How To Catch Any Fish
  How To Catch Any Fish
  • Home
  • Species Guides
    • Saltwater Fish >
      • Barracuda >
        • Great Barracuda
        • Pacific Barracuda
      • Barramundi
      • Bass >
        • Calico Bass
        • Sand Bass
        • Spotted Bay Bass
        • White Sea Bass
      • Billfish >
        • Black Marlin
        • Blue Marlin
        • Pacific Sailfish
        • Striped Marlin
      • Black Drum
      • Bonefish
      • Groupers >
        • Broomtail Grouper
        • Goliath Grouper
        • Leopard Grouper
        • Tropical Cods
      • California Sheepshead
      • Dorado
      • Emperor Fishes
      • Giant Needlefish
      • Halibut (California)
      • Halibut (Pacific)
      • Lingcod
      • Mackerels >
        • Cero Mackerel
        • King Mackerel
        • Pacific Sierra
      • Pink Salmon
      • Redfish
      • Rockfish
      • Snappers >
        • Barred Pargo
        • Golden Snapper (Fingermark)
        • Green Jobfish
        • Mullet Snapper
        • Mutton Snapper
        • Pacific Cubera Snapper
        • Red Bass
        • Red Snapper
        • Yellow Snapper
        • Yellowtail Snapper
      • Sheepshead
      • Silver Salmon
      • Snook
      • Speckled Trout
      • Tarpon
      • Trevallies and Jacks >
        • African Pompano
        • Amberjack
        • Blacktip Trevally
        • Bluefin Trevally
        • Brassy Trevally
        • California Yellowtail
        • Giant Trevally
        • Jack Crevalle
        • Longnose Trevally
        • Queenfish
        • Rainbow Runner
        • Roosterfish
      • Tuna >
        • Albacore
        • Bonito
        • Dogtooth Tuna
        • Skipjack Tuna
        • Yellowfin Tuna
      • Wahoo
      • Yelloweye Rockfish
    • Freshwater Fish >
      • African Tigerfish
      • Arapaima
      • Arctic Grayling
      • Arowana (South American)
      • Bass >
        • Hybrid Striped Bass
        • Largemouth Bass
        • Peacock Bass
        • Rainbow Bass
        • Smallmouth Bass
        • Striped Bass
        • White Bass
      • Catfish >
        • Blue Catfish
        • Channel Catfish
        • Redtail Catfish
        • Sharptooth Catfish
        • Suribim Catfish
        • Vundu Catfish
      • Clown Knifefish (Featherback)
      • Dolly Varden
      • Golden Dorado
      • Jacunda
      • Jaguar Cichlid
      • Machaca
      • Muskellunge
      • Nembwe
      • Panfish >
        • Bluegill
        • Crappie
        • Central American Cichlids
        • Yellow Perch
      • Payara
      • Pike
      • Piranha
      • Sardinata
      • Sheefish
      • Taimen
      • Tilapia
      • Trout >
        • Brook Trout
        • Brown Trout
        • Lake Trout
        • Rainbow Trout
      • Walleye
      • White Sturgeon
      • Wolf Fish
  • Tackle Tips
    • Lure Reviews >
      • Bomber Fat Free Shad
      • Heddon Super Spook
      • Heru Bobara Lure Review
      • Sebile Stick Shadd
      • Heru Cubera Popper
      • Surface Iron Review
      • Yo Zuri Crystal Minnow Review
    • Gear Selection
  • Fishing Tips
    • Why Do Fish Bite?
    • Fishing Knots
    • How to Release Fish
    • Lure Fishing
    • Bait Fishing
    • Intro to Fly Fishing
    • Pound for Pound Fight Ratings
    • Miscellaneous Tips
    • Seasickness
    • Getting Kids Into Fishing
    • California Party Boat Fishing
    • Float Tube Fishing
    • Fishing Travel Tips
    • Preventing Insect Bites
    • How Not To Catch Fish
  • Trip Reports
    • US and Canada >
      • San Diego 10 Day Long Range Trip
      • 100 Trout in Montana
      • God's Lake Canada - Pike, Trout, and more
      • Colorado Trouting
      • Admiralty Island, Alaska Lings and Things
      • Lake Tawakoni - Catfish and Stripers
      • Shallow Water Bull Redfish - Louisiana
      • Lake O the Pines Texas Crappie
      • Cocodrie Louisiana Marshes
      • Alaska Sportsman's Lodge - Rainbows, Salmon, and Bears
      • South Florida Freshwater Exotics
      • Aniak River, Alaska - Trout, Salmon, Sheefish
      • Calcasieu and Venice Louisiana - Redfish and Trout
      • Southern California - A Summer of Party Boat Fishing
      • White River Arkansas - Brown Trout
      • Dry Tortugas, Florida - Massive Reef Variety
      • Boca Grande - Goliaths and Much More
      • Hawk Lake Ontario - Bass, Pike Walleye
    • Central America >
      • Quepos Marlin and Roosterfish
      • Drake Bay, Costa Rica - Inshore Quick Trip
      • Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica and Punta Burica, Panama - Offshore and Inshore
      • Osa Peninsula Costa Rica - Inshore Pargo and Roosters
      • San Quintin, Mexico - Yellowtail and Calico Bass
      • Cebaco Bay, Panama - Inshore Popping and Jigging
      • Rio Indio Nicaragua - Tarpon, Rainbow Bass, and More
      • Lake Agua Milpa Mexico - Family Bass Trip
      • Puerto Vallarta - Marlin, Mahi, Tuna, Pargo
      • Puerto Vallarta - Big Offshore Giants and Pargo
      • San Quintin, Mexico - White Seabass and Barracuda
      • Puerto Vallarta - Roosterfish Mania and Freshwater Bass
      • Puerto Vallarta - Inshore/Offshore Slam
      • Puerto Vallarta - Summer Inshore Monsters
      • San Evaristo Mexico - Baja Inshore Variety
      • Rio Parismina, Costa Rica - Tarpon
      • Mariato Panama Fall Giants
      • Mariato, Panama Inshore Bonanza
      • Mariato, Panama - Wind and Tuna
    • South America >
      • Jurassic Trout in Patagonia
      • Amazon Arapaima and Peacocks in Brazil
      • Parana River Argentina - Golden Dorado
      • Colombia - Amazon Peacocks and Payara
      • Trinidad Tarpon Madness
      • Colombia Pacific Coast
      • Amazon Bolivia - Big Payara and Variety
      • Amazon, Brazil - Peacock Bass, Wolffish, and Catfish
      • Amazon Brazil - Peacock Bass and Exotics
    • Asia and the Pacific >
      • Mongolia - World's Largest Trout
      • Burdekin, Australia - Big Barramundi and Reef Variety
      • Great Barrier Reef Australia - Insane Reef Variety
      • Aitutaki, Cook Islands - Giant Trevally Popping and Napoleon Wrasse
      • New Caledonia - Popping Giant Trevally
      • Marshall Islands- Remote Reef Exotics
    • Africa and the Middle East >
      • Malagarasi Tigerfish
      • Zambia - Floodplain Tigers and Bream
      • Madagascar - Wild Reef
      • Tanzania Offshore
      • Tanzanian Tigerfish
      • Oman GTs and Inshore Variety
  • About/Contact
  • Videos
    • How To Videos
  • Best Places to Fish
    • Aitutaki
    • Amazon
    • Bolivia
    • California
    • Costa Rica
    • Florida
    • Great Barrier Reef
    • Mexico Fishing - Baja
    • Panama
    • Puerto Rico
    • Puerto Vallarta
  • Trophy Gallery
Picture
A stout Tigerfish caught in the upper Zambezi River in Zambia
African Tigerfish
Hydrocynus goliath
Hydrocynus vittatus
Hydrocynus tanzaniae
Hydrocynus forskahlii
Hydrocynus brevis


