As a child, I can vividly recall our pit stop at Massingir on our way back from a deep-sea fishing trip off the shores of Northern Mozambique. Just before the sun dipped below the horizon, I couldn’t resist the temptation to cast my line into the waters. I was rewarded with a Mozambican Tilapia, sizable and feisty. But there was something more that beckoned me back to that place—the thrill of discovering new predator species lurking beneath the surface.

It was a close friends who dropped a hint about a buddy with a lodge right there on the waters edge, and that tiny spark ignited my curiosity. My research yielded only morsels of information, leaving me hungry for more. The Dam, it seemed, held the promise of epic encounters with fierce Tigerfish, yet it remained relatively uncharted, hiding its secrets from all but the most adventurous souls.

With determination, we sealed the deal and embarked on a journey. Our expedition took us from Pretoria to the untamed wilderness of Kruger National Park, a land teeming with wildlife wonders. Along the way, we were treated to astonishing sightings—a trio of hyenas on three separate occasions and not one, but two packs of wild dogs! Our excitement was already building.

Venturing through the Giriyondo Border post, we entered the Limpopo National Park on the Mozambican side. The road ahead stretched into an 80-kilometer-long gravel ribbon, a challenge we were all too eager to conquer. With great company and hearty laughter to keep us entertained, we eventually arrived at our lodge, nestled right in the heart of the dam’s southern embrace.

This lodge, surrounded by trees and scattered rock islands along the dam’s edges—an angler’s dream. As we plotted our course, we couldn’t resist the grass beds, which yielded juvenile fish ranging from 800 grams to 1.5 kilograms. But it was our decision to explore the deeper reaches near trees and rock piles that proved to be a game-changer. Almost instantly, our catches grew in size, with a good haul of eight fish between 2.5 and 3.5 kilograms. As the afternoon sun dipped lower, a remarkable 4-kilogram catch further boosted our confidence—we were onto a good pattern.

The second day dawned with a slow start, but when those tigerfish finally bit, they bit hard! It was a feeding frenzy, and even our first-time tigerfish anglers managed to land a staggering 15 feisty specimens, ranging from 6 to 12 lb, while also dropping just as many. When the midday lull struck, we embarked on an exploration of the dam’s numerous islands, landing more juvenile fish. As the day wore on, our adventure took us to various spots until we stumbled upon a hidden gem around 3 p.m. The bites became more ferocious, and the fish sizes grew in tandem.

 

We stayed put, drifting through the area until the glorious moment of sundown. It turned out to be a brilliant decision. One of our clients reeled in a 13lb beast after battling multiple specimens in the same weight class. Meanwhile, the other angler achieved a feat, a whopping 15lb monster! Double hookups with smaller but still formidable fish added to the excitement. We fished until darkness descended, landing and losing numerous fish in the 10 to 15lb range.

As we reluctantly packed our gear on the last day, heading back from this extraordinary odyssey, we knew we’d etched an adventure into our hearts that was bound to be retold around many campfires. This trip was a remarkable part of our explorations, one that would stay with us for years.