The fragrance of straw-dry grass, damp from the early morning dew, wafted to mingle with the tendrils of mist rising from the river. High in the dead mopani tree above me, the first rays of sunlight caught the rufus coat of a weary, cold male baboon as he stared slow-blinking down at me and my camera. The night of horrors for the troop was finally over, and he seemed somehow resigned to another day of life on the Zambezi.
All around, the floodplain seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of the sun peaking over the horizon. With the sound like wind through the trees, the Zambezi gently snaked its way toward the east, rippled by rocks and long, dead tree stumps strewn across its course. Beneath and unseen, the fish were no doubt taking up ambush positions ready for the first stirrings of prey to be silhouetted against the sky… and maybe one of our lures. Like a smudge across the distant horizon, the quickening dawn slowly flushed first black/blood-red and then more quickly a bright, burning fire-orange as the day began to stir.
I had been visiting this upper section of the Zambezi River for the fishing, and though the previous couple of days had not been as frenetic as I had hoped due to a frigid cold front that made its way across the southern continent from the Cape, I felt expectant. As I zoomed in on some half submerged hippo in the river below, I noticed a flight of insects - possibly mayflies - their gossamer wings glinting in the slanting sunlight. As any angler knows, such a phenomenon is often all it takes to trigger a feeding frenzy in the river, and suddenly my enthusiasm for the day was re-kindled, buoyed by the promise of a fresh start.
This is Sian Simba River Lodge, a luxury tented camp within the Zambezi National Park some 35km upstream from the famed Victoria Falls. Officially opened on the 1st August 2022, the 12 luxury tented chalets nestle along the Zambezi at its confluence with one of its small tributaries, the Sian Simba. This little river’s tightly meandering course features grand, old “Apple-ring” albida trees – their imposing boughs reaching out to span the seasonal river in places. Many of the chalets are dotted along its little floodplain, far enough away from the hustle of the main lodge that one will see secretive bushbuck gingerly high stepping through the undergrowth, or if really fortunate, witness the olden flashing, spotted coat of a leopard in search of small prey. Elephant seemed to almost always be in the camp environs and caution is a must when walking from lodge to restaurant. In fact, such casual meanderings are not permitted after dark and guests are escorted by an armed guide after sunset – not only because of elephant, but also chance encounters with hippo grazing the lawns, buffalo, and maybe even lion. Welcome to the wild Zambezi!
Sian Simba operate various fishing and river cruising boats, geared towards both the serious fisherman and families.
In addition to the main lodge complex, there is also a campsite available to visitors on an exclusive-use basis. Nestled on the banks of the Zambezi, this was the original National Parks campsite located at this confluence before being fully developed into the lodge it is today. For more information on this and the lodge in general, visit the Sian Simba listing on the Wild Zambezi website HERE.
It's been many years since I’ve fished this section of the river – home to my favourite fish species, the Nembwe. A fat slab of green/yellow bream, the hard-fighting Nembwe when hooked in this fast-flowing natural environment is the stuff glassy-eyed dreams are made of. Added to that is the ever present tigerfish, the ferocious toothy river fish that becomes aerial when hooked. Lures and tactics used will solicit strikes of either fish, so one is always on full alert.
The Nembwe live in amongst the tangled root systems of the mangrove-like shorelines and the rock-strewn rapids along this section of the river. The Zambian fish traps seen on the banks are indicitive of the many bait fish species also exploited by the Nembwe and Tigerfish.
Zimbabweans particularly, and other self-drive anglers from the region, are seldom able to access these remote reaches of the river above Victoria Falls, but thanks to Sian Simba’s ethos of supporting the local visitors, this has changed, with very affordable rates being offered.
We were invited to visit Sian Simba to sample the fishing potential. Their concession encompasses considerable river frontage, giving access to unspoiled fishing up and down the river, mostly virgin waters not easily accessed by anglers and visitors from downstream or other parts of the river, so any visit can be quite exclusive.
