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Headed to Southern Africa? Consider a few days in Namibia fishing for tigerfish. We learned about Ichingo River Lodge from subscriber Forrest Hawley. It’s located in a unique geographic area known as Impalila Island, in the Caprivi Strip of Namibia, at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chobe rivers. Four African countries meet in this corner: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The lodge is positioned to easily fish any of the waters around Impalila, which are home to both tigerfish and bream. The guides are familiar with fly fisherman’s needs, and Hawley says they know the waters and the fish habits well.
Hawley says he fished there a little late in the season this past June/July, which is Namibia’s winter. He spent 1½ days on the Chobe, which he says is much smaller river than the Zambezi. It is also clearer and requires much smaller flies than the three-inch flies he had tied. His guide gave him some small clousers in red and black, but a cold front put the fish down and Hawley didn’t have much luck. On his last day of fishing, his guide took him to the Zambezi River where Hawley says he switched to conventional tackle in order to get a diving lure deep enough to entice the tigerfish. He says he hooked and lost five tigers. He postulates that he did not get good hook sets due to their hard mouths and teeth.
Hawley says he had expected lots of aggressive fish and he was disappointed in the conditions, but he recommends the place anyway, advising fellow anglers to try it when the weather is likely to be warmer in October and November.
Hawley says the lodge itself is a luxurious facility. Nine cabin-style safari tents on wooden platforms offer guests fully-furnished quarters with ensuite showers and lavatories. Hawley says the staff was attentive to every need and the meals were simply wonderful. He says his non-angling wife was happy with the lodging and enjoyed game viewing trips and visits to the local villages while he fished. Ichingo’s 2007 rates are $360 per person per night and include accommodations, meals, park fees, fishing licenses and unlimited game viewing and fishing