Fishing in Uganda | Fishing tours | Uganda Fishing

Fishing in Uganda.

Fishing in Uganda- There are two major sources of fish in Uganda; one is from aquaculture, the other from fishing in rivers and lakes. The latter has made up the largest and most significant share of all fishing. Open water covers 15.3 percent of Uganda’s surface and comprises five major lakes (Lake Victoria, Lake Albert (Africa), Lake Kyoga, Lake Edward and Lake George (Uganda)) which are the main sources of fish in the country. Lake Victoria continues to be the most important water body in Uganda both in size and contribution to the total fish catch, followed by Lake Albert and Lake Kyoga.

Uganda’s main sources of fish supply for both the domestic and export markets are the districts on Lake Victoria, particularly Mukono, Mpigi, Kalangala, Masaka and Luwero. Lake Kyoga, Albert, George and Edward districts are other major sources of fish. The major urban centres within the Lake Victoria belt, namely Kampala, Masaka, Jinja and Entebbe constitute the main domestic market centres for fresh fish. Although considerable fish supplies reach these market nuclei and most of the other district headquarters markets, inadequate supplies reach most of the rural markets.

Primary production of fish is generally done on a relatively small-scale, as most of the fishing is carried out using small, wooden (plank-built) boats about six to eight meters in length propelled by oars or, in an increasing number of cases, a petrol engine fastened to the back of the boat. These simple boats are sufficient to carry fishermen to and from the fishing grounds with full loads of fish.

Economy of fishing in Uganda

The Ugandan fisheries sector is important in terms of employment, poverty reduction and foreign exchange revenues. Fishing is one of the major economic activities. Lakes, rivers and swamps account for 44,000 km2 of Uganda’s surface area of 241,000 km2. Fish activities are mainly carried out in open water sources and provide a livelihood to many people in Uganda. There are (2002) an estimated 250,000 artisan fishermen (136,000 on Lake Victoria), while nearly a million people (700,000 around Lake Victoria) benefit from fishery-related activities like local fish-processing, fish trade, boat-building, industrial fish-processing, netmaking, trade in fishing equipment, fisheries research, extension services and administration.

Types of fish in Uganda.

The waters of Uganda contain an impressive array of fish species—over 90 in all but commonest fish types include:

• Nile perch
• Singidia tilapia
• Nile tilapia
• Catfish
• Silver fish
• Lungfish
• Eels
• Sprat
• Clarias

Uganda Fishing Trips

Murchison Falls National Park  Sport Fishing

Murchison is located in the North western part of the country and it is approximately six hours from the capital city Kampala. Although spot fishing at the moment is done at the base of the Murchison falls, it has two major sites found near karuma falls at chobe lodge and the other below the Murchison falls.

Fishing at the falls can be done all throughout the year but the best time to get a good catch is from January to April and the most commonly caught fish includes the cat fish and Nile perch. As you head to Murchison, make sure you carry your own fishing equipment or gear to enjoy the fishing experience more. It has been recorded that the largest fish caught at Murchison falls was 113 kilograms.

The different methods that are used for fishing include the catching fish live bet, casting land spinning. And apart from the Nile perch and catfish, the other type of fish that is caught are the tiger and silver fish.

You will also have to go with experienced tour guides so that they assist you during the spot fishing and you should carry insect repellent, put on long sleeved clothes to avoid insect bites and also carry enough sunscreen to protect you from the blazing heat.

Spot Fishing On Ssese Islands

Ssese Islands are located on Lake Victoria and they are a good place for one to go from fishing. It’s a quiet place with good scenery and it offers you the privacy that you need when it comes to spot fishing. Just like in other spot fishing locations, you will need to carry your own fishing equipment or gears. The fish species that can be caught at Ssese include the Tilapia, Nile perch and the Lung fish. The largest part of the Ssese is not occupied and us filled with a very dense forest and the few people who are there are fishermen who are looking for fish for commercial purposes.

