Hi There are many advantages to compe

[oceandancer]

Hi Binx,

great, i see your favorite spot is Arniston, I have access  a house with 8 bedrooms, directly above the beach to the right from the hotel.

How about it, lets plan a day or a "fishing academy" weekend with the kids?!

We can arrange for transport for the kids, they are between 8 and 14 years old, all nuts about water, fishing and anything that has something to do with it.

We can braai and you brief them on the area, what fish are to be expected, what traces, what bait,....some stories of your precious experience.

 I will try and get that onto a film and there we have something to show.

This is just from the top of my head, even a day at Strandfontein would be fine!

Thanks and welcome aboard, i will put together a more details and post it next week and then we can get a list of who is willing to do what . I will post our "events" and we take it from there!

Binx, thx a mill broe!   

 

[wetstuff]

mike corbett wrote:

where did you get this info from wetstuff?

 

Experienced people on the ground trying to do their job

 

[zzzz]

can you be more specific wetstuff? before i believe these sorts of things i like to know the source is a reliable one? has it been tested in court etc etc yet ?

:op:: excuse me if im a sceptic

 

[Binx]

Oceandancer,

 i think that is an awesome idea the fishing academy sound really great, we get the oppertunity to teach the youngsters about fishing conservation of our oceans which they will carry with them for a lifetime.

I rekon that we introduce the kids to all the places around th coastline. with enough reasearch and hard work this could become a great project, and with Video footage we could use that to approach the department of Recreation and sport to get a grant if thay can see how benificial this venture will be.

 

The only thing is that i will take a lot of time an sacrifice from our part to make this work.

I think showing the community that this sport is enjoyable but will also be a learning experiance in the consevation of our sea life for future generations.

 

[oceandancer]

Binx,

it does take alot of time, we have been operating with 3 guys and on and off a fishing buddie pitches in. 

There have been several guys offering their help and i guess the most valuebel thing is our time. But the more we are the better. Have a meeting next week to put together a marketing plan and the way forward.

As you say, we need to get the message out there, not only do the youngsters learn about fishing and conservation and habitat, they also see what we are about. Patience, disiplin, preseverance etc. these are values that will form their character and we will have a bunch of young motivated fishermen joining us.

We should brand them and  let them compete, can u imagine what publicity we would get and how the fishing community would wake up!?

We are in the process of forming and registering a club, we will have access to facilities, where we can meet etc.

Keep you posted, thanks again 

 

[Binx]

Dancer, is this a part time thing for you at the moment or you looking to puch it into a full time thing?????

Look if you need any help with anything i will be glad to help?

 

[oceandancer]

Binx, at the moment it fits in nicely with my line of work, but it is alot to handle, so if we go ahead at some stage and get more funding etc it will require somebody to stay ontop of this thing on a full time basis. By next summer we should see how it is working out.

 One of my buddies is a pensioner from Durban, apart from moaning that there is no fish around cpt,  he is avaliable and the way he fishes he must have been fishing before he could walk.

Will count you in on our next trip! we can also touch base before, its up to you boet, i am greatful for anything

 

 

[Binx]

Dancer, what sort of work you in? Any idea when your next trip will be ? how many of you are involed most of the time. With regards to the planing and budgets and strategies i am more than willing to hel out considering that is what i do most of the time in my life

 

 

[wetstuff]

mike corbett wrote:

can you be more specific wetstuff? before i believe these sorts of things i like to know the source is a reliable one? has it been tested in court etc etc yet ?

:op:: excuse me if im a sceptic

No problem with being a sceptic, more people should be. 

A couple of years ago when perlemoen poaching became a serious threat, a court was set up specifically to deal with the poaching issue. 

See http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/crime1justice/0,2172,51215,00.html

"That leaves dried perlemoen, which is notoriously difficult to identify. Indeed, there have been South African court cases in which the prosecution has been forced to use DNA evidence to prove that the species the accused has poached is indeed perlemoen. It is not feasible to expect Chinese customs agents to have or to develop such expertise." 

