Fishing on the Nile

As some of my angling friends will be aware I have recently been lucky enough to visit Africa with work, based in Kamapla, Uganda. Though the work that I was involved in took up the vast majority of the time, and to be honest was both physically and at times physiologically difficult to deal with. I could not go their without finding time to cast a line into the Nile!

On the last but one day of the visit I managed to get my hands on a very basic outfit made up of a 12ft foot rod, reel and a Mepps spinner! I had spoken to a few members of the hotel staff who had told me that in the area there were Nile Perch, Yellow fish, Talapia and many species of catfish. Prior to going I had already checked that the challenge I am involved only covers home water, as if could land a Nile perch then someone would struggle to beat that from the cut!!!

I went down to the river which was only 100 metres from my tent and gave it a go. To be honest though I did want a fish, the setting was mind blowing and the rationale of why people fish did not need any explanation. I have included a couple of images which captured the scene.---well a lot better than me rambling on anyway!

The two below are short videos but I am not sue they will work.... as you might hear the pupil that was videoing for my sounds happy to be up on his day off! At the end a snake appears just past the jetty!

After about 30 minutes, as the sun rose,I noticed some small fish had moved back into the shallows nearby. In fact they had all moved into their respective territories which were visible, as concaved clearings in the silt bottom. It did not take long and one of the fish took exception to the spinner and grabbed it.

From its appearance I could see it was a Talapia (as I had eaten one the night previously) which I think is a member of the Cichlid family. Perhaps no surprise with Lake Victoria so close? No monsters but I can now say that I have fished...and caught on the Nile!!!