Spot Fishing At Sipi Falls And Mountain Elgon

Sipi Falls is located in the Eastern part of Uganda near Mountain Elgon. The Mountain Elgon National park has a lot of tourist attractions to see but when you post make sure spot fishing does not miss on your agenda. Spot fishing in Uganda is carried out on the three dominant waterfalls in sipi an the permits allowing you to do spot fishing can be got from the sipi River lodge.

You will also have to carry your own fishing gear so that you enjoy to the fullest and there will be trained tour guides who will take you through the experience so that you fish with ease. The most common fish species that you can fish from the area is the Rainbow fish which is a rare species. Visit Sipi falls to enjoy spot fishing in Uganda.

Spot Fishing On Lake Mburo

Lake Mburo is located in the Western part of Uganda in Lake Mburo National park. This is known to be one of the best destinations for those who love spot fishing. In order to carry out spot fishing, one needs to first get a permit from the Uganda Wildlife Authority and its for five dollars only. The spot fishing on Lake Mburo is carried out around Mazinga and the most commonly caught fiah species is the Tilapia.

Spot Fishing On Lake Victoria

Lake Victoria is the largest water body in Uganda and second largest fresh water body in the whole world and is located in the great lakes region. Lake Victoria is shared by three countries which include Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya and it receives it’s water from River Kagera.

There are a lot of activities that are carried out on Lake Victoria and spot fishing is one of them. The best time to go for spot fishing on Lake Victoria is from October to March because this time the fish species are many in number though you can still spot fish all year round.

There are different techniques that re used for spot fishing on Lake Victoria and these include the bait method and trolling with a lure method. The fish species that you will see are the Tilapia, Nile perch, silver fiah, catfish and many more other species. Fish spotting on Lake Victoria is done either by use of boats or canoes.

Make sure you get boats that have an overhead protection from the sun, life jackets and do not forget to walk with insect repellent to a kid insect bites. You should also carry your own equipment and you will have experienced tour guides who will take you through this lovely experience. Note that there are no specific places where one can do spot fishing on Lake Victoria because it all depends on the weather conditions. The spot fishing normally begins at 9:00am to 12:30pm and the evening trip normally begins at 1:00pm to 5:00pm.

Economical Fishing In Uganda

Uganda has a lot of fish species that are sold within the country whereas others are exported to neighboring countries. The districts that normally deal in fishing activities are all located around lake Victoria and these act as the landing sites, fishing sites and the places where the fish is sold at wholesale before being transported to the different parts of the country.

Uganda has two sources of fish that is fishing from Lakes and Rivers and aquaculture. The major water bodies where fishing is carried out from are Lake Victoria, Lake kyoga, Lake Albert, Lake George and Lake Edward. Most commercial fishing is carried out using rudimentary methods and it is mostly done at night when the moon is shining at full capacity.

Fishing in Uganda mostly takes place on landing sites and Islands and these end up acting as the point of trade when it comes to fishing and some of these include:

The Lake Victoria Fishing Communities

There are very many fishing villages on Lake Victoria but the major one is located on the Lutoboka landing site. Here different people can be seen fishing on the shores of Lake Victoria as they cast out nets with bait to cartch some fish. The fishing village is filled with different ethnic groups but to note is that the largest population is of the male species and most of the people here are married with children.

The fishing village is a bit crowded but if you want to get fish cheaply, this is the best place to buy from and you will get it fresh from the water. The different species of fish caught from here include silver fish locally known as Mukene, Tilapia and Nile perch. They also sell both fried and dry fish too.

Ggaba Landing Site

Ggaba landing site is used as a trade center for fish and is located on Lake Victoria in Kampala. The fishing at Ggaba is done mostly a distance away from the shore in the middle of the lake and the most common fish that is caught includes Tilapia, silver fish, Nile perch, catfish and lung fish. The fishermen use moist boats for fishing and have since abandoned fishing using canoes.

Visit Uganda and experience the wonderful fishing world of both economical and spot fishing on the numerous water bodies in the country.