{"id":5205,"date":"2019-03-13T12:15:26","date_gmt":"2019-03-13T10:15:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=5205"},"modified":"2019-03-13T12:17:52","modified_gmt":"2019-03-13T10:17:52","slug":"my-silver-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=5205","title":{"rendered":"My Silver King"},"content":{"rendered":"

I simply love fishing, not sure why, but there it is.
\n\"\"
\nI\u2019m happy to sit on a rock and watch the water. Whip a popper till my arms are sore, or try my hardest to land a delicate little fly on the spot.<\/p>\n

For me it\u2019s a primal instinct, not a race.<\/p>\n

Every time I go out I learn something about the fish, the world, even myself.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m happy to watch the boffins casually discuss tactics and techniques whilst fighting massive fish, without a hair out of place, then nonchalantly toss in the Latin name and distinguishing characteristics, but I just fish for the fun of it.<\/p>\n

The last time I went to the Kwanza River in Angola, we fished for Tarpon on fly. Man it was a blast. I didn\u2019t land a thing. Without proper teeth these fish suck their prey in rather than biting and I kept pulling the bloody fly out of their mouths before it had a chance to stick.<\/p>\n

Anyway, I recently decided to go back and give it another go. I\u2019ve been having recurring nightmares about those Silver Kings outfoxing me, along with the odd dream of actually landing one and swimming with it, before sending it back into the big blue.<\/p>\n

I heard Craig Thomassen had been invited back up there and decided to crash his party, because if there\u2019s fish around he\u2019ll find them\u2026.he might even give me a chance to redeem myself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Kwanza River is just short of 1000km long\u2026.navigable for about 240km from the mouth\u2026it holds over 50 species of fish and is remarkably beautiful and pristine, given that it\u2019s only 70km from the bustling city of Luanda and its 7 million inhabitants.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The \u201cPoons\u201d, as Tarpon are fondly referred to the world over, were not nearly as active in the river as on our previous trip and although we did throw lures and soft plastics there, it was without much success, other than a good Cubera Snapper of around 7kgs that Tommo managed to entice to the hook.<\/p>\n

Basically, our best chance was to fish the color line where the river flows into the sea using small live baits with large circle hooks \u201cgently\u201d inserted through their eyes and swum literally within meters of the boat. Tommo was kind enough to offer me the strike, having already landed his fair share of these prehistoric beauties.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I will never forget the rush I got when a giant slab of silver, estimated at 80kgs, burst out of the water meters into the air within what seemed like touching distance. It\u2019s hard to imagine a more magnificent sight. Around 20 sweaty minutes later the fish was at the side of the boat, leadered. As I was about to realize my dream of swimming with this magnificent beast she gave one last head shake and a crimp on the terminal tackle gave, sending her on her way\u2026Gutted is the word that comes to mind, but it was more than that. Would I ever get another chance?<\/p>\n

Tommo, seeing my desperation, magnanimously offered me another shot on our last day of the trip. I GOT IT. With only moments to spare a fish of around 60kgs cleared the water, landing with a mighty splash and ripping line off the reel in a dash for freedom. For another heart-stopping 20 minutes we tussled, until finally the fish was alongside the boat.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The 5 minutes or so I spent in the water with this behemoth of the deep, it\u2019s huge eye seeming to be looking deep into my soul before it slipped back into the depths, will be etched in my memory for the rest of my days.<\/p>\n

In the end, that\u2019s why I really love fishing.<\/p>\n

Where to stay: Kwanza River Lodge.
\nWhen to fish: Tarpon in summer, but good general fishing year round.
\nMethod: Bait and lure\u2026.fly fishing possible when smaller Tarpon are around<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I simply love fishing, not sure why, but there it is. I\u2019m happy to sit on a rock and watch the water. Whip a popper till my arms are sore, or try my hardest to land a delicate little fly on the spot. For me it\u2019s a primal instinct, not a race. Every time I go out I learn something about the fish, the world, even myself. I\u2019m happy to watch the boffins casually discuss […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":200,"featured_media":5206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/WFT_BLOG_Feb19_OP.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3445,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3445","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":0},"title":"My Quest For A Southern Pompano on Lure","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"March 9, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In the Trachinotus genus there are 20 species worldwide, which make up the group of fish known as pompano, permit and darts. Of those, some feed by tailing, which means that they tilt their heads down and feed on the bottom, in shallow water, where their tails break the surface.\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_DSC_0471.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7434,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=7434","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":1},"title":"‘\u2026..and don’t panic!’","author":"Gareth","date":"April 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"'\u2026..and don't panic!' is a phrase that your fishing guide will advise when you hook into a Trophy fish just before the pandemonium erupts. The problem is that when someone tells you not to panic it usually means that there is \u00a0something to panic about. The fact that we can\u2019t\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"fishing\"","block_context":{"text":"fishing","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?tag=fishing"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/COVID-19-Blog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/COVID-19-Blog.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/COVID-19-Blog.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/COVID-19-Blog.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/COVID-19-Blog.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":12317,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=12317","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":2},"title":"Lazy Boyz","author":"Gareth","date":"March 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"To tube or not to tube is a shouldn\u2019t be a dilemma. Although targeting Trout from the bank and stalking a fish is the way to go on arrival at any dam (as long as you get their at the proverbial crack of), to not jump in your float tube\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fly"","block_context":{"text":"Fly","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Lazy-Boyz-Banner.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2526,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2526","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":3},"title":"Grunter on Fly – Fighting The Spotted Flats Ninja","author":"Rhuan Human","date":"April 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The terms \"Holy Grail\" and \"Fish of a thousand casts\" have been flung around excessively in the world of fly fishing lately. 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I wish I could say that this attitude has forever served me well but I'd be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Fly Fishing"","block_context":{"text":"Fly Fishing","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=23"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/Indicators-of-a-stubborn-Angler-copyTOPS.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2151,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2151","url_meta":{"origin":5205,"position":5},"title":"Tarpon Fever","author":"Brad Cartwright","date":"June 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"My long held dream of catching a Tarpon on fly remains just that. 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