For our part, we took along some new fishing lures – known as the X-Bait – that we planned to test on the Nembwe, and also tigerfish if time allowed. Though we were staying at the main lodge and using the lodge’s boats on the river, assistance with boat launching and security is very attractive for those self-drive families wanting to camp. Sian Simba can even provide tents, beds and bedding for those who do not have all the necessaries but want to get really close to nature.
We were just excited to be on the river, and armed with a new lure to test. The X-Bait is a Greg Budd design, handmade for our visit to Sian Simba. Greg has designed world renowned fresh and saltwater lures for international lure makers such as Bill Lewis (of Rattletrap fame) and Halco which are sold worldwide. The X-Bait is still only at its prototype stage but in time, the lure will be handmade in limited numbers for use on the Zambezi River – upper and lower sections. Depending on demand (by fish and anglers) the X-Bait may eventually be produced more widely in various sizes and colours.
Heavy for its size, the lure features a typical swimming minnow body which is heavily weighted to sink fast, similar to a jig. It comes fitted with either a spinner or plastic grub for added action and attraction, and is made with either a normal hook configuration or with a weed-guard as a weedless jig/lure. Because of these design attributes, it can be worked in myriad of ways, from a simple cast-and-jig retrieve to a fast cast-and-swim-retrieve – even busting the surface for those aggressive fish. Its weight enhances pin-point accurate casts, even in fast moving water or with a stiff breeze, while the overall design proved to be ideal for the rocks and tangled root systems along the mangrove-like sections of the Zambezi.
Sadly, the fish seemed quite unimpressed with anything we threw at them – even traditional spinners and Rapalas failed to cure their lockjaw, and two days of hard fishing produced a couple of small fish, falling far short of the “slabs” we had gone there to catch. Once back in the office I was dismayed at how prolific the fish became once the cold front had moved on, with many camps up and down the river posting pictures of “our” slabs caught on all manner of baits. Our spirits are not dampened though, and the return visit is already being planned before the end of August, when the frenzy dies down and fizzles out.
The animals are totally unconcerned by an approach from the water, making game viewing from a boat spectacular.
Luckily though, for those slow days on the river, Sian Simba River Lodge offers great activities, from game drives within the Zambezi National Park, to guided walking excursions on their concession, game viewing river cruises, island lunches and tours to see the Victoria Falls. For those wanting to venture further afield, day trips to the famed Chobe National Park just across the border in Botswana can be arranged. In fact, the lodge encourages family visits, promising that when the fishing is hard going for the casual anglers, wives and children will be whisked off on an adventure of their choosing leaving the serious fishermen to their vice on the river. It is however, one of the few lodges where the animals seemed as prolific, if not more so, in camp than they would be on a short drive down the river road. Impala and other small antelope, kudu, giraffe, elephant, and even the predators, are frequent sojourners.
In recent times, Sian Simba River Lodge has developed some exciting interactive activities for their guests, such as night drives in their concession, offering unparalleled opportunities to see nocturnal and rare animals seldom seen on the day drives. Each guest is also entitled to use a Trail-Cam camera to be positioned where they choose – like outside the lodge to see who visits during the night, or on the overhanging ‘leopard branch” Faidherbia albida tree collecting a unique set of pictures from their visit. For the lazy at heart, a day spent round the pool pampered by camp staff and scrumptious cuisine, or a few rounds of put-put or even a decadent snooze, may be called for.
As I lay in my tented lodge snuggled beneath a giant duvet listening to the winter night sounds; the screeches of the baboons being stalked by leopard (or just their shadows), a lawn-chomping hippo just feet from my ear, a trumpeting elephant, his must-scent just discernible on the night breeze, I was reminded how at home I feel on this unique part of the Zambezi River.
Sian Simba River Lodge run some unbelievable specials throughout the year, but to enjoy a local/regional discount on standard accommodation rates before the end of August 2024 (Ts&Cs apply), use the Wild Zambezi promo code “WZ-X-BAIT” when enquiring/booking. You won’t be disappointed!
CLICK HERE TO ENQUIRE OR MAKE A BOOKING USING THE PROMO CODE.