The Kwanza River is the fourth largest river in Africa. This enormous river flows through Angola in West Africa, where it eventually empties into the Atlantic Ocean. This area is hardly visited by western world tourists as access to this part of Angola was previously extremely difficult due to the lack of infrastructure. Recently however, this area has changed into a premier fly fishing destination.  This majestic river, together with its inshore and offshore fisheries is home to large amounts of gigantic Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) as well as a variety of other world class game fish. Giant African Threadfin (Polydactylus quadrifilis), Atlantic Jack Crevalle (Caranx hippos) and pelagic species like Dorado, Sailfish and Wahoo are just some of the numerous species fly anglers are likely to come into contact with.

Equally impressive are the rare birds that inhabit this vast and stunningly beautiful marine ecosystem. To maximize this experience FlyCastaway uses the fully equipped "Kwanza Tarpon Lodge". The lodge is situated close to river mouth of the picturesque Kwanza River; approximately 100km south of the Angolan capital of Luanda.

The Kwanza River is an enormous jungle river with a large tidal influence. During the month of August shoals of massive Atlantic Threadfin visit the lower reaches of the river, allowing anglers a small window to target these mysterious trophy sized fish. The Threadfin are extremely powerful, making them a worthy advisory and a great addition to your species list. The Kwanza Tarpon Lodge boats 3 IGFA world records for these exciting game fish.

From November to April, large amounts of Tarpon can be located in this immense water system. Tarpon are targeted on an outgoing tide as the water recedes, forcing baitfish and crustaceans from the safety of the mangroves into the main channel where the Tarpon await their arrival. During outgoing tides numbers of large Tarpon feed heavily while rolling and splashing on the surface. The sight of big Tarpon rolling is something most anglers dream about. The magnificent "Silver Kings" are found throughout the entire estuarine system, from the river mouth to as far as 80km up river.

However the biggest attraction of the area must be the Dorado. From February to April huge shoals of Dorado congregate under the floating weed beds washed out of the river and it is not uncommon for a boat to land 40+ fish a day! Most of the fishing around the Kwanza river is done off the smaller tender boats due to the thick vegetation that lines the banks of the deep and strong flowing river. The added bonus of using these tender boats is the manoeuvrability and the ease of positioning it offers. Two guests fish per boat and are accompanied by a FlyCastaway guide plus a skipper. Other exciting species such as Jack Crevalle, Indian Mirrorfish and Giant Barracuda can also be targeted in the lower reaches of the Kwanza.