A Big Fish Tale

Fishing on Lake Nasser  (guest blogger: Sam Hampton)

Located in upper (southern) Egypt, created by the Aswan dam on the Nile River, Lake Nasser has a barren shoreline and rocky islands. I was expecting to see green plants because of the water. Our fishing trip was organized by African Anglers, consisting of 4 fishing boats and one ‘mother’ ship.They provided all the tackle, meals, and equipment. We fished three men to a boat--three of the boats were father/son teams and another adult. Meals and relaxation took place on the ‘mother’ ship while the smaller boats were for fishing and sleeping (al fresco). We pulled up to different islands each night to unroll our sleeping bags on a mattress aboard ship, under the stars. We were on the water for four days and three nights.

                                                       The moon was new so there was light only from the millions of stars overhead. We saw shooting stars, and all the constellations. Surprisingly the stars provided a lot of light so we could walk from boat to boat when pulled up to shore. Temperatures were in excess of 100 degrees during the day and on the third day we had a very refresing and much needed swim/bath in the lake after lunch.

Mostly, we trolled with 8 inch long “Repalla” lures in many colors on 40# test line-designed to handle a 200 pound Nile Perch! The Nile Perch look a lot like a large mouth bass and fight like a large mouth bass-jumping out of the water with a ‘tail dance’ and diving deep. We also caught tiger fish which are a cousin to the pirana. They have long sharp teeth that interlock. From time to time, we pulled up on one of the rocky islands and cast from shore. 

The fish were not biting as much as we had hoped-fishing had been poor all week. About 11am on the last day, on our way back to dock, I felt a jerk on the line.   Fifteen minutes, two tail dances and two long runs later, I caught the catch of the week. A 65 pound Nile Perch! I was not allowed to keep the meat because this area is catch and release only, so all I have to show are photos...oh, yeah...and the prize money! 

Abu Simble is the temple of Ramsses II and Nefertari. It was once located where the waters collect behind the Aswan Dam. The ancient temple was moved thanks to the efforts of UNESCO World Heritage, piece by piece. It had to be exactly aligned with the sun because twice a year, the sun angles into the temple,  lighting the faces of the giant statues within.  All of the statues were moved and the  heiroglypics were cut from the stone of the original mountain. Once relocated, a simulated mountain was built and one can not tell the difference!  All in all, a fantastic trip!