32 | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019 | TCFFWEST AFRICAN EXPEDITION
WARREN PRETORIUS tells the tale of how two mates’
tarpon dreams came true in Gabon.T
he thought of fishing in Angola and West Africa had always been on my mind.
So when I read the newsletter from Arno Matthee and The Guides Company
about tarpon fishing in Gabon, I immediately forwarded the mail to my mate.
Schalk was interested but not overly enthused, given that the feedback from
these trips was always the same: “You can catch those tarpon on live bait but
not fly” or “You can’t regularly catch tarpon on fly, the water is too dirty.” Quite the
contrary to Arno’s mail, which was filled with pictures and reports of fish caught on the
West African coast over the last eight years. We arranged to meet with Arno for a beer.
Hearing about the fishery in Gabon and seeing the pictures of jacks, threadfin and
tarpon, all caught on fly, was compelling and reinforced my belief that tarpon fly fishing
in West Africa was indeed possible. By the end of the evening, our six-day fishing trip
was booked for April over neap tides. The moon phase debate was long and one-sided,
with Arno saying: “I only fish two weeks of the best tides”, which for me, being a new
moon fan, was somewhat difficult to swallow. I recall Schalk asking: “Do you think there
are big fish there?” The following eight weeks were filled with excited anticipation.PHOTOGRAPHS BY WARREN PRETORIUS & SCHALK VAN RENSBURG
SALT WATER