In southern Angola, where the desert meets the sea, is a small, rustic lodge, which caters for the adventurous fisherman. Perched on the edge of the Namib desert and looking out over the Atlantic ocean, Flamingo lodge is isolated and remote, the perfect base to mount a mission to target kob, garrick and large shad along desolate stretches of beach.

We just got back from a trip to Flamingo, where I got to spend five days fishing with Professor Warren Potts. Warren has been running a research program in southern Angola for the past 13 years, and he lived at Flamingo for two years, so he had a wealth of experience and knowledge to share with me.

The typical fishing style along this coast, is to drive along the beach, keeping an eye on the water, and to stop and have a few casts in any likely looking water. Rods are rigged and ready, in rod holder mounted on the front of the vehicles, and it is easy to grab the right outfit and make a cast at any stop.

There are different types of water to target the different species in the area. garrick are usually targeted behind the backline, in places where the deep drop off is close to the shore. Shad are normally fished for in shallower, white, milky water, around rocks and reef. Kob are normally targeted in deeper holes and gutters where the water is churning some sand and plenty of bubbles and foam.

Driving the beaches is an interesting experience, with views of sea birds along the shore, as well as seals, dolphins and whales out at sea. We saw a flock of avocets feeding along the beach each day this time, which I hadn’t seen there before.

It is not unusual to be targeting one species, and then to catch another species altogether. Bigger specimens of shad, for example, are often caught on paddle tails while targeting kob in the milky water around high tide.

Tackle for the trip is relatively simple. I took an 11 foot spinning rod, a Berkley Venom Taipan, which must be one of the best surf spinning rods that I have used. I matched that with a Penn Conflict 2 reel, loaded with 30lb Berkley Whiplash, and found it to be my ideal long casting setup for garrick. I also took a 9’4” Penn Battalion rod, which, when matched with the same reel and line as the Venom, was the ideal rod for spinning for kob and shad. I also took along a light rig, a Penn Allegiance rod of 7’ and a Penn Fierce reel, with 8lb Fireline 8. This outfit was used for kob and shad, as well as to flick small lures for blacktail.

Yep, the blacktail in that part of the world are pretty aggressive and any small lure gets nailed in the right conditions. Spoons, bucktail jigs, soft plastics etc all get hit by blacktail, as well as some Dentex species, much like our santer and a couple of species of rockcod, yellowbelly and comb grouper.

We had flat seas for most of our trip and, while this was not ideal for the bigger fish, we maximized the opportunity to get onto the rocks and fish the high energy zone water around them at low tide. Flicking small lures with light tackle resulted in some really good quality fish, and some tough fights in the white water amongst the rocks and mussels. I wouldn’t go back to that area without small lures as well as a few bags of 2 inch Berkley Gulp shrimps, to try and tempt out some of the other species around. I went for a snorkel as well and saw some impressive fish, including baardman, a pinkish looking mussel cracker type fish that they called a pargo, zebra and various others, including a big garrick.

Days at Flamingo typically start with breakfast being served from 7am, and then you grab your tackle, jump onto a vehicle and head off up the beach. We usually returned to the lodge for lunch at around 1pm, then headed out again at around 2.30 and fished until it got dark. After that, we would come back for a quick shower, then have a couple of beers, dinner and an early night.

Kob are a great species to target when the conditions are right. They can be hunted and found and more often than not they will eat a lure when they are feeding. By far the most effective way of targeting kob in the surf zone is with paddle tails. I tried a few and found that my best producers were 5 inch Berkley Ripple Shad. I did well with a number of colours, but seemed to do best with pearl pink, followed by disco shad and orange.

These were rigged on ¾ ounce Berkley Nitro jig heads, with 5/0 hooks. I also rigged some weedless, but found that most times I didn’t lose jig heads on the rocks, if I kept my retrieve speed right, and kept the lure swimming just above the bottom.

I also cast some 60g Abu Garcia Toby spoons for the kob, when I needed a bit more distance. I rigged the spoons with a 6/0 Owner Tournament circle hook and didn’t miss a single fish on it, I also didn’t lose one spoon in the rocks, thanks to the hidden point of the circle hook.

For the garrick I used a two and a half ounce Seal Point chisel plug, which casts like a bullet and has a fantastic action in the water. Over the years I have come to find that this is a great garrick plug.

Warren Potts shared a lot of information with us, gleaned from his research into the species we were targeting. It was interesting to hear how seasonally localized some of the fish were, making a strong argument for catch and release. He also explained to us the cumulative effects of the different components of catching a fish, from the hooking, to the fight, the landing, the handling, hook removal and release and how these affect the fish’s chance of survival.

Despite flat seas, which made the fishing challenging, we still managed to have a successful trip. I enjoyed my time there once again and look forward to my next visit. Flamingo always produces some excellent fish, and is one of those places that should be on any angler’s bucket list. It is wild, remote and there is an excellent chance to improve on your personal best with a number of species of fish during your trip.