We’re now just about two weeks into our 2021 Pongola tigerfish season and it has been firing! Here are a handful of things we’ve learned so far: Big water is great for big fish Previously called Pongolapoort, at approximately 30km long and 5km wide, it is a serious piece of water. Completed in 1973 […]
Having spent years fishing and guiding on Lake Jozini you learn her intimacies, her moods and of course what makes her tick. Fishing for tigerfish in a stillwater environment brings with it all sorts of challenges and complexities and forces you to approach differently to the norm. Heavy 9 weight rods with heavily weighted flies […]
Over 400 tigerfish have been landed on fly by our clients on Lake Jozini over the past two weeks. The weather has not always played along, with back-to-back cold fronts plaguing one of the groups, but the anglers persevered and the fishery kept producing. Various fish in the 6lb – 8lb range came out, as […]
The 2020 home-grown tigerfish season on Lake Jozini is in full swing. We had a great family-orientated group on the water from 19 to 25 August. The group of 8 anglers were made up of a father and future son-in-law; as well as three farther-and-son pairs. Of the group only one had previous caught a […]
Tidying his office and fishing room during the downtime, founder Jonathan Boulton came across a dusty old hard drive. On it he came across this clip he and his brother featured in many years back on Pongola. “Like the dusty hard drive, the drought took Pongola off our radars for three years and now we’re […]
This a quick and simple pattern to tie and one of my favourite patterns for Tigers, especially at Pongola where there is a large population of Tilapia. MATERIALS Hook: Gama B10s #2-1/0 or Gama SL12S short #2/0-4/0 Thread: Red or orange 140D Danville’s Weight: Lead wire 0.02 Tail: Fishient SF fibre, bucktail to prevent wrapping […]
As anglers we often debate our favourite species, but for me its more than just the fish, its the where and the how, the environment in which you pursue them and the technique used to fool them. One of my favourites is Tigerfish, more so the home-grown version, right here on Pongola dam with Rhino […]
This suggestive baitfish pattern (as tied by Rowan Black below) has a great action thanks to the Zonker strip and has proved very successful for us in the calmer waters of Pongola Dam. Tie it in a variety of colours and you’re good to go. Hook: Gama B10S #2 Thread: 140D Danville’s Tail: Zonker strip […]
Expert advice from our experienced team of guides on how to make the most of your tigerfish trip this year. Put your best foot forward Don’t waste your first day familiarizing yourself with your gear and casting. Practice throwing your 9wt rig with sinking line and a big, wind resistant piece of fluff as a […]
Head guide Gareth Reid has years of experience on that toothy freshwater adversary affectionately known as the ‘striped water dog’ … Here are some of his tips on the tackle you need for Tigers. HARDWARE 9ft 8wt & 9wt fast action fly rods with matching large arbor fly reel These rods assist with casting […]
Our guides recently returned to Pongola Dam with a few select regular clients for a ‘shakedown’ trip of sorts to target tigerfish on fly, and to see just how much of a comeback the system has made following the drought. Here’s what they came back with: The dam levels have reached something of a (happy) […]