For complete article see http://www.iss.co.za/index.php?link_id=24&slink_id=426&link_type=12&slink_type=12&tmpl_id=3

 

 

[scorpion]

hi guys, very interesting topic, i going to touch on a sore point, that is where organised angling comes from. due to this countries political past non white fisherman in the cape have a bad view of the people in clubs that fish wpsaa league. when i speak to these guys i tell them its the furthest from the thruth.  the result is you have non wpsaa clubs, predominantly non white fisherman who have a negative view of wpsaa league. the trick is to get this big mass off non wpsaa clubs to inter act with clubs fishing in wpsaa league. then we can show these guys that we are just interested fishing and conservation of marine resources. all the political stuff can be left in the past and we can have a broader base of league anglers. i have experienced only good things and learnt a helluva lot from club anglers. i will be joining one soon. i think we need to look out for some kind of competition format that allows for edibles to be targeted specifically, maybe on a monthly basis. does not have to be provincial colours involved, a format to compete in edible comps on league basis. maybe once a month. i know you will draw alot more anglers from the indian and malay community because most are not interested fishing for sharks. just my opinion. please guys i dont have any probs with anybody on this site or other sites. all the people i have met from wpsaa league helped me and thats why i can say you okes are all tops in my book.

 

[AD]

Hi All...to get back to Karma's original post...

This all needs to start at a club level and with it the club members....need to take in people who want to learn and more so better themselves in improving their own angling skills. The good side of the coastal unions is that their members can basically have "sea practice" when they have the urge....whether socially or interclub (league) level.

To go back one step...U get different types of anglers with different types of interests...those that fish by doing so "for the pot", others that do for the enjoyment thereof, and the more serious who want to establish more of a competitive edge. As a sport, try and take it to the highest level, even if that highest level may mean top angler for the year in their club, selections for provincial...and effectually maybe  the higher echelon of being a springbok. The point is, when we ask ourselves why is it that anglers don't engage in competitive angling, or for that sake remove themselves from that arena.....you need to go back and ask where are their interests now currently lying?

What is seriously lacking in this part of SA is that angling (more so R & F) is not seen as a "draw-card" when it come to investors (sponsorships), many anglers footing the majority of the bill. An example (as an inland angler)...u fish lets say 5 trials a year, how much dose that cost U....what measurements do u put in when it comes to away from wife/family/job?.....now lets look at the actual "returns"...did u catch fish in those trials", did u have to fish 8 straight ours in a s/w buster?....after that league outing were u satisfied as an angler, a trip well worth the effort?

Now compare this to a non-competitive angler....say fishes 3 times a year (still referring to an inland angler), will plan at least a 4 day trip, to a spot he likes (anywhere on the SA/Moz/Nam coastline!), will fish the bait/style/hours and all of it when he wants to. If foul weather approaches in advance has the option to cancel trip at last minute or while down there simply pack up and leave. After the fishing trip has memories and returns that justifies his outing.

Basically in the long run, costs need to justify the "angling experience"...if it does not or no longer does, you will find anglers moving on (and this is exactly what happened with me) back to their own style of fishing. Also, from what i've seen in our Union, is that many anglers made the "novice" angler to competitive provincial angler in a very short period of time (4 years or less?), resulting in competitive burnout and members even fading away at a club level thereby lessening the club membership pool. The actual 'die hards' are the ones who started fishing at a very early age ( I would say from the age of 4?), these would probably be the best group to grow into that competitive curve as their fishing depth and experience will be well matched with those of their coast counterparts.

Now if we look at the coastal guys, i'm still scratching me head on that one ito of the answers on that one. I did chat once to one of my ex-club mates from the times I stayed in Dbn....he is now (or back then used to be) the KZN Union secretary...and even back then some 2 years ago, club memberships in general was dwindling, least to say interest in the sport as a sport.

My answer...plan for the future, if u have kids or know of youngsters...take them fishing, get them to be more passionate than u about the sport! Same with people u meet along the way who simply want to try it out. Create the awareness and invite people to join u on a trip. TV programs such as ESA and the weekend ESPN shows, I know in my workplace have caused a stir when u see non-fishing pundits, watching awesome catches being made. Have u ever tried explain to a non-fishing person what drives to u to fish...let alone compete in this sport?

I think we have a even more serious problem than the fading competitive anglers.....what about a generation of kids, that simply put, when they are  teenagers, will not be caught dead with a fishing rod let alone the smelly belly of a sun ripened sard...

