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This venue
- probably the premier Southern Africa Bass water
within easy reach of South African Bassers -
is managed by
Justin and Collette
Booth. Contact them at swfisher@zol.co.zw or 09 (263) 912 76350 (tel);
09 (263) 916 10602 (tel); PO Box 147, Triangle,
Zimbabwe. Latest contact number:
082-819-3650.
Tariffs:
Adults:R450 per day.
Children aged 3-12 years:R225 per
day.
The
tariff includes all your meals, drinks and game
drives.
Lodges:
Guest lodges are built with stone and
thatch architecture, and are set amongst the trees
at a discrete distance from each other.
Each
twin bedded room has an adjoining dressing room,
en-suite bathroom, separate toilet and a
delightful open air shower. All modern comforts
are provided – ceiling fans, mosquito nets,
electric lighting and sockets, and hot and cold
water. The rooms have insect proofed windows and a
deep shady verandah offers views over the lake.
Extra beds and cots for infants can be
provided.
How to get there:
Mteri is on the Hippo Valley
Estate, near the town of Chiredzi, and is
easily accessible by road or air.
From
Beit Bridge you take the Masvingo road and turn
right towards Chiredzi. (Approximately
360km).
Guided Fishing Trips:
Guided fishing charters are available for
US $250 per day.
The Lake:
The
size of the lake is 975 HA, with a lot of
structure in the form of standing timber (trees).
Be prepared to do a lot of flipping and
pitching!
The
average weight of Bass caught ranges from 2,5kg -
3kg. Many 4kg - 5kg Bass have been caught. A Bass
of A 6,2kg (13.64lb)
Bass was taken during the SA /Zimbabwe International
tournament in November 2000. The current lake
record to date (2007) is apparently a
whopping 7,9kg (17.38lb)! Lionel
Botha landed one of 6,5kg (14.3lb)
in the third week of September 2007 and
Justin Booth got one of 5,2kg (11.44lb)
on 23 July 2006.
Justin
Booth with his 5,2kg (11.44lb) Bass taken
on 23 July 2006 on a Zoom Horny Toad.
Shane Warth with
a 4,64kg (10.21lb) Bass taken at Mteri on a
Texas-rigged Zoom BrushHog.
I display a typical Mteri Bass of 3,4kg
(7.48lb) taken on 6 June 2002. The lure: a 10”
black Berkley PowerWorm.
The technique: Flipping standing
timber.
Shandon Hawman
displays a 5,1kg (11.22lb) beauty taken on 30
July 2003 at Lake Mteri,
Zimbabwe. The lure? A Junebug Senko.
Greg
Welman with a 4,4kg (9.68lb) Mteri,
Zimbabwe, Bass taken on 29 July 2003
on a Carolina Mojo-rigged
watermelon
Zoom
BrushHog
in shallow water on the grass bank edge.
Eddie Welman with a 4,2kg (9.24lb) Mteri,
Zimbabwe, Bass taken in July/August 2003.
Mteri gives up a 10-Pounder for me!
A beaut of 4,6kg
(10.12lb) taken on 2 August 2006. The lure
was a chartreuse and white spinnerbait dressed
with a black trailer and a No. 6 gold
Hildebrandt willowleaf blade cast to a swirl
near a stump surrounded by vegetation.
Thank you, LORD!
Another view of my Mteri Bass.
I had a great trip with Eddie
and Greg Welman from
Welman Bass Fishing Guide
Service. Thanks for the pics, Greg!
No
less than 5 species of Bream are also present in
the Lake: Nembwe (robustus), Blue Kurper,
Redbreast Kurper, 3-spot Kurper and Nile Kurper
(niloticus). Catfish (barbel) are also
found.
Christie Thomas
with a brace of Mteri Bream
(robustus) taken on
crankbaits. | 