HOME
Check Out Other Species


African Tigerfish Description

African Tigerfish are a fearsome and unique species found in Africa.  They are a pure ambush predator with some impressive teeth that generate tremendous strikes that are unrivaled by any other freshwater fish that I have seen.

Tigerfish inhabit lakes and rivers throughout many parts of Africa.  The largest Goliath subspecies is found in Congo and is very difficult to access and catch.  You need to be prepared to make a lot of casts in some dicey areas in order to land one.  The next largest subspecies, H. tanzaniae, is found in Tanzania and is also known as the Blue Tigerfish due to its blue adipose fin.  These often can exceed 20lbs..  H. vittatus is found throughout the Zambezi watershed and is characterized by bright red/orange fins, sometimes with yellow as well.  10lbs is a nice specimen of H. vittatus, although they do get a bit bigger.

Tigerfish are made to ambush baitfish.  They don't have a lot of stamina, but their initial strike is incredibly fast and hard.  It nearly always takes me by surprise when fishing with lures or fly.  They often strike right when your lure or fly hits the water and are 20 yards away before you even know what happened.  A lot of times they run towards you, and in those cases they usually spit the hook before you realize what is going on.  They have a mouth like concrete with teeth that deflect hooks.  That makes them hard to hook, although once in a while you get lucky and they run away from you and set the hook themselves before you realize you got a hit.

Tigerfish are poor table fare and should be released; please see the release tips here.
Picture
A thick Zambian Tigerfish
African Tigerfish Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 8 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale

I'm giving this rating primarily to the Tigerfish's incredible initial strike, which is unrivaled in freshwater.  It's hard to prepare for until you experience it.  Unfortunately you really only experience it if you are fishing with lures or fly rather than bait. They also frequently jump when hooked and spit the hook out.  I've even had them spit circle hooks that I thought were well positioned several times.  If you manage to get a good hookset off the initial strike and survive a couple jumps, they tend to come to the net relatively quickly.

