River fishing, Gambian term bolong fishing. I’ll start by saying river fishing is not my forte. Over the years I’ve fished many of the seven rivers of The Gambia. Often with little success, or if I’ve had success it’s been more luck than judgement ( barracuda on shrimp at Bintang etc). In recent years I’ve […]
Thick-lipped Grouper
Thick-lipped Grouper so-called because of their distinctive thick lips. The word “grouper” is from the Portuguese name, Garoupa. Source Wikipedia. I remember well the days fishing when my friend Mark pictured below caught this great specimen. I think it’s unusual to catch them from our stretch of beach as this one is one of only two caught over […]
Catfish
Catfish, if I’m honest this is not a fish I’m fond of and for more than one reason. First is that they can get in the way of catching other fish. They get to the bait first and then you have to reel it in and remove it from the hook, which is not easy […]
White Snapper
White Snapper is plate-sized. Perfect portion whether the fish is big or small for its species. For a fish that usually comes in at less than a kilo, they are deceptively strong. Often I recall reeling one in thinking it was something much bigger. They usually swim in shoals so if you catch one you’re […]
Tarpon
Tarpon, Aka The Silver King is a hugely prized sport fish. They are almost always returned to the water after catching one.In terms of difficulty to catch they are right up there in the rankings. There are several reasons for this. The window of time in which they feed is very small, just thirty minutes […]
Red Snapper
Red Snapper, wow these are powerful, ferocious fighters. The one pictured below weighed in at around 3 1/2 kilo and took line off the reel at a right old pace.They usually are found around rocky outcrops and when hooked make a run to get back there. This means five time out ten you end up […]
Ladyfish
Ladyfish, I’m a ladyfish you know hehe! Catching less of these from the beach these days. They used to be in abundance ten years back but last year I caught only two. However, my lovely guests did better than me ( very rare that ) and caught some nice specimens. Again they don’t seem to […]