from OBERT SIAMILANDU in Kariba, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
KARIBA, (CAJ News) – LOCAL and international anglers are expected to flock to Kariba in October to partake in Zimbabwe’s prime fishing competition, the Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament (KITFT).
Kariba Tourism and Business Indaba Coordinator Cephas Shonhiwa welcomed the event, noting it was an excellent opportunity to market the resort town as a prime tourist destination.
“KITFT tournament has helped promote tourism in the resort town,” Shonhiwa said.
“Anglers, partners and their support staff get accommodation locally and this has been so for years, meaning the more the numbers of participants the better for the economy of Kariba.”
The tournament, which is popular with sporting tourism lovers, has been running for more than 50 years.
Last year KITFT introduced the catch-and-release method which implies that each and every fish that is caught by an angler is returned to the water after its weight has been recorded.
This method came in as a replacement for the catch-and-kill method which had been in existence since the launch of the tournament more than half a century ago.
This change is aimed at conserving the tiger fish which has, for years, been threatened by illegal fishing in Lake Kariba.
Tournament records show an individual biggest tiger catch by one Otto M in October 1991 had a total weight of 127.840 followed by one with 105.250 by Godley C in 1992.
According to Off the hook – Fishing Outfitters, the tiger fish is probably Africa’s finest and most flamboyant game fish.
“For sheer aggression, pound, it ranks as one of the world’s most powerful freshwater species that has existed for centuries.”
According to the late fisherman extraordinaire and angler, Danie Swart, “Fishing is not a matter of life and death, it is far more important than that”.
Swart was one of the regulars at KITFT and sadly passed away on 12th June 2015 at the age of 62.
Swart fished competitively for many years and was a regular at many inter-provincial tournaments but undoubtedly his main claim to fame came about through his involvement with the tournament.
– CAJ News