It seems that the best fishing stories are usually exchanged in a bar. In that respect, the Greystoke bar is no different to others. It was a good two weeks ago that I was chatting with George and Mark over a pre dinner drink. Looking out over the beautiful lake and chatting about it, we all came to the same conclusion: via the direct connection that the Congo River and Lake Tanganyika have, there simply must be Tiger fish in this sea of fresh water.
Although the camp has no record of anyone catching a Tiger, it was an exciting enough prospect. Therefore, the plan was made and the next morning we went out to see if we could find any. Equipped with trace line, spinners, some bait and a cooler box full of drinks, we went out on our little Tiger trip. The shallow river mouth - a good 5 kms (3.3 miles) south of camp - would be the very best place to station ourselves for that morning. Casting from the boat, we floated calmly in this serene and spectacular environment. Backed by the sharp Mahale mountain range, we had a few nice strikes but no tigers showed so far.
Then at one moment, a good hour and a half into our morning, another strike hit. As we reeled it in we saw a flash of what could certainly go for a Tiger fish. But close to the boat and just before the surface it managed to unhook itself. Looking at the teeth marks when we reeled in the bait, we decided this very much so could go for a Tiger strike. Excitement! Although we kept trying hard, we didn't manage to really catch it.
But Mark managed to land a huge catfish of about 80 cms from the river mouth that was a great catch in itself. What a great trip it is to make. So, if it comes to Tigers, I guess we're back to the bar talks again. Come and join us for a chat!
