It’s tiger time!

At 6am sharp, a gunshot and a magenta flare fired high up against the sunrise silhouette, sends the boats puffing off to the various corners of Lake Kariba. It’s tiger time!
Tiger fish is known for its sheer speed and aggression, pound for pound and is ranked as the world’s most powerful fresh water species that grows up to 45kg.
In Zimbabwe, the biggest catch record stands at 15,5kg.
On catching it, the tiger fish’s initial run is fast and strong and is usually followed by spectacular leaps of one or two metres into the air to shake off the hook, and then a series of deep, determined runs, which chew every ounce of strength from this game fish.
Finally, after about 10 minutes of fighting, the tiger fish is pulled, belly-up, to the side of the boat, where it tries to make one or two last breaks to freedom — like a man trying to break from chains — but is gaffed and brought onto the boat.
The very tackle many fishermen use for tiger is in itself, a telling tribute to the fighting qualities of Africa’s most elusive, ferocious and speedy game fish.
Next week, from October 16 to 20, is that time when more than 1 000 world acclaimed anglers gather in Kariba for the Kariba Invitational Tiger Fishing Tournament.
The big prize is a vehicle for any angler who catches the biggest tiger above 10kg.
For the supporting staff and spouses, game viewing and the multifarious array of hotels and lodges are the places to be.
Tiger fish is known throughout the world for its ferocity and fighting spirit, traits that make it one of the most sought-after game fish in the world.
The sporting quality of tiger fish can only be truly appreciated if fairly light tackle — with one to 4kg line — is used.
Tiger fish is Africa’s most elusive, finest and flamboyant game fish.
It possesses a ferocious set of razor-sharp teeth enclosed in a bony head. Many fishermen have lost their fingers from these sharp teeth. Its blue or blackish lateral stripes — like a land tiger — and bright red to yellow caudal fin completes the picture. Females are larger than the males.
For any discerning fisherman, catching the tiger is the greatest experience as the fish bravely darts from one place to another, leaping upwards, downwards and sideways for several minutes before eventually succumbing to the angler.
This year, the organisers of the competition have introduced an inaugural experimental catch-and-release sub-tournament for 10 selected teams, which could be a breakthrough in preserving the fish, if proved successful.
This will be a sub-tournament, where 10 teams will be drawn from a hat at the Captains Meeting, and will fish the first ever KITFT Catch and Release Tournament.
Methods of recording fish weights and viability will be tested with a view to extending the Catch and Release policy to more and more in the following years.
In the event that a team has been selected to participate in this inaugural tournament it is required to bring two digital cameras which will be required to photograph caught fish.
National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, the vanguards of the lake and the shepherds of the fish, would probably welcome the catch and release system for preservation of the tiger. 
In the past, each tournament resulted in more than two tonnes of tiger fish being fished out and, of course, killed.
The annual Kariba tournament is meant to capture the biggest tiger fish of the year and the current record is that of 15,507kg caught in Lake Kariba in 1962.
The first tournament was organised by the Rhodesian National Anglers Union and took place in June 1962, with 142 fishermen participating.
In the southern hemisphere, the biggest tiger fish caught and dubbed the Goliath weighed about 45kg in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In Zimbabwe, tiger is distributed throughout the Kariba Dam, the Zambezi River and its tributaries. The tiger is also found in Lake Chivero and Manyame Dam. Naunetsi, Bubi and Mzingwane rivers also have tiger fish.
Its primary food is kapenta, bream, cat fish and squeakers. They also eat their own kind as long as it is less than 40 percent their body weight.
It is fascination with this game fish that led to the formation of the Kariba International Tiger Fishing Competition, now the Kariba Tiger Invitational Fishing Tournament, which has run for 49 years, simply to catch this game fish. It is a huge international fishing event, which attracted 150 teams from all over the world.
Kariba Dam is shared by Zimbabwe and Zambia but the Zimbabwean side has, for long, been famed for hosting the tiger tournament.
The fishing tournament is a tourist event and the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority should promote the event.
It is a tourism forum.
There is no doubt that the Kariba Invitation Fishing Tournament will next year attract more participants. The success of this tournament is a tribute to the popularity of tiger fishing.
There is no question the importance of the tournament on the international angling calendar, and win or lose, it is just a great event to be part of. It’s tiger time!
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