So I just received these Photos from My good friend Gareth other wise known as G Dog who is a Fishing Guide in Zambia,

The Tiger Fishing had been slow........ then bang.



I know its not a hunting report but I do know a lot of you like wetting a line as well,

Do they fight at all when you try and bring them in or is it like a heavy log?

That's a monster
Thx for sharing Justin!

Apparently they like steam trains, great fight.

Most break you off, but he says they dirty fighters.

JK

JK,
can you fwd me his name and contact details please. I consider myself to be helplessly addicted to Catfishing across the planet. Looking for a pig of a Vundu.

Thanks,

Steve

Awesome, thanks for sharing. I spent a few days fishing on my last trip, but no luck on vundu. I'd love to catch one.

quote:

Originally posted by r_p_narramore:
Awesome, thanks for sharing. I spent a few days fishing on my last trip, but no luck on vundu. I'd love to catch one.

Speaking of addicted to big catfish.....

Zambia you say.....I heard they farm raise them there in vundu ponds, and release them a few days before the angler arrives. Then the fishing guide drives the boat up and down the river for hours until finally "discovering" the secret vundu honey hole.



Seriously, that is an awesome fish, I'd love to hear more of the story and particulars (bait, rig, duration, did they know it was a fish or maybe thought a croc...)

Aren't they protected in the Zambezi?

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Aren't they protected in the Zambezi?

Hi Larry,
I think they are, I believe catch and release is OK. I caught them on the Luangwa while hunting there.

Steve:

That is what I thought . I am not sure where I heard it.

I need one over 100 for my "Big 5".

Vundu
Piraiba
Goonch
Mekong
Wells

All these Catfish can exceed 100, most get over 200#

quote:

Originally posted by Bill C:
Zambia you say.....I heard they farm raise them there in vundu ponds, and release them a few days before the angler arrives. Then the fishing guide drives the boat up and down the river for hours until finally "discovering" the secret vundu honey hole.

Now that's facking funny right there

Yes all the signs are there of a canned Vundu catch!! BIG BELLY, NO BITES AND THE SUDENLEY... All jokes aside guys that is a serious fish well done!

Cats like that you wouldn't need to worry about getting ate up by a croc.
Any idea the weights or lengths?
Thanks for sharing, that would be fun.
George

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Bill C:
Zambia you say.....I heard they farm raise them there in vundu ponds, and release them a few days before the angler arrives. Then the fishing guide drives the boat up and down the river for hours until finally "discovering" the secret vundu honey hole.

We dart them first and paint them with a bit of Gentian Violet before released into the wild.

Seriously that is a big fish and well done to the angler. I think the record came from the Luangwa just down stream from Munyamadzi (Thor Kirchner).

Hooking them is fairly easy but landing these big ones is another story, especially if the river has strong currents or obstacles like the Luangwa. The Luemsemfwa is another remote waterway that has very big Vundu.

I have always been successful in catching Vundu and other varieties of catfish using a chunk of natural soap for bait.

I knew Vundu grew big and I have seen some large fellows but the one posted by JK is a frigging monster - well done the angler!

They are great fun to catch. We caught several on Lake Kariba while hunting with Martin Pieters outfit in 2013 at the tail end of our hunt. Chap and Mike acted as our fishing guides. We hooked probably 10-12 but were only able to land 4,several of them were huge as we never could even stop their runs once they decided to go.They tasted great also.

JK:

Any idea of the weight?

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
I have always been successful in catching Vundu and other varieties of catfish using a chunk of natural soap for bait.

You are referring to these green long bars of soap ?

quote:

Originally posted by Jan Dumon:

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:
I have always been successful in catching Vundu and other varieties of catfish using a chunk of natural soap for bait.

You are referring to these green long bars of soap ?

The ones used by our locals are bars approx. 60 x 7 x 4 cms but are either off-white or a pale yellow.

must be the same stuff , just in a different colour. Will have to give it a try.

quote:

Originally posted by Jan Dumon:
must be the same stuff , just in a different colour. Will have to give it a try.

Cut blocks of approx. 4cms. and leave them a while in the sun to soften then embed the hook and mold it to look like an oversize "teardrop".

That is one beast of a vundu!

Through the 1980s, vundu were largely seen as “pests” and most anglers did not think twice about killing them. A really big vundu is thought to be as old as 70 years (Zims record stands at 50kg caught in 1981 at Chirundu on the Zambezi), and the population in the Zambezi river seemed to be declining. We raised a lot of awareness in the 90s of the vundu’s plight in the river, and guys starting releasing their catches. The fish has become something of an icon species in southern Africa, with some anglers claiming to have seen “emotion” and “gratitude” in the fish’s eyes when landing and releasing them. They are exceptionally hard fighters and often require the angler to chase them with the boat in order to haul them in. A fight with a big boy can last hours and is a real stamina tester - mental and physical. In places like Kariba, their population is fine and stable, though it is seldom one hears of a vundu being killed these days. They do not occur above Victoria Falls, as that chasm forms a natural barrier to their distribution.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

quote:

Originally posted by larryshores:
Aren't they protected in the Zambezi?

Hi Larry,
I think they are, I believe catch and release is OK. I caught them on the Luangwa while hunting there.

They may be protected today but every time I have hunted out of camps along the Luangwa River the Camp staff caught and ate them every day! They were always hanging in the skinning shed along the river. I never saw one as big as the one pictured in this thread however. The largest vundu I've seen on the Luangwa was about three feet long. That one here is a monster!
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