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Extreme Fishing with Robson Green - Extreme Fishing World Tour Episode 1

The journey begins in southern Africa, where Robson seeks the legendary vundu catfish at Lake Kariba. In Zimbabwe, he visits Lake Mteri for an encounter with a wide-mouth bass, before heading to Victoria Falls to fish in a deep pool known as the ?boiling pot?. 

Robson?s journey through Africa begins at the mighty Lake Kariba on the edge of Zimbabwe. For many years, this beautiful country has been off limits to tourists, but it offers some of the best fishing in Africa. Robson?s prey is the vundu catfish, known locally as the ?steam train? owing to its strength. Weighing up to 60 kilograms, these monsters can keep an angler busy for hours. Equipped with a range of bait including ox livers, hearts, frogs and kidneys, Robson positions himself close to the wall of the Kariba Dam and sets about trying to coax a vundu from the murky depths. It is a case of sitting back, relaxing and preparing for one heck of a tussle...

Elsewhere on the lake, Robson examines the kapenta fishing industry, which provides fish proteins for the low-income populace of Zimbabwe. About 20,000 tonnes of kapenta are produced annually from the Zimbabwean side of Lake Kariba. Most of it is salted and sun-dried before going to market. Unequalled by any other fish-production system in the country, kapenta fishing is vital to Zimbabwe and its people. Robson is here to help the local fishermen catch some of their daily quota. He joins the locals in the afternoon to help prepare the boats, but the real work begins at night. After watching a beautiful sunset over the lake, the Geordie heads out onto the water with his new friends for some serious kapenta fishing.

The next stop on the tour is Lake Mteri in the south of Zimbabwe. Here, Robson teams up with expert bass fisherman Justin Booth for a spot of competitive angling. Bass fishing is one of the biggest sports in Africa, so the competition is fierce. At this lake, wide-mouth bass weighing in excess of six kilograms have been caught, so Robson could be in for a tough challenge.

The trials continue on the mighty Zambezi river, where the most dominant fish is the ferocious tiger fish. With razor-sharp teeth, this aggressive species is considered the African equivalent of the South American piranha. Robson finds himself with plenty of opportunities to catch the tiger fish in the upper Zambezi where waters are calm, but the fierce predators are notoriously difficult to land. Will Robson have the patience to deal with this worthy adversary?

To finish his journey along the Zambezi, Robson arrives at one of the seven natural wonders of the world ? Victoria Falls. The scenery is breathtaking, but this visitor is not here for the view ? he will be getting a lot closer than that!

Climbing down the path that leads to the bottom of the falls, Robson and guide Gerard take a raft across the river and paddle gently up stream to the famous ?boiling pot?. This deep pool lies directly below the falls and makes for a great fishing spot. Because this is dry season, Robson is able to fish from beneath the waterfall. Gerard knows there are plenty of tiger fish in the pot, but can Robson prove he is brave enough to find one? Before leaving this beautiful country, Robson faces one last challenge. In order to reach his final spot, he and Gerard must negotiate the legendary Zambezi rapids. Thought to be among the wildest whitewater rafting locations in the world, the Zambezi below Victoria Falls has been classified as ?grade 5? ? extremely difficult. Only a handful of people have dared take on these waters, but Robson must join them if he is to complete his ?Extreme Fishing? challenge.

*** Met dank aan de spotter ***