Nile Perch - Egypt

The mighty Nile Perch of Egypt has always been one of those almost mystical fish that every angler puts on his bucket list. Yet it is the remoteness of their habitat that has shrouded these fish in mystery.



Recently, Mavungana Flyfishing have taken a couple of fortunate souls into the depths of the Saharan Desert to fish for these monster Perch on Lake Nasser, the largest man-made lake on the planet.


It is strange to think, while getting of the air conditioned plane at Aswan airport and wondering how you will survive the next seven days as the furnace of hot air hits you square in the face, that just a short drive out of the city and through the sun-beaten desert, a massive lake spanning 550km awaits.


As we boarded the Nubian Queen, a houseboat which was to be our mobile home for the next week, we were struck by the Nubian people, children smiling and playing in the scorching heat and the friendliness of the locals. Several times I refused a cigarette, offered by a person who has so little, yet is so willing to share what he does have with a smile.


The vastness of the lake only hit us once we were cruising along on the topaz clear lake. As you look into the horizon and see the endless dam stretching into the distance, the reality of your destination kicks in.

Sam, our cook, was a friendly chap who also specialized in giving massages and entertaining us with stories of his hometown in Aswan, where they keep crocodiles as pets for tourist attractions. The talk quickly turned to the possibilities of hooking into the beastly Perch we had set out to persue. Fly Selection, tactics and stories of the monsters on previous trips had us all exited to hit the water. One particular story, recounted by Ahmed, one of the Nubian guides, told of two Nile Perch hunting down a massive Tigerfish. When asked about the size of the Perch, he replied, "They were same long as for me," while gesturing with his hands for effect.

No time was wasted as we approached our first campsite for the afternoon. It's quite a sight to see the massive houseboat towing three 'stealth' aluminum fishing boats, closely followed by three, 24ft fishing boats which have the dual purpose of comfortable trolling platforms for the conventional fishermen, and sleeping platforms.

The first session was a serious learning curve. This is unlike any fly fishing you ever done, period. The Perch behave very much like our Large mouth Bass, in that they are structure orientated and are in every sense of the word, ambush predators. Underwater 'caves' and overhangs formed by erosion and currents seem to be their preferred ambush spots. As the lake is literally the Nile valley that has been flooded, only the tips of mountains remain above the surface, creating a series of small islands.





Fly fishing for these fish involve accurate, short-range, smart fishing with a three dimensional outlook required to effectively cover the strike zones. They will ambush the fly as it swims past the overhang, this often involves near vertical retrieves, with erratic twitches of the fly to convince the perch and invoke the take. In typical bass fashion, the fish fight dirty and at close quarters, with the perch attempting to head for deeper water and may snag you in the rocks if you don't horse it out of cover, although this is easier said than done when you are attached to a fish the size of a Victorian bathtub.




The Nile Perch grow to an excess of 400lbs and can reach lengths of 2 meters. The Nile Tigerfish are also prevalent in the lake, these toothy critters are known to grow to around 15lbs. The average perch caught ranged from five to twenty pounds, although larger ones were hooked.

One of the anglers hooked a good sized perch (7lbs) and as he was fighting it, a huge Perch, estimated at 150lbs abruptly inhaled the terrified fish, needless to say it was a short story. Another incident occurred one memorable afternoon while working a classic 'fishy' spot, comprising of a deep channel with two adjacent weeded banks, my fly was inhaled by a Perch which the guide estimated at over 100lbs, I was ripped into the backing faster than any fish before, the monster tail walked several times and managed to wrap itself around seperate rocks. The backing knot eventually got snagged and the 75lb braid core fly-line broke, after several very colourful expletives, a new appreciation for the strength of these fish and a severely bruised ego, I trudged back to lunch to share my war-story.

