On the 19th of October 2015, Free State held its club championship down in Jeffrey's Bay.
The format of the competition ran on a SASSA Nationals schedule with 4 days of angling and one day to rest.
The competition comprised of 4 clubs and around 40 anglers.
This was to be the very first club championship for Sealine AC and the nerves were running high! Our teams consisted of, Bruce Birch, Roger Birch, Dirk Hertzog, Nico Myburgh, Xander Du Plessis, Louis Butler, Anita Butler and my, Eugene Stephen. Our guide for the tournament was Joshua Herbst.
There were 4 days of fishing so im going to do my best to highlight each day as best as i can.
Day 1: Area - Blue Water Bay - Lines in at 7am-3pm
With spirits up high, the day started very very slow with a few small fish making it onto the cards. Target species were blue rays, diamonds and sandies. 3 hours before lines up and high tide, the fish came alive and we proceeded to land some good points. Dirk Hertzog was on fire and was filling up his score card with ease. A few diamonds popped up but on the small side.
Sealine ended the day in 1st place and with a comfortable lead.
Day 2: Area - Paradise Beach - Lines in at 11am-7pm
Paradise is known for its raggie pups and the anticipation was running high for all the clubs to make a decent score. SAPD did exceptionally well to land all their raggies at Pikes Alley and took the lead comfortably.
Sealine unfortunately did not do too well and missed out on some great opportunities. Many a lesson learnt but then again thats angling for you! Dirk managed to burgle a young raggie, with Bruce klapping 4 x bronzies, Nico with a nice 1M diamond and Roger in with a few bronzies as well.
Day 3 - Rest Day
Day 4: Blue Water Bay - Lines in at 7am-3pm
Most of us had not fished Blue water Bay prior to Monday and after that session we were pretty much ready for anything! Disappointingly the wind and water temp did not play the part and the fishing was once again very slow.
Roger landed a bus shad of close to 2.5kg and a grunter that he literally hooked as the bait hit the water. Dirk once again pushed through for us and landed a nice hammer, Xander kept the score board ticking with a nice blue ray and grunter taken on a mullet head...yes, you read right. Nico added a diamond to the list.
Very tough day but at the end SAPD was far in the lead, with Virginia in Second Place and Sealine AC in Third, with a 1.5 point difference.
Day 5: St Francis - Lines in at 6am -1pm
Sealine AC had no choice but to go big...or go home! We placed our 8 anglers strategically from the mouth to the Chapel and it was game on for that triple digit fish to pop.
On the beach word was out that a Blue Water AC angler had hooked into a size fish but had lost it on the drop off. JB from Virginia then went tight into a nice 60kg Duckbill.
Sealine had a few small bronzies on the cards but nothing much was happening. Our Guide, Josh, went out of his way and managed to get a few live mullet for the guys on the rocks. Bruce, Dirk and myself had live bait out and were hoping and praying for a good solid pull.
An hour before lines up with almost 1.5hrs of feeling that lil mullet kick and then turn into a frantic kick, i got the first pick up, fishing a 12# tuna circle, i waited for the fish to pull me flat...only to have it drop the mullet :X
2 minutes later Bruce gets a nice pull and after a short tussle, the DC made quick work of a 10kg hammer. On the other side of the rocks, Dirk had a solid run only for the fish to drop his bait. I swear these Jbay fish eat with knives and forks!!
Bruce flapped another mullet and got bitten off above his bite trace. Unlucky there bud!
The day ended just like that...A very tough tournament but with the amount of knowledge gained and experience...nothing can take that away.
We were treated to a fantastic dinner on Friday night and the following awards where presented.
Best Beginner - Bruce Birch
Most Fish caught - Trophy shared-Dirk Hertzog - 18 fish
Most Species - Dirk Hertzog - 6 species
Biggest edible - Roger Birch - 2.5kg shad
Most organised club - Sealine
Most Progressed angler - Dirk Hertzog
3rd Place - Sealine AC
Bruce and Dirk ended in the top 10 for the tournament.
Bruce, Ferdi (absent) and myself were chosen to represent Free state in the A Nations in Southern Cape next year.
Hmm, now theres always that ONE mate that will say after a comp..."Just one more cast ok?"
Bruce and i hit the beach early on Sat morning to go and look for an edible. I got owned by a proper poensie..still in disbelief as to how strong those fish are for their size! oh and following in Roger`s foot steps...one shad
Dirk, Louis, Anita, Xander and Nico opted for the push tide near Pikes Alley and Louis landed a nice fat raggie pup. His first one i believe? Well Done!!
On our way to the airport, i was going through all the pics and i can honestly say, iv never had so much of fun with such a great family.
If you ever would consider joining a club or getting back into competitive angling...look no further. Politics is always a headache and a turn off and the way each person conducts themselves...im proud to say who i represent. If you are interested, drop me a PM.
A HUGE shout out to Joshua Herbst. Absolutely talented youngster and you will be hard pressed to find a more dedicated guide than him. Thank you for all the help, tips and knowledge that you have shared. Please PM me for Josh`s number if you would like a guide for the Jbay area.
As always, our bait was supplied by Baits 4 Africa - Huge thank you to Oom Snorre Barnard for the fantastic quality bait and excellent service.
Lastly, to my team, it was an honour to be your captain. You all fished like champions. To the committee guys, Bruce and Nico, thank you for all the time that you put in and for always looking after us haha. You guys are legends!
