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The surf angling available along the Namibian coast is regarded as some of the best in the world. Namibia's best time for angling is between November and March. The prized catches include kob, steenbras, galjoen and blacktail. Steenbras and kob are commonly caught on sandy beaches while galjoen and blacktail inhabit rocky areas. The average weight of galjoen is 1.5kg while for kob 3kg is average however kob as big as 20kg can be landed from the beach.
Surf angling is permitted all year anywhere north of Sandwich Harbour and south of the Ugab river, angling is also allowed around Luderitz. North of the Ugab, in the Skeleton Coast Park, angling is only permitted in specific areas.
Popular angling spots along the coast include mile 8, mile 14, mile 72, mile 100 and mile 108. This being the distance of each of these places from Swakopmund, many of these places have campsites with basic facilities. During the summer holidays these campsites are generally fully booked due to the high number of South African and Namibian families who camp along the coast, and spend the majority of their vacations fishing.
Many operators run angling safaris from Swakopmund and Walvis Bay.
Game fisherman often target bronze whalers (also called copper sharks) and cowsharks. Both these species can reach lengths of 3 meters while copper sharks can weigh as much as 180kg. These species are commonly caught from the beach, but it is recommended you join a Namibian Angling Safari if you wish to shark fish. No vacation in Namibia is complete before you have spent a day shark fishing, there really is no experience required, so give it a try!
Shark fishing is only done on a tag and release basis.
As Namibia has very few perennial rivers the majority of fresh water fishing occurs on the countries man made lakes. Confusion often arises as in Namibia man mad lakes are referred to as dams, while dams are referred to as dam walls! The best dams for fishing in Namibia are the Hardap, close to Mariental, Von Bach Dam, near Okahandja and the Naute Dam between Keetmanshoop and the Fish River Canyon.
Species that can be caught include yellow fish, Mozambique tilapia, common carp, mud mullet, sharp tooth catfish, barbel and Orange River labeo.
Flat water fisherman are pretty much on their own as no one really specialises in freshwater safaris, although some operators may be willing to include some flat water fishing in their itineraries.
The confluence of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers, in the eastern Caprivi, is an excellent area for fly fishing. This is a good area to catch Tiger Fish, and fish of up to 9kg have been caught in these waters. Anglers trying for Tiger Fish will need to be equipped with wire traces as the tiger fish have extremely sharp teeth.
There are several ways to enjoy tiger fishing, either on an organised safari around Namibia or by visiting one of the lodges in the Caprivi area.