**Exploring Gabon: A Fishing Expedition Amidst Nature's Grandeur** FIRST WEEK
Nestled along the west coast of Central Africa, Gabon remains one of the continent's best-kept secrets, offering a haven for adventurers seeking unparalleled experiences amidst untamed wilderness. While Gabon may not feature prominently on every traveler's radar, its pristine landscapes, diverse wildlife, and bountiful rivers make it a dream destination for fishing enthusiasts. I was imagining embarking on a journey where every cast will hold a promise of reeling in monstrous tarpons, big cuberas, and the elusive giant African threadfin, all while being enveloped by the sights and sounds of the African wilderness.
Easy flight to Libreville from Croatia over Istanbul with Turkish Airlines. Arriving at night in the hotel in Libreville, and a trip to the final destination the next morning including a domestic flight to Port-Gentil. Arriving at the lodge was spectacular, with a boat ride through the river and mangrove forest, surrounded by a proper wilderness you arrive at the eco-friendly luxury lodge in the middle of the jungle, and that feeling is something special. As I was putting my stuff in my air-conditioned bungalow, I could hear the waves on the river mouth calling my name.
The fishing spots are just a 5-minute boat drive from the lodge, which is incredible. I was super pumped, but so was everybody else. Fast rigging of my lures with the best hooks from BKK, and I was ready for the first fishing session.
Fishing in Gabon is very specific, it is not typical tropical fishing, for guys that have never fished in these river mouth conditions it takes some adjustment. You need to fish slowly because the current in this place is already fast, add very murky water and there is no need to be fast with your lure presentation. The next important thing is the position of your lure, the idea is to fish near the bottom, so you need to be very finesse with a presentation on heavy gear. Using heavy lures, stickbaits like from Glide Tackle or South African brand Goostix, that range from 80gr to 120gr, metal spoons that you bounce from the bottom, then soft baits/paddle tails rigged on BKK Harpax Offshore jig heads, all of these were deadly but you had to work hard for a fish from time to time.
Fishing in the big surf here is hard but rewarding since most of the fish were exactly there in the chaos of the waves.
Then we started exploring light fishing in the lagoons, with topwater stickbaits and some small 10, 12cm poppers. Naturally, we had success with cuberas and jacks, but this first week was "fire" only one day. Unfortunately, the first-week guys didn't fish much with the light jigging technique, which was proven to be deadly and extremely fun the next week with another group( more about that in the next week report ).
We lost many tarpons, and landed a few with the biggest one of 60kg, losing them was a trend that continued in the following week. We landed quite a few nice cuberas, many good size threadfins, cobs, jacks, and some other species... all and all, the first week was a learning curve for many, but despite that, we made a good result in the end landing good size fish in good numbers. For me the highlight of the week was definitely a Jack Trevally over 20kg landed by our guide Paul Vetter
To be honest it did not take long for Gabon to become one of the favorite destinations I’ve seen. Having the experience of the very first morning seeing elephants on the beach, buffalos, monkeys, and other animals combined with an incredible fishing experience, I had one more week here with Nicola Vitali and another group. Still I was already thinking when will I come back to this place again.
Gabon report by Robert Pljuscec
