At the beginning of 2020, I’ve been following our good friend Helmut Zanderer from Flyfish Adventures all the way to wild Cameroon and put that adventure together into the film “FARO.”
Here are Helmuts thoughts about our trip:
“With the trip to Cameroon, I am looking for a special adventure. Only recently has it become possible to fish for Nile perch on the Faro River – I definitely want to experience that. The river and its surrounding area form an intact ecosystem. The organizers of the trip are helping to keep it that way. Vaidas, my friend and filmmaker from Black Fly Eyes, is along for the ride.
Nile perch (Lates niloticus) is one of the most important fly fishing targets in Africa. Habitat destruction and all forms of overfishing have severely affected the distribution and density of Nile perch populations. One of the largest freshwater fish on earth, it reaches a size of up to 2 m and weighs up to 200 kg.
Fishing in Cameroon is about adventure and encounters with great fish in a special place, not about the sheer quantity of easy-to-catch fish. There is always the chance of a real monster: the biggest perch sighted in the Faro river weighed about 100 kg.
Perch fishing takes place almost exclusively from just before sunset until around 22:00, so it is night fishing. At this time, the perch go in search of food. Few can be caught during the day, but more by chance. Flyfishing at night has its own charm. Not everyone likes it at first, but you can learn it quickly. And being under the stars, immersed in the sounds of the African wilderness, is a truly extraordinary experience. Guides are always nearby to help as soon as a fish is hooked. During the day there are tiger fish, a very feisty fish that can weigh up to 8 kg. Another demanding species is the Niger barbe, and there are also other cyprinids (e.g. Labeos), tetras, and numerous species of catfish.”
