Discover Inland Sport Fishing in Tanzania

Inland sport fishing is rapidly becoming a popular leisure activity among visitors to Tanzania. Although fishing is not permitted in national parks and game reserves, Tanzania's fresh water rivers and lakes ? occupying over 6 per cent of the country's total area- provide visitors with numerous rewarding fishing opportunities.

During the rainy season, the country's rivers and their tributaries are inhabited by plenty of fish and it is therefore a good idea to take a fishing safari after the short and long rains. The short rains fall in November and December, while the long rains are received in April and May. Some of Tanzania's best inland fishing fishing grounds are Mwanza, Musoma, Lake Tanganyika and Rufiji River.

Several tours and safari companies in Tanzania organize fishing safaris for sports fishing enthusiasts looking for rewarding fishing experiences in Tanzania. At the inland port towns of Mwanza and Musoma on the shores of Lake Victoria, you can also find many friendly boatmen who can allow you to accompany them on their daily fishing trips. Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa, is home to many tropical freshwater fish species, some of which are exported to aquariums all over the world.

Mwanza, a port town on the Southern part of lake Victoria, is one of the popular Tanzania travel destinations for a fishing safari. At Mwanza port, you can catch huge Nile Perch and Tilapia. This port city is one of the best places to get started with inland sport fishing in Tanzania. Mwanza is the cultural centre of Tanzania's largest ethnic group, the Sukuma.

Musoma, another port city on the Eastern shores of Lake Victoria, is a good fishing spot for catching the Nile Perch - known by the locals as Sangara or Chengu. You will find at Musoma, plenty of boats to take visitors across the lake. With a 3440 km shoreline and over 3000 islands-some inhabited-Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and also the largest tropical lake.

Lake Tanganyika, the second largest freshwater lake in the world by volume after Lake Baikal, is also a popular fishing spot in Tanzania. The lake hosts over 350 fish species including the Nile Perch and the Goliath Tiger Fish. Lake Tanganyika stretches across Tanzania, Burundi, DRC, and Zambia, with Tanzania having the largest share. Among the over 2000 plant and animal species found in Lake Tanganyika, about 600 are unique and found nowhere else in the world.

The largest river in Tanzania, Rufiji River, provides opportunity for both salty water and freshwater fishing. The 21 lakes in the Rufiji floodplain area, plus the hundreds of ponds and creeks are the grounds for freshwater fishing. During the annual floods, these lakes and creeks fill up and yield good fish catches. Saltwater fishing takes place at the sandbanks off the Rufiji Delta near the coast, where good conditions exist for prawn fishing.

Another popular fishing activity among Tanzania visitors is fly fishing. The rivers and streams of Tanzania provide good spots for fly fishing.