GABON – SEASON 2019: Week 3

With our two weeks of exploratory fishing out of the way the 2019/2020 season in Gabon finally kicked off. The group arrived to an estuary in the grip of large spring tides. This meant the lagoon fishing was particularly good in the mornings, with the river mouth fishing better in the evenings, but it also meant a visibly active population of sharks. We saw countless numbers of these apex predators patrolling the surf line and edges, lost countless lures and fish to them, but we also had chances to tame a few of them – with John Brazendale and Peter Becker landing one Zambezi each of about 80kg. Jonathan Campbell was the next to try his luck at salvaging some lost lures from the the mouth of a big Zambezi, but was undone by a tree stump after a solid hour and a half fight. Not sure if the outcome was more heartbreaking or backbreaking for Jonathan.

The Snapper and jacks kept us on our toes throughout the week, with decent number of Threadfin and Kob being caught in the surf. However the fishing highlight of the week coming on the morning of the 5th day, where the group was treated to a feeding frenzy in the mouth.  Countless quadruple hook-ups, and 32 fish to hand between 5 anglers, and before 7.00 am is a great way to start any day.

As well as enjoying spectacular fishing, the group also had a fantastic opportunity to experience more of Gabon than most. Due to some aviation issues, the group made the journey down from Libreville to Sette Cama via car. The drive to camp winded through parts of Gabon’s old growth interior rainforest, and on their jungle walk, the group encountered a troop of Chimpanzees. Not often you catch sight of them out here as they can be quite wary of human contact.

In all a fantastic first week to the season spent in fantastic fishing conditions and in even better company.