A breathtaking male Nembwe
Nembwe
Serranochromis robustus
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Nembwe Description
Nembwe are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the world, as the photos on this page show. They are a large cichlid found in a few locations in southern Africa, primarily the Zambezi River and the Okavango Delta. They are a robust and relatively deep-bodied fish.
There are many related cichlid species in southern Africa, collectively referred to as "Bream", but the Nembwe are the most sought after. It is easy to see why; they are absolute stunners. The achieve weights of over 10lbs, but anything over 5lbs is a very nice fish.
Nembwe are ambush predators, eating mainly various baitfish. Any small fish that can fit in its mouth is a potential meal for a Nembwe. They can be effectively targeted on bait, lure, and fly.
Like many cichlids, Nembwe are mouth brooders, meaning they keep their fry in their mouths for a period of time. That could explain why they do not bite well during their spawning season.
Male and female Nembwe are both beautiful, but are distinct from each other. Male Nembwe grow larger and tend to have more green. I have some examples of each below.
I haven't caught a ton of Nembwe, but there are not many online resources for them so I thought I would put this out there.
I'm sure they taste good, but please release them, especially the bigger ones. They are under siege pretty much everywhere they are found from gillnets.
Serranochromis robustus
HOME
Other
Species
Nembwe Description
Nembwe are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in the world, as the photos on this page show. They are a large cichlid found in a few locations in southern Africa, primarily the Zambezi River and the Okavango Delta. They are a robust and relatively deep-bodied fish.
There are many related cichlid species in southern Africa, collectively referred to as "Bream", but the Nembwe are the most sought after. It is easy to see why; they are absolute stunners. The achieve weights of over 10lbs, but anything over 5lbs is a very nice fish.
Nembwe are ambush predators, eating mainly various baitfish. Any small fish that can fit in its mouth is a potential meal for a Nembwe. They can be effectively targeted on bait, lure, and fly.
Like many cichlids, Nembwe are mouth brooders, meaning they keep their fry in their mouths for a period of time. That could explain why they do not bite well during their spawning season.
Male and female Nembwe are both beautiful, but are distinct from each other. Male Nembwe grow larger and tend to have more green. I have some examples of each below.
I haven't caught a ton of Nembwe, but there are not many online resources for them so I thought I would put this out there.
I'm sure they taste good, but please release them, especially the bigger ones. They are under siege pretty much everywhere they are found from gillnets.
My biggest Nembwe - a big green tanker caught on the upper Zambezi
Nembwe Pound for Pound Fight Rating - 7 out of 10 on the Freshwater Scale
Nembwe put up a strong, bulldogging fight for their size. They are often found around structure and will try to get back into it when hooked if they can. None of the ones I have hooked have jumped, but all have headed for the bottom. Their many headshakes will have your heart in your throat hoping they don't spit the hook.
Nembwe put up a strong, bulldogging fight for their size. They are often found around structure and will try to get back into it when hooked if they can. None of the ones I have hooked have jumped, but all have headed for the bottom. Their many headshakes will have your heart in your throat hoping they don't spit the hook.
A stunning male Nembwe
Nembwe Tackle
Depending on the size of the fish targeted, light to medium spinning tackle is in order. I would recommend braided line of at least 20lbs in the snaggy areas where they are found. For fly, a 7wt or 8wt is about right to pull them away from snags.
Nembwe Techniques
Nembwe can be caught with a variety of techniques. The key is finding them and then finding something that you can effectively put in front of them. They tend to live in structure like sunken trees or other vegetation or at the confluence of currents where they can ambush prey.
Depending on the size of the fish targeted, light to medium spinning tackle is in order. I would recommend braided line of at least 20lbs in the snaggy areas where they are found. For fly, a 7wt or 8wt is about right to pull them away from snags.
Nembwe Techniques
Nembwe can be caught with a variety of techniques. The key is finding them and then finding something that you can effectively put in front of them. They tend to live in structure like sunken trees or other vegetation or at the confluence of currents where they can ambush prey.
A beautiful female Nembwe
Nembwe Lures
Nembwe take a variety of small crankbaits fished near the bottom around the structure they are in. Effective colors include Firetiger and various orange crawdad imitations. They also take soft plastics including worms and creature baits, which have the advantage of being able to be Texas-rigged weedless. Then you can slither them through sunken branches and roots.
There are probably a whole host of things that will work; the key is using something that can be presented effectively given the structure/currents/conditions. Below are a couple crankbaits that worked for me.
Nembwe take a variety of small crankbaits fished near the bottom around the structure they are in. Effective colors include Firetiger and various orange crawdad imitations. They also take soft plastics including worms and creature baits, which have the advantage of being able to be Texas-rigged weedless. Then you can slither them through sunken branches and roots.
There are probably a whole host of things that will work; the key is using something that can be presented effectively given the structure/currents/conditions. Below are a couple crankbaits that worked for me.
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A male and a female caught on crankbaits.
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Nembwe Baits
If you can catch any small fish in the areas where they live those should work. I haven't fished for them with bait, but I know they work. Worms will catch smaller ones and probably the occasional bigger one. I would bet that small crayfish would work well in areas where they are found together.
Where to get big Nembwe
The upper Zambezi has some giants. That's where all the fish on this page were caught.
A great place to go is the Barotse Tiger Camp.
If you can catch any small fish in the areas where they live those should work. I haven't fished for them with bait, but I know they work. Worms will catch smaller ones and probably the occasional bigger one. I would bet that small crayfish would work well in areas where they are found together.
Where to get big Nembwe
The upper Zambezi has some giants. That's where all the fish on this page were caught.
A great place to go is the Barotse Tiger Camp.
Please catch and release!
A Nembwe relative, the Thin Face Bream
A pair of big females.
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Another beautiful female.