Author Topic: The hyphotetical "big freshwater" fish quest report - Angola (Read 17291 times)

fedu · « **on:** October 14, 2011, 02:30:37 PM »

A couple weeks ago some of my friends came with a tale of freshwater big fish near Malanje north of Luanda.
They had heard about it but did not knew the exact location of the place, just knew it was before Malanje, +-420 Km away from Luanda then turn right on a dirt road, travel one more hour until you find a river and search for some kind of waterfalls, there on spoons someone was supposed to have caught some kind of freshwater fish between 10Kg to 20Kg that they said it was similar in aspect to “robalo”.

Would this move any kind of reasonable person?
Search for the “hypothetical” big freshwater fish, on the unknown location in the middle of Diamond Malanje area?

Well here is your answer

4 O’clock in the morning we had left Luanda and were on our way

Sun rising somewhere in the middle of the first 400 Km drive

Local people starting to work early in the morning

And the end of the road and beginning of what we hoped might be the dirt road to the “hypothetical” freshwater fish

We asked for directions to the local people building a stucco house while their dog watched us

And here we go

Not the easiest road but we kept on moving

Decided to stop for refuelling the “horses inside” the car

And take some pictures of the area

Along the way we found some villages where we asked for directions to the river

Most villagers found it very strange that we were asking for fish location and not for diamond location like everyone else and only believed us when they would see the fishing rods

Finally the first sight of the river

We asked for directions to some local guys that agreed to guide us to the “waterfall” fishing location but we had to leave the car and walk a couple km

Finally “the location”

We spent some hours casting spoons and all types of lures and nothing, zero, nada, the locals told us the active season for the “hypothetical” fish was rainy season when they usually see the fish jumping around.

So we left the area and started moving back to Luanda on the same dirt road

Decided to stop on another part of the river and see if we could get any species of fish on lures on this area

Unidentified fish species Nº1

Unidentified fish species Nº2

And then on another area some African Pike

Arrived back in Luanda around midnight and I enjoyed myself not with fish or fishing but mainly taking pictures

I think the "big fish" will remain hypothetical for a couple more moths until rainy season starts and we try to have another go on this quest ;-)

WalkersKiller · « **Reply #1 on:** October 14, 2011, 02:37:23 PM »

Awesome pics and awesome report Fedu wow :shre:

Glider · « **Reply #2 on:** October 14, 2011, 02:46:58 PM »

Hi Fedu, very nice report and awesome photography! If it's not a secret what program do you use to enhance your pictures like that?
Cheers

fedu · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2011, 02:57:27 PM »

Quote from: Glider on October 14, 2011, 02:46:58 PM

Hi Fedu, very nice report and awesome photography! If it's not a secret what program do you use to enhance your pictures like that?
Cheers

Thanks,

I am currently in love with HDR photography still a lot to learn and on moving objects or on trips without tripod instead of taking several pictures of the same subject with diferent apertures I just shoot raw on my camera and then at home I go to photomatix for what they call halftoning.

After that I open the resulting picture on Photoshop and do some final arranjments.

Glider · « **Reply #4 on:** October 14, 2011, 03:01:51 PM »

Very very nice thanks Fedu, man of many talents. I'm going to try and catch a goliath this weekend, Congo river is a bit dodgy especially with the elections coming up but hoping to have some luck.

Zetti · « **Reply #5 on:** October 14, 2011, 03:06:43 PM »

Now that is what I call an adventure. Please update us if you guys decide to go back, I would love to see what lurks below the surface of that river.

I Nominate this for post of the month because i am curious as hell to know what you guys will find there next time.

fedu · « **Reply #6 on:** October 14, 2011, 03:16:58 PM »

Quote from: Glider on October 14, 2011, 03:01:51 PM

Very very nice thanks Fedu, man of many talents. I'm going to try and catch a goliath this weekend, Congo river is a bit dodgy especially with the elections coming up but hoping to have some luck.

One of my dreams is fishing Congo river mouth but on my boat, take boat up there and spend a whole week fishing, inshore and offshore.

Some day..

The guys keep sending me pictures of monster goliath there on the Congo side, tight lines.

fedu · « **Reply #7 on:** October 14, 2011, 04:20:23 PM »

Sorry guys, just noticed this two pictures were missing.

