Fishing In Murchison Falls National Park In Uganda

Fishing in Murchison Falls National Park is mainly done as a sport and is one of the most exciting to do in the park. The River Nile dissects the park in between through a 7 meter gap, “the devil’s caldron” forming the most powerful waterfall in the world. The water then forms a pool at the bottom which flows to Lake Albert. The Nile perch was introduced in the Victoria Nile in 1954 at Murchison falls national park to increase fisheries on Lake Victoria. This has made Murchison falls national park the perfect place for sport fishing. The activity involves casting lures for the big fish and live bait like worms and termites for the smaller fish. Fishing is mainly caught along the Victoria Nile while standing on the rocky edges, on a bottom ride to the bottom of the falls and along the river banks by Anglers. While fishing along the shores is not very advisable because of the concentrations of hippos and crocodiles, the sport is very rewarding with the largest fish ever caught weighing 113kgs.

Uganda offers a number of fishing opportunities. But within Murchison Falls National Park, there are two main fishing points. One is at the bottom of the falls and the other is below the Karuma falls (Chobe Safari lodge). Currently fishing is mainly done at the bottom of the falls either by boat or from the rocks by the shores. This is mainly attached to the beautiful view of the mighty Murchison falls and the abundance of the fish at the bottom of the falls compared to Karuma falls. The fishing points can be accessed by boat or walking down from the top of the falls which may take about 45 minutes for a physically fit person. You are advised to be well equipped with your fishing gear or equipment.

Best Time For Fishing In Murchison Falls, River Nile

Fishing in Murchison Falls National Park along the Victoria Nile can be done all year round by anyone planning to do a Uganda Safari with big catches like large cat fish and Nile perch. Anglers say that the best times for a big catch are early in the day or late in the evening. During the fishing trips, everyone is required to carry their own fishing equipment and all the fish caught is not to be killed but returned in the water alive.

Common Fish Species in Murchison Falls National Park

Nile Perch
Sudan Catfish
Butter Catfish
Black Nile Catfish
True Large Scale Tetra (Awaka)
Sharp Tooth Catfish
Vundu Catfish
Electric Catfish
Nile Tilapia
Egyptian Robber
Elongate Tiger Fish
African Labeon
Assuan Labeon
Nile Barb
Giraffe Catfish
Sudan Squeaker
Grey Bichir

The different fishing methods or techniques used to catch fish in Murchison Falls include: casting lures, spinning and catching fish on live bait. The Different types of fish species caught here include: the Nile perch, Catfish, Tiger fish among others.

On your fishing trip, you can see other wildlife like elephants, antelopes, buffalos, crocodiles, hippos and many bird species. Murchison Falls national park is accessible by road on a 6-7hour drive or by air on a charter flight from Entebbe or Kajjansi airstrip to Pakuba Airfield.

A fishing trip can be combined with a game safari or a bird watching safari in Murchison falls National Park to give you an ultimate wildlife experience.