Facts About Sport Fishing in Murchison Falls National Park

Facts About Sport Fishing in Murchison Falls National Park : Sport fishing is one of the amazing and adventurous sports in Murchison Falls National Park that any tourist or traveler can engage in while on a safari or vacation in Uganda. Uganda is known to be the ‘pearl of Africa’ and for a good reason, the country has a good tropical climate, stunning greenery which is characterized by a wide connection of hills and mountains. The country is also blessed with many amazing and breathtaking lakes and rivers with the largest fresh water on the continent being Lake Victoria. To add on its rich bio-diversity is the wildlife base which ranges from big cats such as leopards, lions, cheetah, savannah animals such as elephants, buffaloes, impalas, antelopes, hippos, Nile crocodiles among others.

The national park is found in the north part of Uganda and is the largest savannah national park in Uganda. The national park has an are cover of 3,840 square kilometers and it was gazette in 1952 as a national park thus making it one of the oldest national parks in  Uganda. The national park is a home to 451 bird species and over 76 species of mammals. The following are facts about sport fishing in Murchison Falls National Park;

5. Sport fishing in Murchison Falls National Park is carried out at the bottom of Murchison falls. The activity can either be done at the Nile river banks or downstream in the water pools that have been crafted by Mother Nature. It’s important that one takes their safety as a top priority because the Nile River at Murchison falls is known for being a home for Nile crocodiles and hippos. Therefore while on a safari for sport fishing within the park, tourists are advised to hire the services of an experienced park ranger guide.
6.            In order for one to carry out the sport fishing activity in Murchison Falls National Park, one must obtain a sport fishing permit at a fee of 50 USD per day or 150 USD for 4 days. However, the cost of the permit excludes park entrance fees.
7.            It’s recommended that you carry along your own fishing equipment’s. However, you can hire sport fishing equipment’s at the park from wild frontiers a tour company which is based within the national park. This is because sport fishing activities can run out in supply especially during the peak seasons when lots of tourists come to the park to take part in the annual sport fishing tournament that are carried out in the national park.
8. It’s important to note that sport fishing within Murchison Falls National Park is carried out under the catch and release policy in order to preserve and conserve the various fish species that are found in the river.

   

9. The best time for one to carry out sport fishing within Murchison Falls National Park is either during morning hours or in the evening. During this time fish tends to swim nearer the water surface.
10. Some of the fishing methods commonly used by anglers while carrying out the activity include spinning, casting lures and catching on live bait. Fishermen are advised to use spinning rods of between 8 to 11 feet with multiplier reels or fixed stools
11. Some of the fish species that are likely to be caught in Murchison falls include; Nile perch, cat fish, tilapia, tiger fish, electric cat-fish among others. The largest Nile perch that was caught in the park weighed 113 kilograms while the largest cat fish ever caught weighed 45kgs.

Therefore, the best time for sport fishing in Murchison Falls National Park is during the dry seasons in the months of June to September and December to February. However, the activity can be done at any time of the year. The activity can be done with family and friends because it’s a great way of connecting with each other.