There are two main target species, one being the impressive Vundu, a catfish that you want to tick off that list and the other being what has really made this river famous for game fishing, both of which will readily engulf a fly.

If the superb game viewing isn’t reason enough to visit Baines River Camp then the Tiger fishing certainly is. Situated in the GMA, it allows you to fish both the main river opposite Mana Pools and the Lower Zambezi National Park. You can literally throw a line from this luxury lodge.

Our recent trip taught us a few lessons that are worth remembering when you embark on this adventure.

You’re going to be doing a lot of casting, at times in intense heat, so make sure that you practice with your 9wt or a severe case of tennis elbow might be all you get for your efforts. It’s important to be able to put your fly tight up against the structure, so accuracy is more important than length. You also want to be able to load your line with ease, so don’t go under gunned, we put the the GR80 Greys stick thoroughly through it’s paces and it did not disappoint. A lot of fly fishers tend to overload their rods with a heavier line than the AFTMA, but we found the 40 Plus Airflo 9S7 proved to be ideal for the task.

As you drift down, the aim is to  bang your fly just above the oncoming structure and swing it past the break that the fallen tree has created from the current. You’ll get a lot of pretenders to the throne harassing your fly but pretty soon you’ll encounter the title holder that inhabits these waters.

Where ever you find converging water created by the channels flowing through the sandbanks and islands you should find some fish holding, especially if these meet with the main river. It’s easier to sit and wait for that passing meal than have to expend unnecessary energy swimming around looking for it.

Back waters will hold the Tilapia and Tigers in proverbial nappies, so in these outflows you could also stumble across a decent fish waiting to pounce on the brave youngster who ventures out of the nursery.

But it’s the drop off ’s that most people tend to overlook, as they don’t immediately jump out at you but with the amount of sandbanks that this braided section of the Zambezi has, there is no shortage of them.

A drop off affords the big Tigers the break from the current and as they are not particularly worried about any other predator, they will sit in the open river on said drop off, ready to ambush whatever comes overhead. To target these areas properly you have to try and anchor up or drift slowly over them, casting above your drift, so that your line has time to get down to the zone.

There is no gentle enquiry with any Tiger strike, a big fish will almost wrench the rod from your hand! So, hold on and stick it like a pig. Always line strike, never lift your rod and give it no quarter. The more string you allow this fish, chances are they will put you in the structure and leave you ruing the opportunity lost.

Tigers are renowned for their spectacular jumps, trying to throw your hook, but don’t give them any slack, horse them in and feel that line burn!

If you’re out at the crack of dawn or fishing to last last then enjoy the surface action. You need a good line to throw a popper / flipper, and we find the SuperDry Tropical Airflo perfect for the job. Same strategy in terms of structure targeting, just remember not to strike right away…easier said than done…but try let the Tiger really eat before line striking. You’ll lose more than a few on the surface, but watching the smashes makes it all worth while.

Hooks that do the job their are many, I prefer the Gamakatsu B10S and when it comes to flies, we favour dark brush flies that push a lot of water as well as Whistlers or a heavily weighted Clouser to punch through the water on a quicker drift. Although we’ve caught on a variety of colour combinations, Black and Red / White is a firm favourite.

But quite frankly I don’t think a Tiger is all that discerning, if you put it in it’s path it’s have a proper go.

Do remember that in the lower Zambezi you’re not top of the food chain, in fact you are very much on the menu as the population of flat dogs defy belief, so don’t be putting your limbs in the water when you release fish.