Bucket List Species: Nile Perch
Nile Perch: Africa's Largest Freshwater Fish
The Nile Perch (Lates niloticus), also known as the African Snook, Goliath Perch and African Barramundi, is the largest species of freshwater fish in Africa and one of the largest in the world. Growing to 2m (6ft 7in) in length and over 200kg (440lb), these giants are only outgrown by a handful of freshwater species, including the Sturgeon, Arapaima, and Mekong Giant Catfish.
The Nile Perch is widespread throughout much of central, western and eastern Africa, being native to the Nile and Congo Rivers, as well as many of the large lakes found in this region, including Lake Turkana, Lake Albert and Lake Chad. This species has also been introduced into many other bodies of water, such as Lake Victoria and Lake Nasser.
Due to overfishing, Nile Perch numbers have decreased dramatically in the last two decades and few true monsters are landed consistently nowadays. However, one stretch of protected river still exists where Nile Perch fishing is strictly catch and release and the species is still found in good numbers and sizes. This stretch of river falls within Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda and is considered the best place in the world to fish for Nile Perch.
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is known for having the world’s most powerful waterfall, emitting around 300 cubic meters of water per second. The national park is the largest park in Uganda and covers an area of 3840 sq km / 1483 sq miles and is home to more than 73 species of animals, including elephants, giraffes, lions, buffalo, leopards, chimpanzees, hippos and crocodiles.
The stretch of river below the falls is one of the last remaining locations where anglers truly have the chance to catch a fish of a lifetime, with 100+ pound Nile Perch still being caught on a regular basis. While fishing for Perch, anglers may also encounter Tigerfish, Nile Catfish, and Yellowfish. Livebait is generally the best option to target monster Nile Perch but good sized fish are also landed on artificial lures and spinning tackle. Fishing is mainly done from shore in the fast flowing waters at the base of the waterfall or from aluminium centre console boats further downstream.
The best time to visit Murchison Falls National Park is during the dry season from December – March, and again from June to August. The fishing varies from year to year as to which are the most successful months, but generally the prime fishing months are January – February and July – August.
Tackle & Tactics
Two methods are used when bait fishing for Nile Perch. One involves fishing with a live-bait under a float, this keeps the bait above the rocks, branches and snags. The second involves drifting a bait with the boat in the current. Anglers will interchange between these methods depending on the section of river they’re fishing. The use of single circle hooks are preferred to ensure a clean hook-up and safe release. It is crucial to use the highest quality hooks when fishing for Nile Perch as poor quality hooks are easily bent open under the extreme pressure.
In terms of lures for Nile Perch, the bigger the better, especially if you’re targeting trophy size fish. Big lipped lures, crankbaits, jerkbaits and soft plastics are the most effective in the strong current below the falls. It is important to fish with lures that are able to keep their action in fast moving water, while getting down into the strike-zone where the perch are feeding. Longer profile lures better resemble the prey that the Nile Perch feeds on. Remove the stock treble hooks and split rings from your lures and replace them with strong single hooks and split rings. It is essential that your terminal tackle can withstand the extreme pressure from the Nile Perch in the strong current.
We recommend fishing with 6000 – 8000 size spinning reels spooled with 300m of 50lb braid. It is important to bring extra spools of line as line can easily get cut off on the rocks and large fish are known to spool reels in the fast current. 80-100lb fluorocarbon leaders are needed for this fishery and medium-heavy to heavy rods in the 7ft-8ft length is ideal. A light 6ft setup and 2000 size reel can be brought to catch live-bait. Angling is often done close to pods of hippos as they attract baitfish when stirring up the riverbed, this in turn attracts the Nile Perch who come to feed on the baitfish.
Preparation
The temperatures at Murchison are high (sometimes over 40 degrees celsius) – especially at mid day and anglers should be equipped with sun protection including sunscreen, sunglasses and hats. Comfortable safari clothing that are not brightly coloured, buffs, trousers, caps, and durable waterproof shoes with ankle support especially when going on nature walks or chimpanzee trekking is also advised. Tsetse flies also abound at certain times and long trousers as well as insect repellant is recommended. In addition, all anglers visiting Murchison Falls National Park need to have a valid passport with visa and a yellow fever vaccination certificate.
Although the guides know the river like the back of their hand and will put anglers in the best position to get bites on this vast water system, a trip to Murchison Falls to target trophy Nile Perch is definitely geared towards experienced anglers that have a good understanding of different fishing techniques. Fishing is done from aluminium centre-console Kingfisher boats that have a front casting deck, as well as shade cover and are big enough for 2-3 guests along with their guide.
A full packing and tackle list will be sent to anglers pre-trip.
How To Get There
It is safe to say the best fishing destinations are the ones that are off the beaten track and involve an adventure to reach them. Murchison Falls is no different.
To reach the fishing destination, anglers will fly into Entebbe International Airport in Uganda. Direct flights are available from several international airports. From Entebbe it is approximately a 6-7 hour drive to Murchison Falls National Park. Anglers will spend the first night in a guesthouse on Lake Victoria in Entebbe before being transported in a private 4×4 to the park the following morning. Anglers will have the option to stop at the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary along the way. Upon entering the park, a stop will also be made at the top of the falls to give anglers a first glance of the spectacular river they will be fishing in the coming days.
Itinerary
If an African fishing safari has always been on your bucket list, this is certainly a dream trip. Very few places in the world allow you to fish for a trophy species while being surrounded by spectacular wildlife. Murchison Falls currently has the highest population of Nile Perch in the world, thanks to the strict catch and release policies enforced in the park and if there’s one destination that needs to be on your list this is it.
Trips are generally 7-8 days with 6 nights and 5 fishing days in Murchison Falls National Park. We take care of all national park entry fees and fishing licenses with the Ugandan Wildlife Authority in advance of the trip. Trips can also be customised to include safari game drives, wildlife trekking, birdwatching and a variety of other activities.
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