This activity now has a fuller guide: Sport Fishing Tours on Lake Victoria.
Lake Victoria is a working fishery before it is anything else. Tilapia and Nile perch come out of this water every day of the year. The fishing here is the lake doing what it already does, with you in the boat.
What happens
You go out from the lodge and fish the water off the island. Nile perch is the fish people come for; tilapia is the one more likely to end up on a plate. Whether you catch anything is, as ever, not guaranteed by anyone honest.
Who it suits
Complete beginners do fine. The lake is forgiving and a guide can do the technical part. Experienced anglers come for the perch, which grow to a size that makes the trip worth planning around instead of fitting in.
What to bring
- A hat and high-factor sun protection; a boat offers no shade and the water doubles the light
- Long sleeves, for the same reason
- Water, and more of it than you would drink on land
- Patience, more than tackle
Best time to go
Early. The first hours after dawn are the calmest water and the most active fish, and you are back before the middle of the day turns hot.
Arranging it
Back on shore, the kitchen works with what the lake lands.
Fishing needs a boat, so it wants the same notice as a boat trip. Tell us whether you want to fish seriously or simply spend a morning on the water. They are different trips, and we set them up differently.
