Kariba Tiger Fishing Competition

Fishing enthusiasts from all over the world keen to reel in a tiger are gearing up to take on one of Africa's most aggressive predatory game fish in the annual Kariba Invitation Tiger Fish Tournament (KITFT) at Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe.

The biggest tiger fish ever caught in this competition weighed more than 12.735 kilograms, and the 2009 record holder, Martinhus Van Rensburg, has still not been beaten. However, visitors from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Zambia, Namibia, England, Canada, and the Middle East are hoping to whip the title away from Zimbabwean van Rensburg at the lake on the northern Zimbabwe-Zambia border.

The KITFT was recognized by the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) in 2000 as one of the greatest game fish tournaments in the world and was made a qualifying round of the IGFA Inshore World Game Fish Championships.

Lake Kariba known for its abundant shoreline wildlife, unique weather patterns, and spectacular scenery, is more than 220 kilometers long and up to 40 kilometers wide and covers an area of 5,580 square kilometers.

In 2011 the event celebrated it’s 50th anniversary and hosted about 300 visiting teams. David Whitehead of Sweetmellon Publishers, one of the sponsors said: “We highly recommend Zimbabwe as a tourist destination, as it is one of Africa’s most beautiful countries with its scenery, wildlife, friendly and hospitable people, fantastic weather, and, of course, the fishing!”

According to the IGFA, the current world record tiger fish was landed by Jennifer Daynes in Lake Kariba (outside of this tournament) in 2001 and weighed in at 16,193 kilograms.

The tiger fish, Hydrocynus vittatus, is a flamboyant predatory game fish with razor sharp teeth enclosed by a bony head, blue/black lateral tiger stripes, and a bright yellow to red tail fin. In Zimbabwe, it is found throughout Lake Kariba, the Zambezi, and its larger tributaries, as well as in Lake Manyame and Chivero and in the Limpopo, Nuanetsi, Bubye, and Umzingwani river systems.

The KITFT tournament started in 1962 with 33 teams, mainly from Zimbabwe and South Africa. The largest number of teams recorded was 333 in 1991. In 2010 the event attracted 143 teams from more than 6 countries.

The tournament is held at the National Anglers Union of Zimbabwe site at Charara on the shoresof Lake Kariba where a new and enlarged weigh bay area has recently been built.

Comments

Ready, set, let’s go: Delta gives customers more ways to reclaim the joy of travel

Global airline’s people-first approach continues with landmark moves that boost loyalty rewards, simplify travel and reignite the experience Delta customers can now look forward to industry-first loyalty rewards, digital tools that make it simple and seamless to satisfy travel requirements, more seats to more destinations, and new and classic onboard refreshment options. Consumer confidence and deman d for travel are growing as COVID-19 vaccinations accelerate, and Delta is welcoming customers back with new travel experiences – all while enhancing the Delta CareStandard health and safety commitment the airline has become known for during the pandemic. Delta is launching new digital resources to make travel planning easier, including an interactive map that is searchable by price and destination type; offering SkyMiles Members the ability to earn up to 75 percent more toward Medallion Status on most ticket types, including Award Travel, in a first for the industry; reintroducing ...

Sensational list of artists from 12 countries announced for 2013 Cape Town International Jazz Festival

Sensational list of artists from 12 countries announced for 2013 Cape Town International Jazz Festival Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, New York Times best-selling poet and critically acclaimed actress Jill Scott (USA) joins the bill for this year’s annual Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) as one of the headline acts. Scott, who had to withdraw from the festival last year due to filming commitments, joins nearly 40 other world-class acts from 12 countries for a line-up of diverse live-music from traditional jazz to funk, pop, soul and more. This year’s stellar event takes place in Cape Town on Friday 5 th and Saturday 6 th April at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC). Speaking in Johannesburg, Rashid Lombard, Festival Director and espAfrika CEO said: “Jazz and popular music luminaries from every continent will be represented at this year’s event in keeping with the CTIJF’s ever-growing standing as one of the world’s ma...

Air Seychelles to launch Lagos-Dar es Salaam flights

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced the inauguration of twice-weekly flights from Lagos to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The statement by the company said the service, commencing on December 2, 2014, would mark the next stage of growth in the airline’s regional strategy. The statement said that the Tanzanian capital would become the third destination in Air Seychelles’ Indian Ocean and African network, after Mauritius and Johannesburg. It added that the route would be operated using a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats. The Chief Executive Officer, Air Seychelles, Mr. Manoj Papa, said, “We continue to build strength and depth in our global network, and the addition of Dar es Salaam, one of Africa’s fastest-growing business and tourism destinations, will enhance traffic flow to the Seychelles and beyond, fulfilling our mandate to be a key economic enabler for the Seychelles, supporting tourism a...

Adeola Victor

Search This Blog