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LAKE
KARIBA
 When the dam was completed in 1960 it was the largest man-made dam
ever built.
Two hundred and twenty kilometres long and in places up to forty kilometres
wide, it provides considerable electric power to both Zambia and Zimbabwe and supports a
thriving commercial fishing industry.
The lake’s vastness creates
spectacular panoramas as the sun casts its glow across the shimmering waters
catching the distinctive half-submerged trees and islands.
The rich fertilising effect of the chemicals from the strip clearance gave a spurt to the
growth of the lake fauna. The introduction to Kariba of kapenta, tiny sardine-like fish,
has proved very successful. Shoals were airlifted from Lake Tanganyika to Lake Kariba in
1967. Kapenta are also dried for easy distribution as a high protein food supplement to
areas where fish are scarce.
The tiger fish, considered by many to be one of the finest game fish around have flourished in the rich waters of the lake.
The largest average weight caught in competition is just under eight pounds, but the speed, courage and strength of the tigerfish make it a worthy opponent for the skilful angler.
It gets very hot from November to
February. Ideal times are April/ May and September to early October.
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