Here you see why they call it a "waterfall" the water goes down from a higher location throught this channel

And ends up here on the left you see the water agitation that results from the previous "step down"

Capt. Hook · « **Reply #8 on:** October 14, 2011, 04:52:07 PM »

Awesome report Fedu, fromwhat I understand Tiger Fish are in all rivers flowing east and African Pike ar in all rivers flowing west, African Pikencan get big, but maybe you will get Vundu in that River.

fedu · « **Reply #9 on:** October 14, 2011, 08:17:57 PM »

Quote from: Fishing Adventures on October 14, 2011, 04:52:07 PM

Awesome report Fedu, fromwhat I understand Tiger Fish are in all rivers flowing east and African Pike ar in all rivers flowing west, African Pikencan get big, but maybe you will get Vundu in that River.

No tiger fish on this river one of this days will have to go futher inside the country for proper tigers but not this year.

By the "tale description" the "hypothetical" should be some kind of white flesh fish similar in aspect to seabass (robalo), but I have no clue on what it might be the locals we talked over there also called it river corvina (the translation of corvina is Silver Kob) of course it's none of this fish but it should look similar...

I actually only started belivieng the fish might exist after the local guys describing it on a similar way to the tale we had heard before.

adam · « **Reply #10 on:** October 14, 2011, 08:29:46 PM »

Awesome fedu!! That's all I can say.

The "kob shape" is quite popular both salt and fresh water. Wouldn't be surprised if you guys eventually do find some perch/baramundi/kob offshoot. I've seen pics of that second fish. don't remember the name, but some type of shoaling, surface feeding yellowfish. Did you get it on lure? As far as I understood it mostly feeds on plant material.

For some reason the first fish pic won't load on my browser, just skips it, weird?

Capt. Hook · « **Reply #11 on:** October 14, 2011, 08:30:52 PM »

Quote from: fedu on October 14, 2011, 08:17:57 PM

Quote from: Fishing Adventures on October 14, 2011, 04:52:07 PM
Awesome report Fedu, fromwhat I understand Tiger Fish are in all rivers flowing east and African Pike ar in all rivers flowing west, African Pikencan get big, but maybe you will get Vundu in that River.

No tiger fish on this river one of this days will have to go futher inside the country for proper tigers but not this year.

By the "tale description" the "hypothetical" should be some kind of white flesh fish similar in aspect to seabass (robalo), but I have no clue on what it might be the locals we talked over there also called it river corvina (the translation of corvina is Silver Kob) of course it's none of this fish but it should look similar...

I actually only started belivieng the fish might exist after the local guys describing it on a similar way to the tale we had heard before.

Maybe it is Nile Perch... anyway it sounds like an intersting challenge and I am sure you will go there in the rainy season.

fedu · « **Reply #12 on:** October 14, 2011, 08:33:21 PM »

Quote from: adam on October 14, 2011, 08:29:46 PM

Awesome fedu!! That's all I can say.

The "kob shape" is quite popular both salt and fresh water. Wouldn't be surprised if you guys eventually do find some perch/baramundi/kob offshoot. I've seen pics of that second fish. don't remember the name, but some type of shoaling, surface feeding yellowfish. Did you get it on lure? As far as I understood it mostly feeds on plant material.

For some reason the first fish pic won't load on my browser, just skips it, weird?

Just uploaded the first one for you it's some kind of Tilapia., and yes all on lures mainly those little yozuri like the one you see on the African Pike.

adam · « **Reply #13 on:** October 14, 2011, 09:10:55 PM »

cool!! looks like a cross between a bream and a peacock bass. Would love a little one in my fish tank.

What was the weather like, looks damn hot and humid

John F · « **Reply #14 on:** October 14, 2011, 09:42:14 PM »

Great pics as usual fedu!

Also, congrats and hats off for your "Indiana Jones" spirit...

Went to check my books and the closest I could get is:

Unidentified species No 1: Rainbow bream (Sargochromis carlottae)
Unidentified species No 2: Papermouth (Barbus mattozi)

I'm not really familiar with freshwater species, but these would be my best guesses... I think you should send these pics to Dr Paul Skelton at the SAIAB for a proper ID!

Manuel Junior · « **Reply #15 on:** October 15, 2011, 10:32:44 PM »

:shre: fedu!!!

fedu · « **Reply #16 on:** October 23, 2011, 02:25:03 AM »

I present to you "the hyphotetical", now not being hyphotetical anymore.

I am not a freshwater angler, could any of you guys please identify the species ?

Capt. Hook · « **Reply #17 on:** October 23, 2011, 09:58:12 AM »

Sorry I can't help, but it sure looks like it could be perch

John F · « **Reply #18 on:** October 23, 2011, 10:12:41 AM »

Looks like some sort of Labeo...

fedu · « **Reply #19 on:** October 23, 2011, 10:30:36 AM »

One more picture I got from the guys, probably with this ones you can identify the fish.