Goliath tigerfish in the Congo

[andy_youngs]

I promised Vagabond and a few other regulars on this site that I’d let you know how I got on during a recent trip to the Congo after goliath tigerfish, so here goes :

 

Well I managed to catch a small one. Eventually. It was great fun, but it wasn’t easy.

 

I lost many others, including several very substantial fish.

 

The main method was livebaiting. I did try my hand at trolling, and actually got a hit on a Spro lure. But the hooks didn’t penetrate, and quite frankly, anyone who thinks that they can tangle with these creatures without employing fishmonger’s tactics is kidding themselves.

 

For a start, they’re difficult to locate. And if you are fortunate to locate them, then they are difficult to hook. And if you do manage to hook them then they are difficult to land.

 

There’s only two places around an mbenga’s mouth where the hooks will penetrate properly. The first is in the incisor in the corner of the jaw. The second is under the gullet. Other than that, your only chance is a foul hook set in its body.

 

If you do manage to connect with one then make sure you’re skin doesn’t touch the running line, otherwise this might happen :

 

PICT0081.640

 

I’ve put a brief report about the trip on youtube at :

 

 

For those that are interested, there are also short films about mahseer fishing in Nepal and salmon fishing in Newfoundland

[JV44]

I promised Vagabond and a few other regulars on this site that I’d let you know how I got on during a recent trip to the Congo after goliath tigerfish, so here goes :

 

Well I managed to catch a small one. Eventually. It was great fun, but it wasn’t easy.

 

I lost many others, including several very substantial fish.

 

The main method was livebaiting. I did try my hand at trolling, and actually got a hit on a Spro lure. But the hooks didn’t penetrate, and quite frankly, anyone who thinks that they can tangle with these creatures without employing fishmonger’s tactics is kidding themselves.

 

For a start, they’re difficult to locate. And if you are fortunate to locate them, then they are difficult to hook. And if you do manage to hook them then they are difficult to land.

 

There’s only two places around an mbenga’s mouth where the hooks will penetrate properly. The first is in the incisor in the corner of the jaw. The second is under the gullet. Other than that, your only chance is a foul hook set in its body.

 

If you do manage to connect with one then make sure you’re skin doesn’t touch the running line, otherwise this might happen :

 

PICT0081.640

 

I’ve put a brief report about the trip on youtube at :

 

 

For those that are interested, there are also short films about mahseer fishing in Nepal and salmon fishing in Newfoundland

 

Andy i watched a docu on one of the discovery channel's recently about the Congo and a team of biologists were trying to find out why some species of fish develop differently on rapid bits of the river and they concluded that the force of the river stopped them intermingling and therefore the gene pool was a bit small and each lot developed slightly differently bit like living in a village and all that ,they caught Goliath Tiger Fish from different spots on the river and found there DNA was the same so these fish can migrate the river unlike most.

they had a team of adrenalin junkie canoeists to travel the worst rapids and it has to be seen to be believed,they were held up by armed militia and everything but they did manage the rapids and they think that no one else had ever achieved this ,the data they brought back from there equipment showed a 700` deep trench in thew river which find hard to believe but who knows eh!.

Well done on your capture and a great trip by the look of things Steve.

[andy_youngs]

Well done on your capture and a great trip by the look of things Steve.

 

Thanks Steve, I had been informed that National Geographic would be joining us, but in the event they had visited the camp that I was at a week or so prior to our trip ... they have pretty much a 12 month presence on the Congo these days. Yes, it's common knowledge that goliaths get through 'tubes' in the rapids, so it's no surprise that their dna profile is consistant throughout the catchment. Most fishermen I know have always suspected this.

 

And yes, those young yanks are mad to kayak the rapids below Kinshasa. Over sexed, over paid, and over there (thank god)

 

Still, I guess it makes good television ....

Edited August 29, 2009 by andy_youngs

[Vagabond]

Hi Andy

 

Thanks for the info on your trip to the Congo, and well done on getting even a small Goliath.

 

Liked the link to the Goliath in the tank - have been studying it to see what differences in the jaws there are from Lined Tigerfish. We used circle hooks, got twenty-odd tigers last year with only one or two shedding the hook (but had a few bite-offs from other tigers going for baits ejected up the line by the fish being played - quite an education in itself - if I hadn't seen it happen in clear water I wouldn't have believed it)

 

There are Goliaths in Lake Tanzania, but how easy/difficult to locate I have yet to discover. Less chance of being shot there by trigger-happy military though!

[Vagabond]

Goliath Tiger Fish from different spots on the river and found there DNA was the same so these fish can migrate the river unlike most.

 

Anyone who has caught tigerfish will attest their swimming power. Their speed is akin to salmon and seatrout - perhaps even faster, so they can swim against any current short of a waterfall.

 

So it is no surprise that genetic mixing along the length of the river takes place. There are Goliath in Lake Tanzania, which is drained by a tributary of the Congo river, which makes them potentially present all the way down to the Congo delta.

[andy_youngs]

There are Goliaths in Lake Tanzania, but how easy/difficult to locate I have yet to discover

 

My guess is you mean Lake Tanganyka rather than Lake Tanzania. If I'm correct, then the answer is yes, they're there, but they're damn difficult to catch. A mate hooked one 22 years ago .... stripped all his line off and he's been a hopeless case ever since. Ruined his life in fact.

 

Truth is, there's not so much tension in the congo, especially the western part. You get the odd one who's hostile, but then considering the history of the place that's understandable. As long as you're sensible then it's managable.

Edited September 2, 2009 by andy_youngs

[Vagabond]

My guess is you mean Lake Tanganyka rather than Lake Tanzania.

 

Right ! The country changed its name, but the lake didn't - must be my spell-checker being politically overcorrect

 

Yes, I know things aren't as bad as they were in the Congo, but having been held at gunpoint in Zimbabwe I am aware of how knife-edge these things can be. It will have to simmer down a bit more before I risk Norma's life as well as my own.

[Dick Dastardly]

Shame Paul Boote doesnt come on here anymore hes had some cracking Goliaths.

[andy_youngs]

Shame Paul Boote doesnt come on here anymore hes had some cracking Goliaths.

Hmm .... perhaps. I was blessed with a PB encounter several years back. As I recall it was a slightly surreal experience, but then most worthwhile encounters are. In any event, it was a long time ago now.

 

Your quite right of course Budgie, that gentleman possesses a wealth of knowledge on the subject. So does Douglas Dann. Fortunatley they both decided to record their exploits for posterity in respective publications (easily found by googling).

 

Essential reading I suggest for anyone planning a trip to the Congo.

Edited September 24, 2009 by andy_youngs