AFC#8 The Sound of Silver | african-fisherman

We were actually fishing for bream, but my gaze wandered to a distant jumble of a fallen tree whose dying branches resembled probing fingers thrust into the Zambezi perhaps to scoop up a fish or two. I knew the fish would be there, as the branches, far from being any threat, provide a haven safe from predators, while trapping food as it passes and even slowing the current so fish can “rest” while picking off morsels of food. One such specie is chessa, and these lay-downs do provide ideal habitat for them in the Zambezi.

There is nothing quite like catching a good size chessa in fast current - “dustbin Lids” as they are often called. Because although they may be hunted close to the bank among fallen trees, rocks and drop-offs once hooked they head for the current, where turning their bodies side on, they more than double their resistance to any pull you may exert, often tearing their soft mouths right off in the fight to escape. I remember my early experiences of chessa at Chirundu in the early 80's where they became a major part of why we visited the Zambezi. We learned to find sizeable fish which once hooked in the fast flowing waters, would out perform most other fish one could catch... and required no small measure of skill to land (as we learned after retrieving many sets of lips back to the boat).

Anchor 4

The Sound of Silver

By Ant Williams

Lounging nonchalantly as my rod dangled over the edge of the boat, I was lost for a word to describe the colour of a chessa as it streaks just below the surface, turning its body like a sail to catch the passing current. There is something in that silvery flash, as light bounces off in all directions which seems to be more of a sound, than a colour. Even now, I have tried to spell it, but it just does not “sound” right. The colour I think, is somewhere between the sound of wind gently whistling through the trees, with maybe a hint of Darth Vader’s light saber to give it bass. Not sure? Whatever it is, the vision of a good chessa fighting and swirling just below the surface is sure to quicken the pulse.

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Chessa will be happened upon in most parts of the river, though do seem to favour some form of structure. While typical rocky areas - even with rapids - will produce chessa, drop-offs close to islands and sand bars will also hold them. In fact, any water where there is a contrast of shallow/deep water, complimented with current/slack water (as often happens on the downstream side of small islands or prominent sandbars), is likely to hold chessa. And if there is a overhanging root system, or fallen tree laying amid the current, all the better.

Over the years, many anglers along the length of the Zambezi, believe that fishing close to hippo, or in known hippo wallowing areas, produces more chessa. It is believed that the chessa are drawn by the droppings left in the water by the hippo - which is highly likely. Hippo often gather on the edge of drop-offs keeping a deep-water escape route open at all times. These factors considered together, make a sandbar drop-off, close to or in the vicinity of hippo (even downstream, as the droppings will be washed to waiting fish), an ideal target area for chessa. I must admit to never really having the nerve to drift up on a pod of hippos and fish for any length of time, always fearful that one in the group will take exception to our presence, as is their want.

Deeper sections close to the bank, especially close to a feature such as the fallen down trees mentioned, or rocks which break the current, are all good places to hunt chessa too. When boating the river, look for these spots and anchoring a couple of metres from the rocks, and casting a line to sweep down with the current and lay against the rocky edge.

Small hooks - No.10 and No.12 are better suited to their small mouths, while the worm should be threaded onto the hook as one would pull a sock on. Chessa have an uncanny ability to remove worms before you can set the hook, and we have found that rather than bunching the worm on the hook, this threaded method limits the "theft". Some prefer the smaller Red Worms, as they tend to fit the hook more snugly.

The bite and strike will be one of the hardest part of chessa fishing to master, but gets better with practice and confidence. Smaller chessa are a "machine gun" type bite - a series of rapid taps you know is just annihilating your carefully threaded worm. The bigger fish are a more solid double tap, often followed by a gentle pulling, presumably as the fish moves off with the bait. The strike comes some time after the initial double tap, but not too long otherwise the fish realises something is amiss, and will not be hooked. If the fish feels resistance, it will often drop the hook and move off, and it is better to lower the rod tip to follow the fish's initial movement away. At the limit of your stretch, raise the tip firmly and quickly, hopefully hooking the fish (usually in the throat or gut).

An ideal lay-down in fast flowing water. This spot at Chikwenya yielded several chessa.

An array of chessa structure - sand bars in fast water with deep drop-offs and banks lined with fallen trees.

Nkupe - Quite a different shaped head and mouth.

An ideal lay-down in fast flowing water. This spot at Chikwenya yielded several chessa.

Playing the fish to the net should be done gently, as they have very soft mouths, which will rip through, or even tear off before you get them to the boat. Even relatively small fish can exert immense pressure on your tackle by virtue of their current surfing. If gut hooked, their abrasive little teeth will often wear through the line in a protracted fight. A good flexible rod - six foot plus - with a good reel and drag system will usually see more fish boated. If using mono filament lines, 8-12lb is about the maximum that should be used, with a doubled line knot attaching the hook to prevent the wear-through problem. At the first sign of damage to the line, re-tie! The newer generation of braided lines would probably be a better all round choice for chessa.

We covered a technique in a past issue of using a hyperdermic needle, onto which the worm is first threaded, then transferred to the hook (by placing the hook point in the whole of the hyperdermic and sliding the worm onto the hook). Feed the worm all the way past the eye of the hook, up onto the line. The chessa find this hard to steal, and as bits are broken off, the worm is simply slid down to replace the lost section. It does not take long to master the "worm transferal" technique, and saves hours later in replacing worms. The hook-up ratio seems to improve as well, as the fish has to mouth the hook to get to the worm.

Chessa and nkupe will often be found around features which break current, and drop-offs.

The chessa’s lips, while quite gristley are attached to the head by relatively thin and flimsy mouth parts. “Horsing” chessa often results in lost fish. Softer action rods and a reel with a smooth drag system, and a measure of patience are essential if one is not to rip the lips clean off the fish.

Chessa, aside from being a great sport fish to catch in the river are a favoured tiger bait. To prepare the bait, take a palm size chessa, gut it and snip off the dorsal and anal fins (this will stop those sections used for bait, spinning in the current). Next cut the fish into “cutlets” to create tasty bite-sized chunks. The hook should be threaded through the top part of the cutlet - in one side and out the other - and pushed along to fit in the bend of the hook ensuring the hook point is fully exposed. Many make the mistake of embedding the hook in the fillet, which creates problems when striking, as it is very difficult to exert enough pressure to push the hook through the cutlet and into the fish’s mouth. Do not discard the chessa’s head, as this too makes a good bait, and some believe is the best part of the fish, perhaps because of the eyes and the fact it is easily recognised by tigerfish.

Nkupe are often caught from the same waters as chessa, and at the same time. Techniques therefore, are generally the same. It is quite easy to confuse these two species, although nkupe are darker coloured, banded fish and easily separated when the two are laid side by side. The head and mouth are different too. Anglers often pick up nkupe on fillets drifted for tiger, and many use a small strip fillet instead of worms when targeting nkupe.