The food is tasty, but this is not a culinary experience, with a traditional Nubian twist that will amaze you at the range of ways that a simple rice dish can be prepared. The ice-cold local beer is very good and refreshing after a long day in the sun. After dinner, stories are exchanged and 'fines' are issued, usually for botched attempts at navigating a particularly sharp piece of sand-stone, or losing a large fish. After the fifth vodka shot for the evening, you very quickly learn that terminal tackle needs to be immaculate, you don't have many shots at big fish, so when you finally hook into a monster Perch, equipment
failure needs to be the last thing on your mind.





Temperatures hover around bloody hot and 'moer warm.' Often, it reaches into the 40s and plenty of sunscreen is mandatory. The fishing involves navigating sharp sandstone rocks, high ledges and cliffs. Sporadic immersion of the entire body is done often to keep cool, after a good lookout for Crocs. Distance casting is not a requirement, but accuracy will help to fish the cover well. Lots of walking will be done to cover as much good water as possible, so you need to consider yourself fit and mobile. Sight fishing is a definite possibility, twice we came across a couple of large perch holding over a ledge. Stealth and accuracy come in again, leading the fish before starting an erratic retrieve, then speeding up as the fish follows the fly may lead to a hookup. There is no feeling that matches the nerves as a giant Nile Perch races to intercept your fly.



Evenings are warm, pleasantly so when the wind dies down. A cold shower (trust me it's a blessing in the heat) is aboard the mother ship, along with a flush toilet. Sleeping on the roof of the fishing boats under the stars is an experience in itself, I was rather alarmed at the lack of noise the first night. The desert is dead quiet, a pressing silence that adds to the remoteness and tranquility.



A tour of the Great pyramids is included, and it is not to be missed. Cairo is a city that needs to be experienced, the bustling streets are full of vendors selling gifts and souvenirs. Authentic paintings on papyrus can be purchased, along with freshly woven Egyptian carpets and hand-made jewelery. You can also ride a camel and get a feel for Egypt, with the security of an American Express guide.

Seriously important things to pack:

- Sturdy 10wt rod with a spare, 12 wt if you can cast it all day and a 5-6wt for the huge Tilapia.

- 400grain (10wt) shooting head fly line, bring a spare. 500grain for a 12 wt should you choose to bring one.

- Stripping/sun gloves, takes are brutal and line-burn can cause serious pain. The extra sun protection will save the back of your hands.

- Good quality, quick drying technical clothing. Invest in two proper long sleeved shirts and two technical pants, the zip-off variety is nice for versatility.

- Pliers for removing hooks from fish.

- A hook sharpener (important), you may hit a rock on your near-vertical back-cast. Razor sharp hooks will aid penetration.


- Good quality line clippers / scissors, we use anything from 40-80lb mono filament.

- A good quality reel, it does not need to hold 150m of backing, but it does need a decent drag system. Any good saltwater make will do.

- 40, 60 and 80lb tippet material. Maxima is reliable and strong, it's also relatively cheap.

- Bring along some deceiver style minnows, natural colours worked well because of the clear water, but the fly-pack that Mavungana provides contains every pattern you would need.

- A headlamp or flashlight is also highly recommended, and helped loads when navigating to your designated sleeping boat in the dark.

- A good pair of flats boots are also a must, an old pair of tekkies will also work, but they will take a beating on the sharp, hot rocks.

- Polaroid glasses, goes without saying, spotting fish along with saving your eyes from a very large, barbed hook. Always a no-brainer for any type of fishing, bring a cheapy spare.

- It never rains (ever) and there are no bugs, which makes the evenings so pleasant.

- A pair of swimming trunks and a small, lightweight absorbent towel.

- Superglue for impromptu fly repair and spare braided loops.















In total, we caught 144 Fish over the 7 days. The fish ranged from 5-20lbs. This really is an extreme fly fishing destination with the rugged beauty of the desert, mixed in with a dash of exhilaration and adventure. if you want any more info on trips, feel free to contact me on 072 621 8425 or Jp.mexel@gmail.com