First light on the Zambezi

The river is never the same twice. We launched before sunrise, the water still black, and by the time the first kingfisher cut across the bow the sky was the colour of brass.

Tiger fishing rewards stubbornness more than skill. You cast, you strip, you cast again. And then — once a morning if you're lucky — the line goes tight and you remember why you came.

We finished the week with eight fish landed between three rods, a thousand frames on the cards, and a story about a hippo that I'll save for the fire.