African Tigerfish Tackle

Tigerfish require a fairly stiff rod to set the hook in their hard bony mouths.  You don't need a broomstick, but you won't get too many if you use a rod with a soft tip.  Braided line helps set the hook as well; I like to use 40lb braid.  A wire leader of 30-40lbs is a must.  Single hooks with no barb help get good penetration.  There is a tradeoff between needing a thin hook to penetrate, but not so thin that it gets straightened. Pinching down the barb will improve penetration, but increase the chance that it throws the hook on a jump.
Picture
Tigerfish often lie in eddies off of fast water such as this spot on the Kilombero River, Tanzania
African Tigerfish Techniques

Tigerfish can be caught on fly, lures, and bait.  The hookup ratio is actually often high with fly, making them a great target for fly fishermen.  Regardless of the technique used, you want to target eddies and still water adjacent to flowing water.  This is where they like to ambush their prey.  The bases of waterfalls are good spots as well. Whatever you use, be prepared to set the hook as soon as it hits the water, as Tigerfish often strike immediately.  They also often strike right at your feet at the end of the retrieve.

Always ensure you hooks are razor sharp with Tigerfish.  You will miss and lose a lot no matter what you do, so you need to maximize your chances.

African Tigerfish Lures

African Tigerfish are suckers for spoons and spinners.  A spoon called an Effzet is very popular.  I had good results with a Mepps Syclops spoon.  Mepps spinners in sizes 3-5 catch a lot of Tigerfish.

​
Picture
Some successful Tigerfish spoons. Note all the scratches from their teeth. Big fish often bite small lures.
Picture
Some other good Tigerfish lures - Chatterbait (might have to replace the snap), Super Spook (definitely replace the trebles with singles), and the Afri Jig.
Picture
A beautiful specimen taken on a spoon in the Kilombero River in Tanzania. Note the blue adipose fin that Tanzanian fish have.
Picture
A healthy Tigerfish from the Malagarasi River in Tanzania. Caught on a Chatterbait.
I had good success using plastic frogs such as the Keitech Noisy Flapper fished on a sinking jighead.  Unfortunately, they often bite the legs off so you go through a lot of them. I'm working on a trap hook in back but have not perfected it yet.

Many people use a bucktail type jig called an Afrijig.  I have not had much success with them, but I know they are very popular.

Streamer flies work well.  Black/red and black/purple are popular colors for both the Afrijigs and streamers.  Tigerfish tear up flies quickly.
Picture
Small Tiger caught on a fly in Tanzania
Now available in hardcover and Ebook! The best stories and photos from a lifetime of fishing travel. Order below!
Picture
Click here to contact me to order a beautiful, full-color 8"x10" hardcover version for $39.99: Contact

​Click below to buy the vibrant eBook on Amazon for $9.99:
https://a.co/d/8SMtTsu


Click below to buy the vibrant eBook on Apple for $9.99: ​http://books.apple.com/us/book/id6739000327
​
Tigerfish Baits

Tigerfish will take a variety of live and dead baits.  Live baitfish taken from the area you are fishing are always a good bet, but they can often be coaxed to eat chunks of fish if you can't get live ones, especially in areas without abundant baitfish populations.  Twitching dead baits aggressively can often get their attention. Big Tigers will eat small Tigers as well. Raw chicken also works surprisingly well in places with lower amounts of natural food.  Tie it on to the hook with some bait floss to keep it on or you won't have it for long.  Make sure you fish a little off the bottom if you can to help minimize catfish and maximize Tigerfish bites.  Because they usually take off with baits, circle hooks can be a good option.​

Tigerfish often carry baits, especially larger baits, around for a while before swallowing so you have to wait until they have the hook in their mouth before setting. That is easier said than done, but usually when they go on a screaming run that means that they have it and you should set before they feel the hook and drop it.
Picture
Sometimes bigger baits are the ticket to bigger fish
Picture
The business end of a Zambian Tigerfish
Where to get the big African Tigerfish

The largest Goliath Tigerfish are found in the Congo region.  However, there are obviously some risks in going there.  The next biggest specimens are found in Tanzania, where you can have a reasonable shot at a 20lb fish. The Barotse Floodplain in western Zambia also has some giants.

​One excellent operation in Zambia is Barotse Tiger Camp
Picture
Not the biggest fish, but amazing colors in the sun
Picture
Another thick-shouldered Malagarasi specimen caught on a plastic frog.
Picture
A healthy Tigerfish caught in the Kilombero River on a plastic frog
Picture
A short but stout Zambian fish
Picture
An example of H. vittatus from Botswana. My first Tigerfish