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this pic was taken on the low level bridge at Lower Sabie, was a big fish, about 60cm. I am clueless where fish are concerned

I'd like to take a flyer on this one Could be a Tiger fish.

Has the right body shape, tail etc... and the obvious stripes on its sides. I know they are caught on flies in this area as well as the Oliphants further north (outside the park) so could be.

thanx Peter, tiger fish you say,now that is a name I know, but honestly wouldn't know what is looks like if that is what it is, fishermen must drool in KNP, there were quite a few cruising in the shallows, along with a tiny croc about 30cm big

Think you could be right, PP, after googling and finding this:
tigerfish
Fish eagles like to eat them

geepers those fish have huge teeth, one more reason beside crocs and hippos not to stick your toes in the river

I once saw a saddlebilled stork take one out near Olifants camp. I've also heard about tigerfish near Lower Sabie.

Tigerfish - Hydrocynus vittatus (Castelnau, 1861) Synonym: Hydrocyon lineatus (Bleeker, 1862). Afrikaans: Tiervis

Tigerfish are inhabitants of open, well-oxygenated waters such as is found in the larger rivers and lakes. In the Park, it is hardly ever found in the smaller tributaries of the perennial rivers, except in those where large bodies of open waters occur, such as in the Shingwedzi and Mphongolo rivers.
Breeding does not take place in Park watersand there would appear to be a winter migrationof tigerfish back to the lowlands of Mocambique, where they spawn during December and January along the shallow, grasscovered fringes of lakes and small streams.
Adult tigerfish are voracious feeders and may consume as much as 8% of their own weight during a single meal. Common prey species are small Barbus and Labeo spp., as well as bottom dwelling gobies.
The principal enemy of young tigerfish is undoubtedly adults of the species, although predatory birds such as fish eagles also take their toll. Lage tigerfish are probably only preyed upon by crocodiles, otters and man.

Distribution: The perennial rivers of the Park, particulairy the eastern sections below 1.000 ft elevation, as well as isolated pools in the Mutale, Mhpongolo, Shingwedzi, Tsende and Mbyamiti rivers.

(Tol Pienaar, The freshwater fishes of the KNP, 1968)

Tigerfish are found in the croc river.

Saw one from the high level bridge over the Letaba River on the Phalaborwa-Mopani tar road in late September this year.

It was about 30 cm long and moving about quite agitatedly among schools of labeo and kurper.

I LOVE watching fish from bridges in the clear waters of the dry season! Maybe one could build an underwater hide somewhere?

Richprins

Tol Pienaar's work is quite old. It was thought that the tiger fish breed on floodplains in the rainy season. Mpumalanga Conservation did research on tiger fish in the Komati/Crocodile Rivers. I recall being told that these fish breed on sandbanks below natural and man made weirs in the rivers. Breeding occurs above Komatipoort in the river below irrigation dams. Regards, Agama

I would love to catch one of these guys on fly

I have heard they put up a massive fight!

*mumbles to self* need to plan a trip

Ps- you dont want to be bitten by one of these!

As mentioned above they are fairly common in the olifants river

Are they related to Pike that we get in UK rivers/lakes/ponds? They look a bit similar and of comparable size.

Hey, 3rdgreek!

I doubt they are related!

Pike are "ambush predators", while tigers are "free-swimming"!

Ironically, there is an example of parallel evolution to be found from the Okavango northwards, often referred to as the African pike!

The teeth ,at the low level bridge on the Sabie river down from LS camp.