August 03, 2011

Congo: exploratory trip for goliath tigerfish


Those who follow Tourette Fishing on Facebook may have been following our feeds and links with brief descriptions of our recent exploratory trip to the depths of the Congo rainforests.  As far as exploratory trips go, this has to rate as one of the most epic trips we have ever experienced. We spent a week exploring a remote river in the heart of the equatorial jungle. The river is as far removed from civilisation as we have ever experienced, with absolutely no human interference what so ever for 100’s of kilometres.  The aim of the trip was primarily to see if Goliath Tigerfish inhabit these far flung tributaries of the Congo river, and if they are a viable option for fly fisherman to target. Secondly, we were very interested in additional species that could possibly be targeted on fly. We CAN tell you that Goliath Tigerfish do indeed inhabit these small jungle rivers, which is great.  Their numbers and the feasibility of consistently take them on fly is still debatable. We do feel that the area we visited definitely offers a very realistic option for those wanting to land goliath tigerfish on mixed tackle. Added to this, the amazing wildlife and birding make this the ultimate destination for the nature lover and fisherman looking to land a Goliath Tigerfish.  It is however not for the fainthearted! We were also fortunate to target a new species of predatory Yellowfish which grows to well over 20lbs.  The fish pictured here was specimen of average size, weighing in at 12lbs.  As our understanding of this fishery improves and we are able to offer further details we will do so.