Success for young angler
LILYFONTEIN High School pupil, Nathan Lentz, 14, was recently capped with his South African Junior Protea bass angling colours at Witbank Dam during an international test against Zimbabwe.
Growing up with a family who loves to fish, the Grade 9 pupil caught his first bass when he was just five years old.
“I’ve grown up in a fishing family so it was only natural that I joined in on family fishing trips. My older brother also fished competitively but unfortunately narrowly missed achieving his SA colours. His guidance and encouragement has helped me tremendously,” he said.
Nathan’s love and dedication to the sport has grown over the years, and earned him a spot as one of the top 12 junior bass anglers in South Africa, which saw him qualify for the national team in April last year. The recent international test against Zimbabwe saw South Africa win, with Nathan and his fishing partner, Nathan Wickham from Mpumalanga, named as the top boat in the tournament.
“Competitive angling takes lots of dedication, hard work and commitment. I have put in a lot of effort and the rewards are showing,” Nathan said.
He now joins two fellow junior anglers from his home club in Stutterheim, Wriggleswade Bassmasters, who have also achieved junior Protea caps for bass angling in South Africa.
“Angling is one of the best ways to experience the outdoors and you get to visit many places at the same time, while making many new friends in the social and competitive fishing scene.
“I am obviously excited as it’s a major sporting achievement for me and my family.”