Insight into Namibia

[Jeri]

Hi All,

Been asked to post some information and photos about fishing here in Namibia, hope that some of this might whet some appetites into folks thinking about coming this way.

Generally, there is only a little boat fishing available here, and generally that is quite expensive for what you are likely to catch, we generally catch as much or more from the beach, as do the guys fishing from boats.

To the beach, we have of the 1500km coastline, only 300km which is accessible for fishing, as the rest is tired up as either diamond concessions or National Parks – so we have a huge 'No Take Zone', where our stocks of fish breed and live without disturbance, and the excess spills over into the 300km in the middle where all the beach anglers are. The main beach is all accessible by 4x4 vehicles, and this at times is our biggest problem, as we do have just so much choice.

A little of the geography – the entire coastline of Namibia is where the Namib Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean, and it has a predominantly cold current coming from the south the Benguella Current, in fact the Namibian coastline is the coldest place in the tropics. However, the cold water brings the nutrients for huge shoals of Sardine, which is the prime prey fodder for all the main species we catch. The 300km section is home to three towns, Walvis Bay (industrial and shipping port), Swakopmund (tourist destination) and Henties Bay (fishing mecca). Henties Bay, where we live, is basically in the centre of the 300km zone, and therefore has the most access to all the fishing – hence its popularity with anglers.

The fishing is basically divided into edible species and sharks, and depending on whether you want the sport and thrill of the big sharks or are looking for just something to take home to eat, determines pretty much how you fish. The sharks generally most sought after are the Copper shark, locally known as 'Bronzies' (due to their coppery or bronze colour), and these range from 50kgs up to 180kgs or more. These are a very active 'near coastal' shark, and is seriously powerful, and have at times emptied spools of 1000m of combined braid and mono. All the usual baits are used, and pretty much all the standard techniques work, though because our local competition rules define that only 'cast baits' are allowed, fishing systems have developed to just casting huge baits with heavy sinkers, and reels to match. We do use a few other techniques to get big baits out to the waiting sharks, but these are frowned upon by the competition rules writers??? – though in my mind they are valid fishing techniques; which I occasionally use when taking clients out for sharks. We don't however use kayaks or battery powered 'bait boats', just casting. Kites are pretty much not an option, as we have a daily wind coming off the sea, so would only put our baits over the desert.

There are other sharks like the Spotted Gully shark, Smooth Hounds and Sevengill sharks, which although interesting, don't quite live up to the sport of the 'Bronzies', so are only sought after in competitions where weight carries points. That said, they do provide some seriously good sport on the lighter tackle, especially the Gully sharks and the Smooth hounds.

Shark fishing has in parts also developed into a bit of a cult following, and as is often the case in these situations developed into a 'strength' game with the exponents. Granting the sharks more strength than they really have, and this has led to tackle developments way beyond the strength of the sharks, especially in rods.

On the edible species side we have 4 main species, as well as a few warm water visitors that come down from the north each summer. The biggest species and certainly probably the most prolific is the Kob, which is part of the worldwide family that includes Drum, Mulloway, European Bass and Meagre. A surf zone predator, it can grow to over 40-80kgs, but these big fish are getting increasingly rare, and generally we catch fish in the 5kg range, which for 'table fish' is just about right. Next is our very slow growing Stenbras, which is part of the Sea Bream family, and they grow up to about 20kgs, but again fish that size are rare. The last two species are much smaller, and really only sought for table consumption, these are the Galjeon and the Blacktail Sea Bream. There is basically nothing in the Galjeon family in the more global species, and they are eagerly sought as they are very tasty, but never really get that big, a 3kg Galjeon would be a prized catch.

All these species are pretty much exclusively fished for with baits off the Namibian coast as we have quite coloured water with all the nutrient, and spinning or lure fishing is really not that productive. Baits are generally sections of Sardine or other fodder species or mussels or clams, depending on species to be targeted. Most of the edible fishing is done with rods that can cast 5-7oz sinkers + bait, and generally the feeding zone is about 90-100m from the shore. However, there are times of the year, especially when the beaches are busy, that real distance casting is needed to get into the fish, and that is where a lot of our rod development has been aimed – getting the distance.

The fishery is pretty much year round for all the species, but does get slower when the water cools down over winter, as well as when we get periods of heavy swell coming up from the Cape of Good Hope. Sharks in the winter months can get slow, and then we at times have to resort to chumming off the beach to get some interest, but once the 'spring' weather starts to have an influence and the waters warm up, then we can pretty much guarantee a few sharks each day, when sea conditions allow.

Our main 'holiday' month is December, which is also our most busy time in the shop; when our little town goes from a population of about 3,000 souls to 23,000 or more!!! A time for serious anglers to avoid, as then we lose that very special aspect of fishing on the Skeleton Coast – the solitude. During other months there are days out fishing when you will not see another soul, despite driving pretty much the entire northern section. The splendid isolation and peace of the coast is something that really has to be experienced to appreciated. Vast vistas of the desert at your back, the clean beaches and the pounding surf – all without interruption of anything to do with the 21st century – a place where the soul of an angler gets rejuvenated – just add to that a box full of fish, and you would think that you are in heaven.

