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SOLDIERS . AFRICAN SPORT Following the Fish and Serving the Flag in Equatorial Lands. Hod Yields Iiargre in German and Portuguese African Rivers and Lakes. Major A. L. Cooper of the Royal Engineers of the Kritish Army, in an interesting letter to the Fishing Gazette, tells of the magnificent fishing lie found in African waters. Tin; major lias served and fished wherever the British Hag Hew since the Great War. lirst in Flanders and the Soiume, and for the last two years of the war in various parts of what was German East Africa, and also Portuguese East Africa. "Needless to say," writes Major Cooper, "I lislied wherever I went. I have lured a brace of trout, out of the Aucre, killed tiger tish in the Ruligi and many other Central African rivers. They nearly all abound in fish, especially the Kiambiro. where lisliing is a regular industry. There are four species of bream I spotted in t.iis river, all being most excellent eating, one in particular, a dark, fellow, green underneath, is ecpial to any freshwater tish I ever tasted. They run about four to six pounds. This river in the drv season is about 150 yards broad, and during the wet reason about -six to eight miles, when tiie natives live-up in tiie hills. When tiie floods subside they conie down to the banks, the women grow the years supply of rice and the men fish, drying tiie-lisli-ajid selling what they do not require themselves. Tiie. elephants around this uart play the devil with tiie paddy Holds, coming in broad daylight and helping themselves. A" political officer stationed there went out one day at the request or the natives and shot five bulls with five consecutive shots. I should say this was nearly a record. By tlio way, whiia on the subject of tiger "fish, what is the name, use and origin of that peculiar fleshy fin at the back of the dorsal fill? They are good fighting fish, but nothing like a trout; tliey come at the spoon with a tremendous rush, but it is soon all over. I find a three-inch Punjaub spoon best. When visiting the Victoria Falls with my wife last month we fished above the falls on two afternoons on the third we wore watching the solar eclipse and killed fourteen brace, best five pounds, average over two pounds. This was her lirst introduction to a rud. Needless to say, Izaak Walton has another disciple. BIG FISH AT PORT AMELIA. "The best fishing I had was when stationed at Port Amelia. We used to go out at about 4 oclock In the afternoon armed with a tarpon rod and 400 yards of line, and I dont think we ever had a blank day. Trolling a ten or twelve inch mullet you never knew what you were going :to get into, among other things the bag consisted of ninety-six-pounds kingfish, seventy-five sail sword-fisli killed in twenty-five minutes by the captain of one of our armed merchantmen. Ive .been broken up time and again, which was a serious matter, as tackle was naturally most difficult to replace. Bar-racouta, albicore and king-rish were anions the commonest catches, and after landing forty or fifty pounds of any of these fine fighters one felt that one had earned ones sundowner no need to explain to a fisherman what that is. Which reminds me of the name of an old comrade of mine used to give it: That which is no the worst part of a game of gowf, in broad Scotcii. But to return to the fishing, few people" seem ever to have heard of the magnificent big game fishing to be had all along the coast from Mozambique up to Port Soudan. Ive Ikmii reading Mr". Holders book, possibly the surroundings are more delightful at -Santa Catalina, but I dont think the fishing could be better. One lias the same coral and the crystal clear water. The best time of the year is from November to the end of April. Some people have been successful trolling a large spoon, Campbell River or Norwegian pattern, but personally 1 have always fauud natural bait best. "At Dar-es-Salaam we used to have capital fun flyfishing with a grilse rod at the mouth of the harbor for a species of horse mackerel, running up. to six or eight pounds; they put. up a really good fight. We tried everything, but. found that a piece of white flannel by far the best fly fished wet! "I almost forgot to include a trip up to Victoria Xyanza. At Gingii there "is a fishing club. The Rinixm Falls, .which are quite close, are literally stiff with fish, a species of carp, I should say, running about five pounds, but not much fun to catch, as they come in like an old boot."
