Early March 2007 saw 43 anglers of 17 different nationalities converge on Red Chilli Rest Camp, near to the Paraa river crossing in the magnificent Murchison Falls National Park to the north west of Uganda. To the strident blast of the Starters whistle at a barely-light 6-30am on the Friday morning, well armed with fishing rods, lures, gaffs and bait, they set off up river the 13 kilometres towards the Falls themselves, dodging the menacing and massive Nile crocodiles and pods of hippo that frequent these wild waters.

Even regular Murchison anglers cannot fail but marvel at the enormous elephant and buffalo that adorn the lush river banks, and the teeming birdlife that squawks and calls in indignation at these strange creatures floating on their river. 15 motor boats in total, ranging in size from small, four seater aluminium craft with 15 and 25hp outboards, up to the monster 30ft long Icemark vessel with twin 200hp four stroke outboard engines, battled their way up against the current and through the spray, treacherous rocks and boiling pools found just below this 8th wonder of the world.

And the purpose of all this frantic activity? To contest for a first prize consisting of a brand new, locally assembled 16ft aluminium Workboat and 25hp Mercury engine, the unique and elusive Winners trophy and the right to represent Uganda in the prestigious International Game Fish Association (the IGFA are the leading global authority on sport fishing and fishing conservation) World Championships (of which this event is one of some 55 qualifying rounds) in the Florida Everglades in the USA next year.

Last years tournament, the second, was won by accomplished South African angler Marks Wals, who has now competed gamely in the USA against some of the worlds best fishermen. Who would take this year’s event though?

This is the third year that the Murchison Falls International tournament, organised as a not-for-profit charitable fundraising event through the National Lake Rescue Institute (NLRI) of East Africa (www.lake-rescue.org), has taken place at Paraa and is, as a consequence, only the third time that an international IGFA inshore tournament has been staged in the whole of Africa, all of them in Uganda.

Friday was Day 1 and it saw a steady start to the fishing, with a variety of species from Vundu catfish, angara, “squeaker” catfish and a couple of reasonable Nile Perch - the main tournament quarry - being boated. With our three professional Ugandan cameramen scattered up and down the river on boats, itching to film “”the big one”” on someone’s line, Friday night saw much talk about what Saturday would bring, with throats being massaged by a can or two of Castle Lager, courtesy of Nile Breweries, which probably explained the ever-expanding stories.

A similar pre-dawn start on Saturday had competitors rotated in strict order to new locations on the river, ensuring that no-one could monopolize the so-called “good spots”, particularly if they happened to have a larger, more powerful boat and could thus “beat the gypsies to the tip”. That day, just after lunch, came the cell phone news everyone wanted to hear. Sam Moray, the only female angler in the tournament, had hooked into a beauty and was fighting it out of the back of her moored boat just below the Falls.

A support boat with cameraman rushed to the scene and captured the action of it being landed, weighed, resuscitated and released alive back into the river, ready to be caught again by another fee-paying sport fisherman one day. This fish weighed an impressive 54kgs and had taken over an hour to catch and release.

This is a good fish by anyone’s standards for the Nile River at Murchison. The verbal tempo was raised in the bar that night after Day 2 had closed with the tournaments youngest angler, Swede Gustav Brew, ahead by a reasonable margin with another two 50kg-plus examples under his belt, not that this small detail stopped the garrulous soaks sitting near the back in the cheap seats from having something to say about their own (highly improbable, trust me!) chances the next day!

At the customary, though now slightly bleary 6-30am, boats were again launched with gusto and frantic fisherman’s talk of the fabulous examples of the majestic Nile Perch that had been caught over the previous two days. Day 3 was still wide open, with at least 3 fishermen who with relative ease and a side dish of luck could still take the title, with Brew really only just in front, by a short (fish) head.

That was all to change dramatically on a blistering, humid, 40 degree C Day 3, when less than two hours before the final whistle was due to sound, long time Uganda resident Paul Volrath (see cover photo) hooked into something big enough to justify a frantic mobile phone call to the cameramen and a weighing official, who had only to travel around the first bend in the river from the finishing point to find Volrath fighting a monster.

Not the normal place to find the really big chaps, by the time this specimen was landed an hour-plus had passed. Now, it could be argued that Mr Volrath was at the back of the queue when God was handing the tall person pills - not only was his fish almost as heavy as he is (and he has successfully beaten anorexia), at a magnificent 84kgs, but it was significantly longer than he is tall, at 6 feet-plus. Brew Junior was dancing around in nervous, ever-decreasing circles at the finish line, having heard half of the phone call and knowing a biggie had been landed but having no idea what effect this would have on his previously unassailable position at the top.

Great fish it was, sufficiently big to win first prize it wasn’t, with Brews haul of several smaller Perch over the three days still handing him a commanding victory. And to the victor the spoils - he won the main prize of the boat, new 25hp Mercury engine, the coveted trophy and a slot of history by gaining a place in the World Finals. Volrath won himself a consolation prize of a new 15hp Mercury engine. Then the Champagne was cracked open and the party proper began.

Although a great deal of time, planning and sponsor support goes into it, this Tournament has been such a success for one major reason and that is Murchison Falls itself. This is arguably the most magnificent stretch of river that can be found anywhere in the world, particularly as it is one that also contains one of the largest species of freshwater fish in the world, as well as it is believed 41 other lesser (in size only) species. It is a beautiful but hugely challenging environment in many ways, not least of all to the angler, and the faint-hearted fisherman will struggle.

As custodians of the Park on behalf of the people of Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Authority were again absolutely supportive throughout, being accommodating and responsive to the tournament organisers requests, demanding little in return (beyond the statutory, official Parks payments) other than for the fishermen to respect and protect the environment they were fishing in. There are not many National Parks in the world where you can legally sport fish and none that I am aware of where you can catch fresh water fish up to 100kg in weight.

Provided the UWA continues to jealously guard this incredible asset including, in my view, making 100% catch and release of ALL big game fish caught there compulsory as soon as possible, it will continue to be spectacularly unique as well as potentially financially self-sustaining and sustainable into the future. Those adventurous few who have had the privilege of challenging the magnificent creatures that lurk in these dark, turbulent waters will know exactly what I mean.

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