Until next time!
The format of the competition ran on a SASSA Nationals schedule with 4 days of angling and one day to rest.
The competition comprised of 4 clubs and around 40 anglers.
This was to be the very first club championship for Sealine AC and the nerves were running high! Our teams consisted of, Bruce Birch, Roger Birch, Dirk Hertzog, Nico Myburgh, Xander Du Plessis, Louis Butler, Anita Butler and my, Eugene Stephen. Our guide for the tournament was Joshua Herbst.
There were 4 days of fishing so im going to do my best to highlight each day as best as i can.
Day 1: Area - Blue Water Bay - Lines in at 7am-3pm
With spirits up high, the day started very very slow with a few small fish making it onto the cards. Target species were blue rays, diamonds and sandies. 3 hours before lines up and high tide, the fish came alive and we proceeded to land some good points. Dirk Hertzog was on fire and was filling up his score card with ease. A few diamonds popped up but on the small side.
Sealine ended the day in 1st place and with a comfortable lead.
Day 2: Area - Paradise Beach - Lines in at 11am-7pm
Paradise is known for its raggie pups and the anticipation was running high for all the clubs to make a decent score. SAPD did exceptionally well to land all their raggies at Pikes Alley and took the lead comfortably.
Sealine unfortunately did not do too well and missed out on some great opportunities. Many a lesson learnt but then again thats angling for you! Dirk managed to burgle a young raggie, with Bruce klapping 4 x bronzies, Nico with a nice 1M diamond and Roger in with a few bronzies as well.
Day 3 - Rest Day
Day 4: Blue Water Bay - Lines in at 7am-3pm
Most of us had not fished Blue water Bay prior to Monday and after that session we were pretty much ready for anything! Disappointingly the wind and water temp did not play the part and the fishing was once again very slow.
Roger landed a bus shad of close to 2.5kg and a grunter that he literally hooked as the bait hit the water. Dirk once again pushed through for us and landed a nice hammer, Xander kept the score board ticking with a nice blue ray and grunter taken on a mullet head...yes, you read right. Nico added a diamond to the list.
Very tough day but at the end SAPD was far in the lead, with Virginia in Second Place and Sealine AC in Third, with a 1.5 point difference.
Day 5: St Francis - Lines in at 6am -1pm
Sealine AC had no choice but to go big...or go home! We placed our 8 anglers strategically from the mouth to the Chapel and it was game on for that triple digit fish to pop.
On the beach word was out that a Blue Water AC angler had hooked into a size fish but had lost it on the drop off. JB from Virginia then went tight into a nice 60kg Duckbill.
Sealine had a few small bronzies on the cards but nothing much was happening. Our Guide, Josh, went out of his way and managed to get a few live mullet for the guys on the rocks. Bruce, Dirk and myself had live bait out and were hoping and praying for a good solid pull.
An hour before lines up with almost 1.5hrs of feeling that lil mullet kick and then turn into a frantic kick, i got the first pick up, fishing a 12# tuna circle, i waited for the fish to pull me flat...only to have it drop the mullet :X
2 minutes later Bruce gets a nice pull and after a short tussle, the DC made quick work of a 10kg hammer. On the other side of the rocks, Dirk had a solid run only for the fish to drop his bait. I swear these Jbay fish eat with knives and forks!!
Bruce flapped another mullet and got bitten off above his bite trace. Unlucky there bud!
The day ended just like that...A very tough tournament but with the amount of knowledge gained and experience...nothing can take that away.
We were treated to a fantastic dinner on Friday night and the following awards where presented.
Best Beginner - Bruce Birch
Most Fish caught - Trophy shared-Dirk Hertzog - 18 fish
Most Species - Dirk Hertzog - 6 species
Biggest edible - Roger Birch - 2.5kg shad
Most organised club - Sealine
Most Progressed angler - Dirk Hertzog
3rd Place - Sealine AC
Bruce and Dirk ended in the top 10 for the tournament.
Bruce, Ferdi (absent) and myself were chosen to represent Free state in the A Nations in Southern Cape next year.
Hmm, now theres always that ONE mate that will say after a comp..."Just one more cast ok?"
Bruce and i hit the beach early on Sat morning to go and look for an edible. I got owned by a proper poensie..still in disbelief as to how strong those fish are for their size! oh and following in Roger`s foot steps...one shad
Dirk, Louis, Anita, Xander and Nico opted for the push tide near Pikes Alley and Louis landed a nice fat raggie pup. His first one i believe? Well Done!!
On our way to the airport, i was going through all the pics and i can honestly say, iv never had so much of fun with such a great family.
If you ever would consider joining a club or getting back into competitive angling...look no further. Politics is always a headache and a turn off and the way each person conducts themselves...im proud to say who i represent. If you are interested, drop me a PM.
A HUGE shout out to Joshua Herbst. Absolutely talented youngster and you will be hard pressed to find a more dedicated guide than him. Thank you for all the help, tips and knowledge that you have shared. Please PM me for Josh`s number if you would like a guide for the Jbay area.
As always, our bait was supplied by Baits 4 Africa - Huge thank you to Oom Snorre Barnard for the fantastic quality bait and excellent service.
Lastly, to my team, it was an honour to be your captain. You all fished like champions. To the committee guys, Bruce and Nico, thank you for all the time that you put in and for always looking after us haha. You guys are legends!
Until next time!
