Anglers Retreat with John Wilson
When I recounted my exploits in Uganda after Nile perch on Lake Victoria and at Murchison Falls I never imagined I would be returning so soon.
Following an eight-hour flight, we were met at Entebbe by guide Paul Goldring, of G&C Tours/Wild Frontiers, and whisked 20 miles across the fertile waters of adjacent Lake Victoria to the famous Sesse Islands.
Our base being the Islands' club in Kalangala on Bugala Island, which is just one of more than 80 thickly forested tropical islands around which, as you troll close to the shoreline, monkeys, huge Monitor Lizards and vast numbers of colourful birds from Paradise Flycatchers to Giant Kingfishers can be seen.
Our deep diving Russelures, Rapalas and Depth Raiders, trolled at around two knots on 30lb class outfits, soon attracted sizeable perch. Christine boated a high leaping beauty of close on 70lb and soon afterwards Bryan Garnett, from Barnet, landed a leviathan of 143lb. By far his largest fish ever What unbelievable potential exists here for a world record Nile Perch.
After three days and many more Perch we went back to Entebbe for an hour's flight by light aircraft to one of the world's most awesome freshwater locations, the magnificent Murchison Falls, where the mighty waters of the River Nile drop through a twisting chasm of rocks to a pool of foaming white water over 150ft below. I first saw the splendour of these falls in my youth in that marvellous film of the Fifties, King Solomon's Mines starring Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr.
Little did I know then that one day I would be standing on the very same rocks and better still be playing one of the world's most spectacular freshwater game fishes.
This particular monster perch had grabbed a carp-like livebait of fully 1 & 1/2 lb and stripped off over 100 yards of 35lb test line as it went charging across a football pitch shed pool known as the Devil's Cauldron.
Despite grating over huge boulders on the bottom, below strong currents, the line held up allowing me to witness well over 100lb of Nile perch lunge across the surface as they characteristically do in order to shake the hook out. It then came all the way back to when I had first hocked it, but now it was under control.
Then the single size eight hook suddenly and inexplicably dropped out and I reeled in a badly frayed slack line. Talk about being gutted. I experienced almost a repeat performance an hour later only this time the line was ripped to shreds deep down on the rocks. Murchison Falls is truly an awesome spot.
I did, however land a Vundu catfish of between 50 and 60lb from the same pool using a plug and from much further downstream way below the pool where we boat fished several of the deep, slow eddies from Mamba, the 24ft National Park boat, several Bagrus catfish up to 30lb came my way also on, freelined livebaits. Like the Vundu catfish they can reach weights in excess of the tonne.
What a marvellous river is Africa's Nile. Not only is it the longest on our planet, I can think of no other in which you have the chance of coming to grips with three different species each topping 100lb.
