‘There are several species that could lay claim to the title of toughest gamefish in the river. Argentina’s dorado are brave, powerful and exotic. The shimmering, gill-flaring leaps of Australia’s barramundi can make a hardened cynic catch his breath. With power built into every line of their streamlined bodies, and shrewd ambush tactics hard-wired into muscular, powerful heads, they are formidable hunters.
For all of that they have a serious challenger, Hydrocynus vittatus, the river dog with stripes. They has the same power, the same unblinking eyes always on the lookout for movement. It’s their teeth that set them apart. Those brutal choppers are a nightmare, that mouth is so hard that a strike, even with weight, means nothing until it’s clear you’ve fluked some purchase. Much of the time they’ll roll off the hook, bite clean through, smash the line with their tail, or simply bust off.
The world of Africa’s tigerfish is so brutal that sudden and unremitting violence is the only survival strategy that works, and it’s reflected in every aspect of their being.’
from Wild South – Hunting & Fly-fishing the Southern Hemisphere
Photo courtesy Keith Clover, one of the most talented guides in Africa. He runs the go-to outfit for big tigers – www.tourettefishing.com
Peter P. Ryan www.faraway.co