We had motored upriver opposite Dog Island and anchored in the middle of a 50ft deep tide rip where the Gambia River is getting on for 12 miles. (This is a known tarpon channel where anything can in fact turn up, like the 115lb cubera snapper in 1997 which gobbled up a single yaboy intended for tarpon, the angler needing all of his 50lb class outfit to subdue such a massive cubera).  During the last two hours of the flood tide Mark was convinced we would experience tarpon breaking the mirror-like surface and together with a group of bottle-nosed dolphins, he was so right. Massive tarpon could be seen wallowing and crashing through the surface film for at least a couple of hundred yards in all four directions around the boat. Scarcely a minute passed by without one, two or even three tarpon simultaneously rolling, topping and tailing or crashing out.

There were obviously hundreds of tarpon around us – huge deep-bodied specimens, between 7 ft and 8 ft long in the 150-300lb range. I have never experienced such a spectacle of fish ever before or since. We were like kids in a sweet shop and expected any second for one of our four free-lined mullet live-baits to go screeching off. Suddenly Mark hooked up with a fish of well over 200lb but after a 20 min battle it got away.  Around two years later, Mark and I were anchored in more or less the same position off Dog Island, this time sharing the boat with Don Metcalfe, who hooked up with no fewer than three tarpon within a mad hour’s spell one after another, pulling out of each following that initial jump or two. Personally I have actually still yet to land one of The Gambia’s huge tarpon, but it doesn’t stop me from trying. Incidentally, and coming down in size to much smaller tarpon within the 25-70lb range, there is some fabulous action to be had during the Gambian summer months, June through to September, throughout the rainy season. Its pretty humid and wet, but nice. The rain is not of the monsoon type, merely short, heavy bursts. And during this period tarpon in plenty can be hooked using jigs, lures and live-baits, even on fly from around the rocks off Cape Point, just south of Banjul.

For a totally different Gambian experience, from December through until April, Mark and Tracey arrange five or seven day trips to the high upper reaches of the Gambia River, to Georgetown at McCarthy Island known locally as JanJanBurreh. Here the river is between 200 and 300 yards across, scattered with islands, sandbars, and reefs overhung along the margins by tall hardwood trees. There are baboons, monkeys, plus an unbelievable diversity of bird life along with crocodiles and numerous hippos. This is the original slave-trading island settlement of the colonial days where, in addition to many of the previously mentioned saltwater species, tooth-laden Tigerfish, several catfish species, and elephant snout fish plus dozens of weird and wonderfully colourful species can be taken using a variety of baits.

In complete contrast to these upriver safari’s and for groups of up to six anglers and for the bottom-bait enthusiast using standard beach gear, guitarfish and stingrays feature regularly on the incoming tide. In fact, anyone considering shore fishing in The Gambia would do well to remember that usually the most prolific sport is during that last three hours of the flooding tide. From the surf beaches south of Banjul, Mark had in years past taken both guitarfish and stingrays exceeding 100lb using fresh small whole squid or small fish for bait, on more or less standard British shore angling gear and a 25lb reel line. So we were both intrigued as to what could be caught during the three days of the international sponsored African Shore Angling Championships held in The Gambia during November 2000, along the golden sands and bass-like surf waves of Sanyang Beach, some 18 miles south of the capital, Banjul. With £5000 of tackle vouchers to be won plus big money optional pools, the 70 competitors from all over Britain and Ireland were split up into three sections which were rotated over the three days. Having already agreed with the competition organizers, to both open and close the event with a prize- giving evening, Masterline’s marketing director, Chris Leibrandt and I felt decidedly frustrated merely walking the three sections without a rod in our hands each day instead of competing. Sometimes there were so many fish being caught I couldn’t decide which direction to point my camera lens next. I felt particularly sorry for Colin Palliser from Dublin who, after playing a huge guitar-fish looking all of 70lb plus for over half an hour, had his line parted when the spent fish was almost on the beach by an enthusiastic helper, who I nicknamed “the gaffman from hell”.

Another titanic battle which literally went right down to the wire was mail-order tackle guru, Tony Kerrage’s encounter with what was obviously a huge stingray looking well in excess of 100lb. Again, the result was a botched gaffing attempt. So Tony watched his good friend Norman Message from Eastbourne receive the biggest fish of the festival prize for a 40lb stingray knowingly he had almost landed its granddad! Frankly I could not stop wondering what might have been beached had some of the competitors gone for broke with a size 5/0 hook offering a large bonga fillet or small whole squid as bait, on a 25lb test reel line, instead of two or three small fine-wire hook traces to just a 15lb test reel line – the mind boggles. But then paradoxically top man over the three day event was John O’Brien from Ireland who not only caught far more fish than everyone else, at the competition rules of 5 points per fish and 10 points per kilo, his 17lb captain fish was the biggest landed. During the couple of days prior to and immediately after the competition many of the competitors also experienced some very memorable boat fishing trips. Nigel Lloyd and his son took it in turns to successfully land a tarpon hooked near Dog Island which was returned and estimated after measuring at around 220lbs.

What unbelievable sport The Gambia has to offer!!.

John Wilson

John Wilson’s book ‘Greatest Fishing Adventures’ includes fishing stories from Lake Nassar, Egypt, The Bahamas, British Columbia, Namibia, South India, Florida Keys, Lake Kariba Zambia, Spain. Kenya, The Red River and Lake Victoria.

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