Apart from the huge unspoilt areas, Namibia is a place of contrasts. Situated in the tropics, we have all the usual candidates, Pelicans and the like, but also the cold water current brings Whales and Dolphins as well as the odd Penguin to the near shore area. Once lunch had at a restaurant in Walvis bay, we looked over the water to see the flocks of Flamingos and Pelicans, as well as all the other sea birds, and in the stream of the incoming current were 3 Penguins up from the Antarctic for good feeding. On the beach later that afternoon, we got out of the 4x4 with bare feet, and nearly burned our feet on the sand, rushing down to the water to cool them down – and our feet turned blue with the cold – contrasts.

We have another couple of special locations that we do occasionally fish on the coast, but these have limited access, as they are in the northern restricted area. The first is only open for 2 months in the year, and is very basic camping at a place called Torra Bay, and trips there just after it opens on the 1st December can be frantic – folks catching their daily bag limit of 10 edible species within 2 hours of fishing – it is an amazing place, as the fish haven't seen a bait for 10 months. As the 2 month period at Torra starts to get busy with all the campers, the fishing does tend to go downhill, but late January, when all the campers have gone can be good.

The other place is Terrace Bay, where there is a permanent lodge with bungalows, that is open year round and here the fishing can either be exceptional or like a graveyard. Both these locations are special in their own right, as they have defined areas available for fishing where very few others can fish, and in part being in a very isolated area they are even more special. Part of the mystique of both these locations is the very isolated nature of getting there, these tracks only ever see a few travellers, and it is very much a journey into the wilds of the desert.

As you will gather from the theme of this, is that we appreciate fishing here, without the company of other anglers – a bit like a single trout angler exploring an isolated stream on his own. It does make for a sense of challenge, as it comes down to the anglers skill in reading the water, and hunting out the fish. The rest of Namibia away from the desert strip, is all very typical Africa, open plains, bush and mountains, all punctuated occasionally with small towns and villages. Game viewing is the other prime reason for visiting Namibia, and places like Etosha are slowly becoming well known, as supreme venues for game in huge unspoiled vistas of Africa. If you suffer from agro phobia, then Namibia is not a place for you, for we have 'wall to wall' sky and the second lowest population density in the world. The other attraction of Namibia is the game hunting, and this is expensive, though can be an exceptional experience for those that partake – especially when carried out by one of the purist lodges, where you literally walk miles in the bush to find your trophy.

Inland, but at least 2 days drive from the coast is Namibia's other fishing treasure – the northern rivers – the mighty Zambezi and the enigmatic Okavango, where you fish for Tigerfish and Nembwe (an African version of Peacock Bass) while avoiding crocodiles and hippos. This is pure Africa as your typical imagination would expect, heat, humidity, mosquitoes and all the other joys of the continent – so drastically different from the cool coastal area.

So, apart from the obvious 'African' fishing opportunities of the northern rivers, the sea holds a huge stock of sporting and edible fish that make Namibia a paradise for surf anglers. There are a host of guides in the coastal towns to assist visitors, as well as opportunities for those that want to 'go it alone'. You might need to brush up on distance casting and $x4 driving skills, especially 'sand driving', but this is a very peaceable country with diverse opportunities for the visiting tourist angler and family.

I've posted some pictures through to Justin, and hope he can put them up for me.

Anyone looking for further details, please contact me direct: jeri@excalibur-tackle.com

[Keta]

Thank you.

[Steve-O]

Great read, Jeri!  Thanks for the in depth write up on the angling and other opportunities Namibia offers.

[Westii]

Very interesting, Jeri.  Thanks for taking the time to inform us.  I've seen some TV shows of tigerfish being caught and would love to do that someday.  It looks like a tigerfish that you are holding in your avatar picture.  Is that correct?

Regards,

Rick

[john2244]

Jeri,

Thanks for taking the time for this report.  Great reading !!

John

[HOLEINTHEWATER]

I ENJOYED YOUR POST. LOVED TO SEE YOUR PICTURES.

[Jeri]

Very interesting, Jeri.  Thanks for taking the time to inform us.  I've seen some TV shows of tigerfish being caught and would love to do that someday.  It looks like a tigerfish that you are holding in your avatar picture.  Is that correct?

Regards,

Rick

Hi Westii,

Yes, a Tigerfish of 9.7kgs, caught in the Zambezi at a place called Impalila - an island where you can see 5 countries - Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Angola. Amazing place, though the hippos coming to the lodge to wake you every morning is a serious down side!!!

Cheers


Jeri

[redsetta]

Great post Jeri - thanks for taking the time.

Photos follow:











Cheers, Justin

[Cone]

Great post and awesome pics, Jeri.

[Alto Mare]

Very nice Jeri, really enjoyed your post.
Thanks for sharing, Sal

[Bryan Young]

Wow, thanks Jeri.  Hmm, maybe I need to win the lottery so I can travel to all of these places to fish.

[Nessie Hunter]

Amazing, Thank you very much...
Very informative and educational to say the least..
Very well written and an excellent read....

Pics were not even needed!!!  But are excellent...              

[Dominick]

Thanks.  that read like a travel log.  Dominick

[Jeri]

Hi All,


Thanks for the kind words.

A few words to clarify the pictures.

Jones's Bay, near Torra Bay
122kg Bronzie – Frans Venter (15 yo)
Sue (Jeri's wife) with 2 Kob, 1 the new Namibian Ladies record – 18.8kg
Sue fighting 21kg sting ray
Jeri with 24kg Smooth Hound

Cheers from sunny Africa,


Jeri

[HOLEINTHEWATER]

THANKS FOR THE PICTURES. AS YOU ALL KNOW I LIKE PICTURES.