Good catches despite stiff westerly winds
Enthusiastic anglers hook nine different species
Astiff westerly wind did not prevent good catches in the third round of the Pick n Pay Claude Pittaway Round Robin fishing competition hosted by Port Alfred Rock & Surf at Riet River on Saturday November 4.
With pleasant summer days starting to make their presence felt, the fishers took the opportunity to rise at the crack of dawn to start walking to their respective fishing spots. Some anglers really felt the iciness of the water when they lost their footing while negotiating the rocks and met with the ocean.
The low water temperature did not deter the enthusiastic fishers who took on the job of hooking some good ones with great gusto. Nine different species of fish were caught
78 in all with a combined weight of only 75kg.
The number of anglers who registered for the competition showed signs of improving with attendance reaching almost 60%. Most of the fishers stayed back for the prize-giving where lots of laughter and stories prevailed.
“All the competitions are on a catch-and-release basis, so this way we further the life of the fish,” club chair Gary du Randt said. “We have a complement of 12 teams of four anglers, making up the round robin competitions, with a few individual anglers.”
Weather conditions got better as the day progressed just as the evening’s prize-giving approached that was expertly handled by Du Randt and weigh master, Russell Warren. Braai fires were lit, salads were made and everyone “burnt a little meat” and had a great time. The following were the achievements of the anglers:
Dusky cob D Marais 4.96kg; bronze bream —L Badenhorst 0.7kg; white steenbras A Burgess 3.39kg; blacktail F de Klerk 1.19kg; zebra F de Klerk 1.19kg; galjoen F de Klerk 1.19kg white musselcracker F de Klerk 3.58kg; Cape stumpnose
D Kemp 0.66kg.
Top angler for the day went to F de Klerk with a 17.9kg catch. Top junior was Joshua Burgess (U16), while N Viviers was adjudged top woman.
The top master prize (0.29kg) went to Deon Marais (6.54kg) and Rodney Yendall won top grand master prize with his 3.58kg catch.
Catch of the day went to A Pittaway for his raggie of 174cm; although not an edible fish, it was a good fight and he landed the specimen very well.
“A very big thank you goes out to all our sponsors who make prize-giving possible. Pick n Pay, Little Brewery on the River, Prestons, Bruce Amos,
NW Car Wash, Sports n All, Astron R72, Buco, Leach Pharmacy, Rosehill SuperSpar, Kekkel en Kraai, Siyakhula Trading, Kowie Hardware, Motto Café, Jacks Paint & Hardware, Fish SA, Tasha’s Restaurant,” Du Randt said.
Should you wish to become a sponsor or a member, contact Du Randt on 082-324-9448 to arrange a meeting, or email supercybizpc@gmail.com. The club’s next fixture takes place on November 11 for the annual battle of the clubs against Alexandria Angling Club.
The venue is Fish River to Kleinemonde East commencing at 6am.