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
Thank you.
Great read, Jeri! Thanks for the in depth write up on the angling and other opportunities Namibia offers.
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
Jeri,
Thanks for taking the time for this report. Great reading !!
John
I ENJOYED YOUR POST. LOVED TO SEE YOUR PICTURES.
Quote from: Westii on October 10, 2012, 02:55:24 PM
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
Great post Jeri - thanks for taking the time.
Photos follow:
(http://alantani.com/gallery/20/3590_06_08_17_3_16_51_203941264.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/20/3590_04_08_17_7_27_06_20229774.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/20/3590_06_08_17_3_13_34_203601744.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/20/3590_06_08_17_3_13_34_203592100.jpeg)
(http://alantani.com/gallery/20/3590_06_08_17_3_15_13_203831076.jpeg)
Cheers, Justin
Great post and awesome pics, Jeri.
Very nice Jeri, really enjoyed your post.
Thanks for sharing, Sal
Wow, thanks Jeri. Hmm, maybe I need to win the lottery so I can travel to all of these places to fish.
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... ;D ;D ;D
Thanks. that read like a travel log. Dominick
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
THANKS FOR THE PICTURES. AS YOU ALL KNOW I LIKE PICTURES.
Very nice fish and a good read,thanks.
Thanks for the info, Jeri. I think about 99% of us learned more about Namibia from your post than we ever knew before.
George
Jeri,
I have an Uncle in Burundi that I'M planning on visiting this year. If I wanted to swing over to the coast when I'm done what time of year would you recommend? My wife is from SA and she has always dreamed of visiting your area.
Ron
Hi Ron,
Would suggest anywhere from January through to April for the beginning of the year, then November for the other end of the year.
April would also be good for game viewing inland, so your wife wouldn't get too bored with the desert and fishing!!!
Keep me posted about your plans, and we could meet up.
Cheers
jeri
Thank you Jeri for a great and informative report with pics. Second least populated place....sounds like heaven!
sounds like an amazing place!
Very interesting how the South African's use their beach overheads as a low winch mount. When my mate showed me his beach rods I had never seen them like that. He also had so centrepin type reels known as Scarborough's which he also used on the beach. Being an Australian from Queensland we were brought up with the good old Alvey sidecast reel with no drag or gearing of any description.
I would love to go over there for a look and a fish.
Quote from: fisher480 on October 30, 2012, 08:36:56 AM
Very interesting how the South African's use their beach overheads as a low winch mount. When my mate showed me his beach rods I had never seen them like that. He also had so centrepin type reels known as Scarborough's which he also used on the beach. Being an Australian from Queensland we were brought up with the good old Alvey sidecast reel with no drag or gearing of any description.
I would love to go over there for a look and a fish.
It really makes casting and handling a big fish much easier. I still don't understand how you can wind in a fish with the reel almost above your head or clamping a rod between your legs or under your arm. The world distance casters use the reel at the bottom, that in it's own must say something. The grip you are able to get on a big reel is just far better with the reel at the bottom. Jeri is from Namibia, they fish the same way. We are in healthy competition and the national teams fish against each other annually. Using a Scarborough's is a different "kettle of fish" though. That is the domain of the anglers of the KwaZulu-Natal coast line, it is the only part of the coast where those reels are still used fairly often. You need to have grown up with it to fish and cast it easily.
Hi Fisher 480,
The thing down here is that generally there are some very large fish to be caught, and the more universally accepted method of reel mounting (reel up) is not very practical, as tucking the rod butt between your legs would leave you pretty useless for the rest of the week, after one good fish. This applies to edible species as well as sharks. So, the local answer was to use a boat fishing butt pad, and site the reel down at the bottom of the rod, traditionally 8" from the button to the start of the reel seat. This works fine for multipliers, and has become the accepted norm with most fishermen in the region.
I came down to Namibia from Europe, and had to adapt my casting style to 'train' my left hand to do all the reel control, away from the more European style of right hand reel control – and surprisingly it only took a little while to 'train' my left hand. Once done, it becomes the most natural method to cast, still can cast with the 'reel up', but it does feel'different.
However, this concept does not work particularly well for fixed spool reels, as basically it is an accident waiting to happen, especially with braids. Fixed spool reels in the low position have the tendency to have braid leaving the reel at a rate of knots, and the line is going over the upper hand's fingers; hence the accident waiting to happen – braid under severe tension is very prone to easily slicing through human tissue and the like.
We were very instrumental in developing a new system that keeps the reel in a high position for casting, but once the cast is complete, the long section of the lower handle can be slid into the parallel tube of the main rod blank, and hence fished with a reel in a much lower position. Best of both worlds, and despite what some folks have been advocating, the fixed spool reel in the upper position doesn't penalise the angler for distance, in fact as the reel is closer to the first and subsequent rings, fewer rings are used in the rod design, and a much greater performance can be gained from the blank. These comments obviously really only apply to surf rods, and especially to long surf rods in the 14' category which is typical down here in southern Africa.
We did do some serious investigation into the low reel – vs – high reel argument with a series of tests, and found consistently that the reel high position was optimum for casting baits, and especially heavy baits, as long as we had the option of closing down the butt section after the cast. After all, why re-invent the wheel, when the Europeans and others have been successfully casting big distances with the 'reel up' for very many years – design rods to accommodate the angles, don't try and re-design anglers to accommodate a poor rod design.
As 'Capefish' pointed out, there are annual competitions between Namibia and South Africa, I have just returned from the 'B' side part of the series, held in South Africa, where 5 teams from Namibia competed against 7 teams from South Africa, I was in the Namibian Masters 'B' team (over 50s). During the competition I noticed that an increasing number of anglers were using fixed spool reels, however, on the one day of the three that the weather looked like being less than gale force, nearly all the anglers opted for multipliers, as that was the day that we were all going to seriously focus on sharks – probably something to do with more faith in the strength of gearing in multipliers that the strength of gears in fixed spool reels. One factor here is the fact that reels designed for distance surf casting have tall and wide diameter spools, and have been built primarily for the European market, where strength of gearing in a surf situation is not such a critical factor as surf fishing in southern Africa.
We will shortly see the 'A' side of the tournament here in Namibia, and I would suspect that the majority of anglers competing will be bringing full multiplier set ups, as the likelihood is that big Copper sharks will be the major target species, and fixed spool reels and rods will only be used for 'scratching' out smaller species, where perhaps there is a benefit from using braid.
I personally did a lot of surf fishing with fixed spool reels and rods, as we did a lot of the early development rod work, and like most of the others that did the same, we have mostly reverted to multipliers, as the strength of gearing and reliability issues outweigh the few gains of fixed spool reels in our situation. Distance is a factor of the rod, rather than the reel, developments in rod blank technology are developing faster than anything in reels, and so we are more than capable of developing rods to effectively fish beyond 200 metres, at distances above 175 metres, the design liabilities of the fixed spool reel and braid become a severely limiting factor – that just doesn't happen with a multiplier.
Won't go into rod design issues, as that would need a completely new discussion group, and maybe a new website.