After a quick buffet lunch, the boys were raring to go! The rain in February and March in Zimbabwe had been heavy and the lake had continued to rise quickly over the last few days which was expected to dampen the fishing a little. However, with a chance of a relatively common 5kg bass on the end of a line and captained by the best guides around, the guys were on the bass rigs before the delicious pudding could be served!

The afternoon proved to be quite an adventure with the Mustad field testers and guides having to outrun intermittent rainstorms between catching and releasing enough fish to keep the fishermen happy.

In the evening, around the bar, Martin and Preston led the discussion regarding new and old bass products in the Mustad range. Gerry, a long time campaigner of Mustad bass hooks and the first non-American to lead the BASS Masters Classic [the Bass World Championship] in the States going into the second day, helped explain the different applications of the various hooks.

By 6:30 the next morning the group had eaten a hearty breakfast and were back on the bass rigs. The guests were brimming with confidence having made a few adjustments to their terminal tackle. The fishing at times was fast and furious and everyone got a number of fish, with a few personal bests achieved. Zimbabwe's 7.995kg bass record (Which I hear has just been broken again), however, was never in danger! The Pro-Stinger Trailer Hook (91707NWS) on the back of the spinner and buzz baits was the revelation of the day. Bass, which had been biting short the previous day, were now landed on this Stinger Hook.

By the evening we were back in Harare and the Zimbo's were loading up the 4x4s for the journey to one of the most remote parts of Zimbabwe. Chikwenya Camp is situated in the north-east of Zimbabwe, bordering the east side of Mana Pools Game Park on the Zambezi River and is as remote and as exciting a place that you can visit. Now accompanied by a new pair of Mustad field testers, Ian Harris, who has represented Zimbabwe in many fishing disciplines and a legendary three-time winner of the Kariba International Tiger Fishing Tournament, and Tom Oxden Willows, a Zimbabwean All Species angler, Chairman of the Zimbabwe National Anglers Union and an expert river fisherman.

By 11:30 the next morning we had reached the Mana Pools turn-off and were headed into the wilderness. We were the first group of guests to venture this way since the camp re-opened following the end of the rainy season. It was quite an adventure and 'definitely' only accessible by 4x4. Our three vehicles were put to the test but fortunately only suffered a couple of blow-outs, one of which was caused by a left-over bone from a lion kill. The track was narrow and the bush, in many places, was thick and green, becoming denser as we went deeper into the Zambezi Valley. Just when we were beginning to wonder if we would ever get to the camp after some very slow progress, the magnificent lodge appeared! What a beautiful bush camp! Situated 100m from the Zambezi River, it lay overlooking a dry riverbed plain. Being located in the heart of big game country, armed scouts are provided to escort guests to and from the very privately situated, luxurious chalets. From the open-air dinning area we were privileged to see lion, elephant, hippo, hyena, jackal and many species of buck, and, one day, a few of us who could be pulled away from our fishing, were led to see a pack of the nearly extinct painted wild dog! The hospitality at Chikwenya Camp was superb as was the accommodation and the meals.

The guests were split into three rotational fishing groups. Two groups used the motorised pontoons while the third hunted their prey from the bank. However, it became hard to drag some of the bank fishermen onto the pontoons after they had found a honey hole of 1kg plus bream, which filled their keep nets for three days! Those on the pontoons were captained by local guides, who masterfully drove us to their favourite fishing spots, and who kept refreshments flowing. Tom and Ian were split between the pontoons to offer the essential advice on catching the tiger. The going was tough for the tiger fisherman as the river was still off-colour from the March rains and only just fishable by
drifting with live bait.

For the South African guests, tiger fishing was quite an experience. They soon learnt that attention to detail in setting up the terminal tackle and choosing the right split second to set the hook was essential in order to have any chance of taming the tiger. Our field testers soon had the guests using Mustad Big Gun 2/0 and 3/0 hooks or the Mustad Light Wire Circle hooks for this drift fishing. Live bait (palm sized bream or chessa) were caught and rigged through the jaw or behind the dorsal fin. When a hit occurred, it was far better to free spool the take, than to try and set the hook immediately. Generally the tiger fish would do a high speed run for 20 to 30 metres and then stop. At this point the bail arm/gears were engaged and, nerves allowing, one counted to ten before setting the hook and begin cranking the reel.

Although not many tiger were taken, due to the lack of pulls, those landed had either swallowed the hook and bait or were hooked through the side of the jaw where the very strong and sharp hooks had little problem penetrating muscle bone and plates. Several tiger in the 3 to 4 kilogram range were taken over the few days. The largest, a long and perfectly proportioned river tiger of 6.25kg, was landed by Ayoob - his first ever tiger I believe! The sight of the ferocious tiger heaving his silver and gold body clear of the water, tossing his head from side to side in an effort to throw the hook, will never be forgotten, nor the adrenalin rush of the fisherman on the other end! The world record of 16.1kg still stands in the fast flowing water of the Zambezi to call us back!

By Tom Oxden-Willows and Lindsay Rae