Fishing Egypt The scorching sun sets on another eventful day. The sounds of the night begin to fill the desert air. You are on a private safari miles away from civilization, without the interruption of mobile phones. There is no electricity and no sound or light pollution, all you hear is nature itself. In the distance, you can hear the slightest sound of a small animal scurrying across the cooling sands, yet it sounds as if it is right beside you. Your ears are tuned into the night’s chorus and the glorious sight of your bedroom ceiling hypnotizes your mind. As you rest on your bed and gaze upon the biggest moon and the brightest scattered stars you have ever seen, you find yourself dreaming of the forthcoming adventure because at first light you will be going fishing……………..
In 1960 the life blood of Egypt, the River Nile was dammed at Aswan, the resulting lake flooded over 360 miles of Egypt's Nile valley creating one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, Lake Nasser, which is home to the real jewels of the Nile, for you will be targeting the mighty predators, the Nile Perch.
Having been fortunate enough to fish this magnificent place for several years, with many memorable trips, there is always one momentous trip that sticks in your mind…… We had found fish in a large area full of sunken plateaus, we quickly realised that our trolling lures needed to be kept tight to the bottom. So tight in fact that you had to be prepared to snag and even lose several.
On one occasion, the guide was counting out the depths 18ft, 16ft, 14ft….BUMP! “I’ve picked something up from the bottom,” I called. To my surprise on reeling in, was the smallest and prettiest Nile perch I had ever seen, it was all of 8 inches. It just goes to show how aggressive these fish can be, for it was fairly caught on a 6 inch Halco Sorcerer. Releasing the fish we turned the boat for another pass, 18ft, 16ft, 14ft…..You have guessed it another BUMP! No, this time before I had the chance to utter a word, my rod had pulled round, so strong was the take that within seconds I had been torn out of my chair and dragged to the rear of the boat, with the rod kicking violently and my reel screaming as if I were big game fishing at sea. The line started to rise up through the water, “She’s going to jump!” cried the guide, to which the water exploded as a large Nile perch’s head well over the magical 100lb pushes through the water and into the air. Mouth wide open, gills flared, shaking violently in a desperate bid to remove the foreign object within its mouth. The large plate scales reflected the bright Egyptian sun as the immense body continued to rise into the air before crashing back into the water, covering the whole area in spray, which refracted the sunlight, causing rainbow colours to dance in the sky. Releasing that fish, all 132lb of her, to swim strongly away into the clear cool water, was all that was needed to seal that memory for all time.
If you dream of your own private Egyptian safari, tackling the mighty Nile Perch and the toothy Tiger fish, contact Peter Collingsworth. Angling Direct Holidays
www.anglingdirectholidays.com
0044 1603 407596
