Text and Pictures Robert Frean
It’s our first evening on a beautiful, clean stretch of the Pongola River just below Pongolapoort Dam, and we’re here in pursuit of the ferocious tigerfish (Hydrocynus vittatus).
I take my seat in the boat, which Menzes Linda then paddles into the current and we float gently downstream, forests of gigantic fever trees, sycamore figs and a hundred other trees gliding by.
The river, up to 70 metres wide in parts, might lack exciting rapids, but has bush, crags, islands and huge numbers of waterbirds. The nearby Pongola floodplain is said to contain one of the greatest diversities of wildlife in Southern Africa. While we drift I wonder why this wilderness is not yet a tourist playground providing countless jobs.
As if to welcome us, a francolin sings lilting, evocative ‘kikwerri kwetchis’. Stars come out and the moon is so bright that I can see my fly touch down on the water: Back on shore the bole of a huge sycamore fig tree is silhouetted by our braai fire, and delicious wood smoke has me salivating.
Fireflies emerge from the thick bush, piling on the charm. Captivated by such beauty, I miss striking as a tigerfish jerks my line and then is gone. Luckily the next three days were to give my chum JJ Bezuidenhout and me some of the finest flyfishing either of us have ever experienced.
Over a stretch of about 20km of river, our guides, Peter Calverley and camp manager Menzes Linda, put us into any number of productive tigerfish haunts. Apparently some of their other clients have caught dozens of tigers, and returned every one unharmed to the water.
JJ, who I have managed to reform from his ‘papgooier’ and damduiker fishing to become an ardent fly fisherman, and I lost four big tigers during our stay. We had grossly underestimated the power of the bigger fish and our tackle wasn’t up to the task. My five/six-weight rod and matching reels had been stolen a few days before the trip and the four-weight set-up I used was just too light. One fish stripped my four-weight reel down to the last few turns before saying cheerio. As a result, I recommend five/six- weight rods and matching lines, preferably sinking or intermediate, with plenty of backing. Our most successful flies were red and white Clouser Minnows.
The Pongola River below the dam is a virtually unknown tigerfishing destination, but one that offers excellent fishing in a spellbinding setting
Our local tigerfish may not be the biggest in Africa, but even those of one kilogram give a nice pull on flytackle. Their bigger cousins, Hydrocynus tanzaniae, grow to well over 10kg in Tanzania’s rivers, where they are the sought-after quarry of privileged fly anglers.
The next morning, after a peaceful night in our tents just metres from the river we are woken at sunrise by a guineafowl noisily fussing over her six half-grown chicks. Other birds chip in as we happily emerge and savour our first cup of delicious coffee, flavoured by the wood smoke.
Peter who is doing doctoral research on crocodiles close to the sea in Ndumo and Mozambique, says that he and friends had explored the river by paddling it. “We were blown away by the scenery, birds, the clear water and white sandbanks. It was just perfect to camp on.”
His father Mark, created Calverley’s Safari Camp in an area previously conserved by the provincial government. It is now controlled by Nkosi Gumede, who is a keen conservationist. He has allowed Peter Mark and associate Juri Janssen to set up a tented camp that will hopefully become the nucleus of an exciting tourism initiative.
The tented camp has no permanent structures, as the campsite is flooded during an annual three-week water release from Pongolapoort Dam. This keeps the 50-plus pans on the lower flood plains full and allows the ecosystem to maintain its natural balance.
The Calverleys aim to enhance the catch-and-release flyfishing of tigers and to promote the management of this asset by the locals, as well as the conservation of other wildlife in the area. If all goes well, tiger fishing and other tourist activities could supply a sustainable income for the locals, without degrading the habitat. An ambitious aim is to establish an education centre promoting conservation, eco-tourism and the sustainable use of resources. Till that happens, we’ll enjoy the peace and quiet of this undiscovered utopia.
| More info on the town of Pongola | More info on the Zululand area |
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