The Nile Perch, also known as the African snook, Goliath Perch or the Victoria Perch, is widespread throughout much of the Afrotropical realm and is native to the Congo, Nile, Niger, Lake Chad, Volta and many other river basins. The species used to be far more widespread and abundant, but severe habitat destruction combined with the fact the species is of substantial economic and food-security importance, has seen populations around the globe severely decline.
Silver in colour with a blue tinge, distinctive dark-black eye, with a bright-yellow outer ring, the fish is known for its spiny dorsal fin and cavernous mouth. It’s a fierce apex predator and one that dominates its surroundings, feeding on other fish, including its own species, crustaceans, and insects. It’s also one of the largest freshwater fish globally, and anglers have landed fished to over two metres in length and over 400lb in weight.
Traditionally if you asked anglers what they associated with Nile Perch, many would give the answer lure fishing at Lake Nasser in Egypt. However, over the past few years, there has been a massive increase in popularity amongst the fly fishing community. Thanks to some hard work in a select few regions in Africa, sport fishing camps have been set up on some rivers containing the fish and these area’s have been well looked after and protected from commercial fishing and poaching. They’re now an exciting, viable target for the travelling freshwater fly fishing angler.
Challenge your fishing ability in the wilds and experience the African bushveld at its best. Gassa Camp in Cameroon isn't about catching fish after fish, but it will present you with the opportunity to cast giant flies in the hope of catching a monster Nile Perch, and there's an excellent chance you'll achieve this and more.
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Name: Nile Perch
Also Known as: Lates niloticus
Scientific Name: African Snook, Goliath Perch, African Barramundi, Goliath Barramundi, or the Victoria perch.
Silver in colour with a blue tinge, distinctive dark-black eye, and a bright yellow outer ring, the Nile Perch is known for its spiny dorsal fin and cavernous mouth. It’s a fierce apex predator that dominates its surroundings, feeding on other fish, including its own species, crustaceans, and insects.
Females grow larger than males and are usually heavily outnumbered in the wild. Capable of producing 16 million eggs at a time, they can typically commence spawning when they reach around 50cm in size. When the females have deposited their eggs, and the males fertilised them, the eggs are left alone to hatch. The fish don’t guard the eggs or raise the fry. Adult specimens are somewhat similar to Barramundi, but unlike them, Nile perch can breed in freshwater lakes.
Once hatched, juvenile fish are camouflaged by asymmetrical broad markings on their bodies, and several dark markings spread out from the area around their eyes, all fading with age. They are restricted to shallow or nearshore environments, whereas adult fish occupy all habitats with sufficient oxygen concentrations.
Fact: Nile Perch have a religious history and were sometimes mummified. A deposit of several thousand mummified Perch was excavated in an area west of Esna in Egypt, where there was a temple to Neith. In ancient Egyptian mythology, Neith was the goddess of creation, wisdom, and war. Mummified Perch have also been found at Gurob, while Perch statues have been found at Sais.
Traditionally, if you asked anglers what they associated with Nile Perch, many would answer lure fishing at Lake Nasser in Egypt or Lake Victoria, and there’s no doubt that back in the early nineties, these were ‘the’ places to catch them. However, due to severe habitat destruction combined with the fact the species is of substantial economic and food-security importance, these waterways are a shadow of their former selves. On Lake Victoria alone in 2003, the sales of Nile Perch to the EU were estimated at over 169 million euros. Across all the countries of Africa, like Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, the fish have been pushed to near extinction.
Our CEO, Peter Collingsworth, enjoyed many trips to Egypt fishing for Nile Perch in the ’90s. He was lucky enough to catch specimens of over 100lb, including a giant of 174lb, which he classed as one of his most memorable fish. You can read more about it here: Peter Collingsworth’s Most Memorable Fishing Moments.
For those anglers who still yearn to catch a Nile Perch, Africa still is the destination to visit; however, the goalposts have moved somewhat. Thanks to some hard work in a select few regions on the continent, sport fishing camps have been set up on some rivers containing these fish and areas have been well looked after and protected from commercial fishing and poaching. One such operation is our lodge, Gassa Camp, in Cameroon. Our partners at African Waters had been searching for a viable Nile Perch fly fishery for almost a decade, but finally, in 2018, after two exploratory trips, they found what they were looking for.
The Gassa Camp or Capitaine Camp, as it’s also known, is situated on the Faro River, an incredible 310-kilometre waterway that cuts through the African landscape. The fishing, encompassed in a 120-kilometre section of the river bordering the Faro National Park, offers adventurous travelling anglers the chance to target Nile Perch over 200lb.
Our Top Nile Perch Fishing Destination:
Gassa Camp Cameroon
Note: Increasing numbers of fish are being farmed throughout Thailand and Asia due to their popularity, fast growth rates and high commercial value. This has also meant they’ve started to make their way into commercial fisheries such as Gillhams. You can read more about Gillhams here: Gillhams Fishing Resort Thailand.
There are many ways to catch these aggressive apex predators, but traditionally, the most effective method has been to lure fish with a range of diving Rapalas, fished from the bank or trolled from a boat. These methods are still prevalent and catch vast numbers of fish, but tactics have changed slightly over the last decade, and now, they lean towards fly fishing for these magnificent creatures.
When tackling up for them on the fly, a well-balanced 9-weight will land most fish; however, a heavier 12-weight set-up is recommended for the most significant specimens. Generally, they are structure-orientated, so tackle must be robust enough to guide any hooked fish away from snags above or below the water. It must also be able to handle the rigours of casting large flies – which is what the Perch likes.
Generally considered an ambush predator, they prefer to hunt mostly at night and during low-light conditions. Therefore, the best fishing often occurs just before sunset and throughout the hours of darkness.
The Nile Perch is one of the largest freshwater fish globally and can reach sizes of up to six and a half feet in length and over 200kg in weight; however, fish of that size are incredibly scarce. More commonly, fish average around 10kg to 25kg, although it’s not unusual for anglers to encounter fish over 50kg. At Gassa Camp, our destination in Africa, a handful of fish of this size get landed every season, and the current camp record is a beast of over 100kg.
