Sette Cama Gabon fishing

Sette Cama Gabon fishing is rarely predictable. Some seasons the tarpon arrive early and settle into the mouth quickly. This season they have been fewer and farther between, arriving later than usual, which has made every proper encounter feel earned rather than routine.

If you have fished here before, you will know that timing is everything. Current, moon phase, bait movement and wind all play their part. When one piece is slightly off, you work harder. When it lines up, the place comes alive.

A Week of Character and Wilderness

The week started quietly on the humour front. Aaron, who delivers his lines in a slow, dry tone, eventually broke the silence with a comment that had the whole boat in fits of laughter. From there, the mood was set. Long drifts, strong current and plenty of banter.

Beyond the fishing, Bryan and Linda opted for the hippo walk. It is not a casual outing. A 03:30 start and a 6km walk in the dark is not for everyone. So the decision was made to split it up and camp halfway.

Sleeping under giant trees on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic, with the sound of waves below and reed frogs calling from the lagoon, is something few people experience. At first light, they watched hippos leave the surf and move back into their lagoon. A forest buffalo, covered in oxpeckers, made its way down the beach and had to pause while the hippos crossed. It was one of those mornings where you are reminded that this stretch of Gabon is still properly wild.

Would you trade a comfortable bed for that kind of sunrise?

Mixed Conditions, Mixed Techniques, Sette Cama Gabon fishing

The mornings were inconsistent. Some were tough, others electric, with jacks smashing bait in the mouth. That is always a good sign. When the jacks are active, the system feels alive.

Evenings demanded adjustment. Fly anglers worked hard in strong current and bright moonlight. When conditions favoured it, switching to lures produced solid snapper, kob and threadfin. Both approaches have their place here. Sette Cama rewards anglers who adapt rather than stick rigidly to one method.

Brad managed three tarpon on lure during the week, a strong return given how slowly the tarpon have filtered back into the system this season. It is encouraging. When they begin to show, they rarely arrive quietly.

Shark fishing remained consistently productive. The real challenge was securing live bait during the short feeding windows at the mouth. Once a bait was out, it was rarely more than a couple of minutes before a bull shark found it. Mike landed an impressive specimen in the 200kg range, a serious fish in shallow water.

The Night the Tarpon Switched On

On the final night, everything shifted.

The tarpon moved into the mouth in numbers we had not yet seen this season. Under a bright moon, rolling fish were clearly visible in the current. After Kristin lost one on the jump and was spooled by another, the energy on the beach changed.

Anchored in heavy current, flies were fished tight behind the boat. Aaron’s 14wt buckled without warning. Line disappeared at speed. The motor fired up. Anchor came up. On one knee in the sand, he palmed the reel under full drag, taking blows from the handle while trying to turn the fish. Eventually the line went slack. The fly had pulled, but the abrasion above it told the story. A serious tarpon.

Shortly after, Emily hooked up. This time the fish was worked out of the main current and around the back of the island. She regained well over 100 metres of backing before the leader finally gave way. Close. Very close.

That is tarpon fishing here. Brutal, technical and never guaranteed. You do not measure the night only by what hits the sand. You measure it by the moments when everything is on edge and you know you are connected to something heavy in dark water.

If you are planning a trip, ask yourself this: do you want easy numbers, or do you want encounters that test you?

Sette Cama Gabon fishing continues to reward those willing to stay patient, adapt and fish hard when the window opens.