Tiger tournament swings on

Prince Mushawevato in Kariba

SIXTY-NINE teams are participating at the ongoing 58th edition of the Kariba Invitation Tiger Fishing Tournament (KITFT) here in Kariba at the traditional Charara camp site.

Initially 71 teams had registered to participate but two dropped at the eleventh hour after failing to meet some of the financial requirements.

“We wanted to have more teams at this year’s edition but a number of logistical factors weighed against us. Two of the teams cancelled participation on the eve of the tournament,” said tournament director, Rod Bennet.

No single angler has managed a catch of plus-10kg in the last four editions of the tournament and the chase continues in Day 2 of the tournament.

Only four out of the 251 fish caught yesterday weighed above 5kg.

On the second day, the biggest catch weighed 6.165kg.

The massive drop in water levels in Lake Kariba has been cited by anglers as one of the major reasons for the poor bite of fish and the drop in weight.

However, fishermen that Sunday Mail Online talked to remain optimistic of getting the prized catch.

The event which started on Wednesday ends Friday. Last year, Andre Barnard missed by a mere 5g as his catch weighed in at 9.995kg. The angler with the heaviest tiger above 10kg will walk away with an Isuzu KB250 Fleetside single-cab pick-up.

The first prize was last won in 2014 by Pat Driscoll of the Charter Africom team.