Congo river or the white Nile ?

The way some writers embellish their fishing exploits, you'd think mortal danger was an everyday part of the program. The Congo is surely the testing grounds . . .

The problem is both the caribou and the 6x. A trophy croc won't be fooled by a caribou - you must be a crazy Canuck or Alaskan. You need a decent wildebeest, imitation or natural if you can get it. And of course 6x won't turn it over. It's imperative that the tippet be sized according to your fly or bait. Because you'll need a stout tippet, this is a case where flourocarbon really shows its stuff.

Hippos are an anomaly. The very young and the infirm fill in the off season menu for crocs when the wildebeests are not migrating. To my knowledge, no one has yet created an artificial hippo that fools a croc, at least one that is above the minimum size limit. Using natural baby, sick, or wounded hippos for bait is OK if you want to bait fish, but since this is Spey Pages, I won't go there.

I should probably note that a Congo basin angler needn't worry about piranhas, since they inhabit the Amazon basin in South America, which those who are not geographically impaired will know is not in Africa. On the other hand, there is a native fish species - not Nile perch - that has more in common with crocodiles in terms of nasty teeth and disposition. Shredded waders are the least of your problems should you encounter one. Getting your arm or arms back would be your real concern. I can't recall their name, but have seen a couple photographs, and have to wonder about the courage, or outright insanity of the anglers who pursue them.

Finally, it's not so much the crocs themselves that cause me to think a disc drag reel is to be desired. I'm imagining all the unwanted attention one of my Hardys might draw from some of the terrestrial inhabitants that might want to reduce an angler to a quick meal. Makes the bears in Alaska seem like rather desirable fishing companions when I think about it.

Sg