to the point that I could operate, and accepting this weird feeling that very clearly something mighty was going to happen this morning, I unclipped the spoon.

The spoon plopped exactly in the right place and I moved it away from the waterfall, and down into the pool. A couple of jerks and twitches, and my leader came into view. It’s a very slow fluttery spoon so you don’t have to crank fast. And in the current and in the current configuration, this thing was looking so good.

Explosion

This absolute slab of a golden red dragon-looking tiger fish exploded into my little tiny spoon. The little single hook grabbed onto something. But my heart knew one thing, this giant fish was never coming to this boat. Ever. Not even with my other power rig. It went straight down and the hook pulled. The lure shot up and out of the water into the air, and as it landed that fire-breathing reptilian tiger fish was there to meet it. They both flew into the air in front of me. The hook never held again luckily, and I got a full eye-balling as the fish came eye-level to me! It was massive. Like nothing I had ever seen, or imagined. It did a full 360 cartwheel in the air in front of me. Everything fell back into the water with a huge splash. The fish turned on a tick and hit the spoon AGAIN.

All of this happened within one or two seconds. Luckily the spoon never held one more time, and I got that lure to safety.

Then I got myself to safety!

And never went near that ferocious piece of river ever again.

Pongola

Tiger fishing is amazing fun, with many variations to the theme. Somehow, every few years, another tiger lure gets a cult following. But in Pongola in northern KZN, South Africa, they take sardine baits! That’s how I fished there and caught a few little guys, just to get acquainted.

What I never tried, and what Mydo Teamrider Bradley “Braid” Eliot is going to try on Pongola this December, is slow trolling strip baits. Just like for couta and snoek in the salt (just over the dunes). With a little Mydo Number One weighted at a quarter and a half ounce. Some very deep canyons must be hosting monsters so we are packing in some heavier models too. Even up to two ounces.

We are rigging with a tiny single up front, that just carries the load of the neat little fillet. The leader goes to the head, but the dropper to the main hook – a tiny 5x treble hook, does all the work – and is adorned with wire. Mean teeth. But if they are hooked in the scissors with that little treble…then the single hook up front, and the leader, are actually away from the fish as you pull. Well that’s the theory! But we will fish at strong drag so that we get the hookup immediately the strike happens.

Looking forward to the results Braid!

The following is kinda what Brad will be taking with him to Pongola…