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TIGERFISH
FISHING
IN THE GAMBIA RIVER
West Africa
Excellent
fishing is available in
the immediate fresh water regions
around McCarthy Island 180 miles up the Gambia River
at Georgetown.
JOIN US ON
OUR TIGERFISH EXPEDITION !
Angling is carried out at various places
around prominent features; deep
channels and sandbanks, sunken trees
and rocky outcrops.
Fishing for
Tigerfish
is usually carried out in two sessions;
early in the morning and early
evening using lure
fishing methods:
slow trolling a variety of lures
along the edges of the river and
around marked features provide the
most consistent strike rates.
They
can be caught on brightly coloured
lures and spoons trolled or
retrieved with a medium spinning
rig. The lure must be tied
with a steel trace to stop it being
bitten off. Drift or bottom
fished fish fillets or live baits
sometimes prove effective.
Hook-ups
are not easy and for every 10 hooked
you may land one!
About our............. West African Tigerfish
The
Tigerfish
is a great game fish and is very
active once hooked.
It is respected for its excellent
aerobatic fighting abilities and
will break from the water displaying
powerful twists
and
turns. Tigers are strong and fast. Even a
fish of 4kg will give a
 good fight
often making several leaps out of
the water in an attempt to free
itself from its pursuer. This does
not make them easy targets. The
dental armoury
with which they rip apart even the
largest bait-fish also aids them in
escaping the most well
presented hook. Our Gambian
Tigerfish
have vivid colouration, large
protruding teeth,
short dorsal, small adipose fin
(black with grey edging) and
lateral stripes along the body. The Tigerfish are vvibratory
and sight feeders and are known to
take prey 40% of the size of the
attacking fish.
Fishing for Tigerfish in the upper reaches of
The Gambia River is a truly unique
experience. This is a real 'African Angler'
fishing
Xpedition
and is not for the faint hearted or
easily defeated!
This is usually a 5 day/4nts fishing
excursion & involves traveling 180
miles up The Gambia River to
Georgetown by boat or road - We will tailor-make
this trip to suit your requirements.
If you would like full details and
our suggested itinerary sending to
you or if you have any questions
or queries please
email us
info@african-angling.co.uk
Best fishing: Dec
to May
Preferred duration: 1 wk
trip/4 or 5 nts at the camp with 3
or 4 days boat fishing
Preferred number of anglers
per boat: 2
Fishing Methods: lure fishing
(trolling), spinning, bait fishing
(live and fresh cut baits)
The Accommodation: tourist
bush camps - The facilities include reception, bar
& restaurant,
tented or round-house accommodation
- en-suite toilets & showers.
Boats: 7 mtre fiber glass
skiffs
Main target species: West
African Tigerfish
Other species available:
Vundoo catfish, Silver catfish,
Electric catfish, Threadfin Salmon,
African pike plus many other
indigenous species.
Average Hook-ups: can be up
to 10
hook-ups per day - 25% landing catch
rate.
Average Size: 5 to 15lbs.
 
African Angler
Video Lounge:
See our short video footage Fishing for Tigerfish from the
Gambia River, West Africa, May 2009
Expedition!
video
length = 59 secs.
Tigerfish Gallery
A variety of Tigerfish photos
IGFA World
Record Tigerfish - The Gambia
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about
TIGERFISH
in The Gambia
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Fishing
in The
Gambia -
What's
Available
General
Descriptions
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TARPON FISHING
Fish for giant Atlantic Tarpon in The Gambia river estuary......Read More
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REEF FISHING
Sport Fishing on the inshore reefs & sandbars.............................................Read More
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CREEK FISHING
Light tackle species fishing in the oyster mangrove creeks..............Read More
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SHORE ANGLING
Shore Angling Safari’s along Gambia’s unspoilt coastline..............Read More
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THE BOAT - Skippers - Location
Our Boston Whaler boat will get you to all major fishing grounds within 30 mins.....................................Read More |
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our Facebook Page |
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The Living RiverThe Republic of The Gambia is named after its majestic river which is one of the most unspoilt water-ways in West Africa. It runs for 1,100 km from its source in the Futa Jalow highlands in the Republic of Guinea to its estuary mouth in The Gambia. 600km of the river is in The Gambia where the river meanders along the entire length of the country. The Gambia River splits the country into two halves (north & south) and its banks are bordered by sub-tropical forest, bamboo and mangrove swamps.
The Gambia supports a huge amount of marine life. The silt based estuary is rich with shrimp and shellfish, cuttlefish and cru-stations. These provide a base food source for many of the oceans inhabitants. Large shoals of herring and shad are prolific in these waters providing a constant link in the food chain for larger predators. Atlantic Bottlenose and Grey Dolphins roam freely from the open ocean to the furthest saltwater regions of the river. West African Manatee ply this mighty water-way up to the fresh water regions grazing on sea grass or the lush vegetation of the river banks. Atlantic Turns, Pelicans, Fish Eagles and Ospreys attack the water from above praying on the surface swimmers whilst giant Green and Leatherback Turtles and fresh water Terrapins scour down below. Although rarely seen crocodiles can be found along the entire length of the river living deep in the saltwater mangroves camouflaged by the dense foliage. Hippos live in perfect harmony in the upper fresh water regions of The Gambia River. Family groups roam freely grazing on the lush vegetation and unfortunately, at times, on the farmer’s rice fields. Over-all The River Gambia provides a stable marine environment for a great number of its inhabitants.
McCarthy Island is situated approximately 300km up-river. Lying at the end of the Central River Division it is the only populated island on the river. Its main town is called Janjanbureh which is also known as Georgetown and is one of the oldest townships in The Gambia. Once hailed as the ‘up country capitol’ this old 2nd city of colonial days used to be a busy trading center. Remains of colonial architecture can still be seen in the form of derelict river-side warehouses which used to store goods such as gold, groundnuts and cotton for transportation westward down the river.
Today the island benefits from its farming, rice and groundnuts and fruit plantations which flourish in the fertile soil. The pace of life is slow and very laid back with probably the most activity going on at the Armitage High School, the Gambia’s only boarding school. Janjanbureh is also the administrative centre for the Central River Division which has its headquarters there. Steeped in history, tradition, culture and located in some of The Gambia’s most unspoilt natural environment, McCarthy Island is truly ‘The Heart of The Gambia!’
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