African Pike
Hepsetus cuvieri
A slim, sharp-toothed ambush hunter of the Okavango and upper Zambezi, caught on spinners in quiet, weedy lagoons and backwaters.
Size: Most fish are 25–40 cm and well under 1 kg. It is short-lived, and fish over 45 cm are rare.
Where: It does not occur in South Africa. It lives in the Okavango, the upper Zambezi above Victoria Falls, the Chobe, Kafue, Cunene and Kwanza, so you meet it in Botswana, Namibia's Zambezi Region, Zambia and Angola.
How to spot it
A long, slim fish with a long, pointed snout and a mouth full of sharp teeth, a little like a European pike. It is olive to brown with darker blotches on the sides and a pale belly. The dorsal fin sits about halfway along the back, with a small fleshy adipose fin near the tail, and it has none of the black stripes or red fins of a tigerfish.
What it eats
Adults eat almost only fish. It hides in plants and strikes small fish that swim past, and it keeps out of the open water where tigerfish hunt.
Where it feeds
- Lagoons, backwaters and quiet side channels
- Edges of papyrus, reeds and water-lily beds
- Deep, still channels on big floodplains
- Shade and cover, away from fast, open water
How to catch it
Cast small spinners, spoons or minnow plugs tight to papyrus, reeds and lily pads, and wind back steadily past the edge. Put a short wire trace in front of the lure, because the teeth cut nylon. On fly, a small baitfish streamer on an intermediate or sinking line works.
| Way of fishing | How well it works |
|---|---|
| Bait on the bottomA sinker holds your bait still on the bottom. | Not used |
| Under a bobberA bobber is a small buoy on your line: it holds the bait off the bottom and dips under when a fish bites. | Sometimes |
| Pap, mielies, boilies and floatsSweet baits on the hook (pap, mielies, boilies or floats), with more thrown in around them. | Not used |
| Natural or dead baitReal food on the hook: worms, liver, sardine, chokka. | Sometimes |
| Live baitA small live fish or other live creature on the hook. | Sometimes |
| LuresArtificial baits you cast and reel in: spinners, spoons, plastics. | Best |
| Fly fishingLight artificial flies, cast with a fly rod. | Works well |
Baits and lures that work
- Spinners
- Spoons
- Crankbaits and plugs
- Streamers and baitfish flies
- Small live fish
- Fish strips or dead fish
Flavours it likes
African pike strike at movement and flash, not smell. A lure that looks and moves like a small fish matters more than any scent.
When it bites
Time of day
| Time | Bite |
|---|---|
| Dawn | Best |
| Day | Good |
| Midday | Slow |
| Dusk | Best |
| Night | Rarely |
Early morning and late afternoon are best, when it hunts the plant edges. The bite is slower at midday and poor at night.
Best months
- Best: August, September, October, November
- Good: March, April, May, June, July, December
August to November is the best time, when the floodwater drops and clears. Botswana closes the Okavango to fishing in January and February, and the summer rains bring murky water.
What affects the bite
| Condition | What it likes | Effect on the bite |
|---|---|---|
| Water temperature | Best at 22–31 °C | High |
| Time of day | Best at dawn and dusk | Medium |
| Air pressure | Best when it is falling | Medium |
| Cloud cover | Best on overcast days | Medium |
| Wind | Best with a light breeze | Low |
| Rain | Best in dry weather | Medium |
| Water clarity | Best in clear water | Medium |
| Moon phase | Hardly matters | Low |
| Spawning | Feeds hard before and after spawning | Medium |
High means it makes a big difference to whether this fish bites. Low means it hardly matters.
Tips
- Fish the quiet lagoons and backwaters, not the main current: the pike keeps away from the open water where tigerfish hunt.
- Cast tight to the plant edge, where it lies in ambush, and bring the lure right along the edge.
- You will hook tigerfish in the same water, so keep the wire trace on.
Good to know: Unhook it with pliers: the teeth are sharp. Check the current rules: you need a fishing licence in each country, and Botswana closes the Okavango to fishing in January and February.
Are they biting today?
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