Don’t let anyone tell you that Nile perch fishing on Lake Nasser is easy: one of our team of 17 fished for a week without a single take. On the other hand some were luckier and we landed over 1000lbs of fish, including 49 Nile perch. 
It was also the most enjoyable safari I have ever been on, bar none. Despite the hard fishing and high temperatures (130 deg F on two days) everyone remained cheerful and full of fun the whole time. Evening meals – of superb food – were of a high standard of crack.
My jaws ached from laughing. I hand-picked this team and I simply knew that they would not buckle under difficulties. When takes were few and far between they simply kept on fishing – and joking.
There were some good moments early on in the trip. Someone was heard to remark, as they left the aircraft in Luxor, ‘Good God! It’s gas mark 4 out there!’ And that was only 104 deg F. 
On the lake itself, in the Nubian Desert, daily temperatures exceeded that all the time. And again, in one of the camps, someone was heard to remark to a younger safarian, ‘Eat your food up before it gets too hot!’
The heat was combated in various ways – by swimming, by getting the breeze on the boats, by donning wet shirts or a hatful of water and, naturally, by satisfactory fluid intake. These are real safaris in true wilderness country, and although African Angler (Tim Baily and a big Nubian team) ensure one’s comfort and safety, it is as well to remember that in the instance of a serious accident the safarians are a long, long way from help. It’s as well to remember that when you are scrambling down a near-vertical cliff to do battle with Nile perch ranging from 30lbs to 90lbs – these can often be seen mooching at the foot of cliffs, no more than 3ft out from the bank.
We didn’t fare too badly off the bank. I had quite a few smallish fish on Canadian Wigglies, and Dave Pratt got one of 52lbs, I think on a Depth Raider. The next day, in more or less the same place, I had a fish of 50lbs and one of 16lbs, both on an orange Countdown Rapala. These fish dive so deeply on the first rush that they seem to be drilling a hole in the bottom. In truth the water is 40ft deep beneath your feet: you are on a cliff after all!
But the big fish came on the troll. Jim Baxter set the ball rolling with one of 78lbs – that’s one to brag about with his match fishing colleagues. Quite a few others were taken in the 30’s range. Then Colin Hall took one of 89lbs, and for a while it looked as though this might be the biggest of the trip.
On the penultimate day, however, Alan Ward took the first 100-pounder of the trip at 105lbs. And on the last morning several good ones were taken: Amanda got one of 42lbs, our best on our boat; and Russell Manning got his second fish of the week – at 122lbs!
All in all quite a number of big fish were caught, mostly on Ernies, Depth Raiders or Russell lures. Rapala also did well. But we did work hard for our fish, and in between times we saw crocodiles (one around 12ft long surfaced by the side of one of the boats!), a few monitor lizards, pelican, vultures kites, geese – the range of wildlife around the lake shore is phenomenal. The camp sites were an absolute delight, and each morning it was interesting to see just how many jackals, foxes, and monitor lizards had visited the camp during the dark hours.
I have fished Nasser at most times of the year now, and I have to say, on the limited evidence of two August visits, that high summer is more difficult than spring and autumn. The fish are still there, certainly the big ones – but they seem more fickle.
We proved that they could be caught, but you have to work harder and more intelligently. All the other pleasures of the lake remain undimmed. In a future article I’ll say a little more about the tackle and rigs used, because here, as always, attention to detail is quite important. 
Lastly – our TV cameraman, Chris Smith, and our sponsors. Chris Smith, as a non-angler, seemed to enjoy himself greatly, and he seemed very happy with his filmed footage. From this we hope to do a video which really captures the splendid, unique angling atmosphere of Lake Nasser. When the video is ready it will go to our editor for reviewing on this web site.
We probably could not have pulled off this rather special safari 2000 without the help of our sponsors, and we would like to thank them most warmly. They are:
African Angler
Shakespeare
Harris Angling
Rapala
Relum
Masterline
Partridge
Egypt Air