Remember:

"[/i]Give a man a fish[/i] and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." - [/i]Old Chinese proverb.[/i][/i]

 

[zzzz]

Thank you wetstuff, makes for interesting reading !!!

 

[zzzz]

:welk1 Scorpion !!! please fill in your profile so we can see where you are from etc etc!!!

Interesting comment too by the way

scorpion wrote:

hi guys, very interesting topic, i going to touch on a sore point, that is where organised angling comes from. due to this countries political past non white fisherman in the cape have a bad view of the people in clubs that fish wpsaa

 

[Noweeds]

Scorps, these edible only guys......

Would they still be interested if the comp was run on a catch and release basis! The bottom line is that dead fish in competitions of any sort should by now be banned. If you want to keep somthing for the pot, go do it in your social time. Its time to start thinking about public image and how non anglers see our sport. Nobody is going to do our sport any favours unless we start to increase awarness of how conservation conscious competative angling is. And by this i don't just mean SASAA affiliated competitions...i mean all competative angling. The public can't tell the differnce between one comp and the next!!!

 

[Karma]

Hi AD

 

What an absolutely awesome post.  I loved reading it and most probably hit the nail on the head for most forms of competitive angling.  We need to ernestly review competitive angling, but in my opinion, it seems to be going from strength to strength in the Cape, especially with ESA, ESPN and the range of angling DVD's of sale.  Different clubs, whether social, edible competitive and all round organised competitive angling needs to be promoted to firstly get "the future in the system".

The fact that the bigger clubs leverage the rules etc to their benefit (and who would'nt) to suite them should be altered to lead to a more dynamic methodology that is continuously reviewed to maintain momentum and interest in competitive angling.  Any other suggestions would be welcome!!

 

ciao

K

 

 

[Karma]

scorpion wrote:

hi guys, very interesting topic, i going to touch on a sore point, that is where organised angling comes from. due to this countries political past non white fisherman in the cape have a bad view of the people in clubs that fish wpsaa league. when i speak to these guys i tell them its the furthest from the thruth.  the result is you have non wpsaa clubs, predominantly non white fisherman who have a negative view of wpsaa league. the trick is to get this big mass off non wpsaa clubs to inter act with clubs fishing in wpsaa league. then we can show these guys that we are just interested fishing and conservation of marine resources. all the political stuff can be left in the past and we can have a broader base of league anglers. i have experienced only good things and learnt a helluva lot from club anglers. i will be joining one soon. i think we need to look out for some kind of competition format that allows for edibles to be targeted specifically, maybe on a monthly basis. does not have to be provincial colours involved, a format to compete in edible comps on league basis. maybe once a month. i know you will draw alot more anglers from the indian and malay community because most are not interested fishing for sharks. just my opinion. please guys i dont have any probs with anybody on this site or other sites. all the people i have met from wpsaa league helped me and thats why i can say you okes are all tops in my book.

Hi Scorpion

I'll will start with two sayings that always inspire me:

 

1.  "What can be done with fewer assumptions is done in vein with more":  Occum's theorem or if you like the most crude version of "Assumption is the mother of all F...up's": Steven Seagal in Under Siege II

2.  Success in a lousy teacher, it seduces smart people into thinking the cannot lose:  Bill gates

Sorry for the philosophical phyco-babbel, but I think it is important to establish not only the historical perspective, but also the way forward.  As change is the only constant in life (seeing that death is a certainty) we have to embrace change from within and as Ghandi said "you are the change you wish to see".  It took us about 2 years of absolute shambles and half our membership lost to finally come to a point where we can move forward.  The WPSAA has been instrumental with absolute warmth and openness in welcoming us as Four Oceans AC and the transformation has been magnificent.  Believe me, they do us no favours and we expect none and the only colour important to them and every single person I have dealt with over the past 2 years is the colours of your angling credentials and people values.

Unfortunately many of our communities anglers still harbour ill feelings that unfortunately will take many moons to undo.  As I always say, personal experiences cloud our worldview and the onus is on us to make for a fully intergrated angling fraternity.  Competitive angling is largely a misnoma amongst the Cape Flats community anglers and they speak largely without seperating the perception from the reality.

 

Our club is once again on track and you can now approach our members and ask them if their general angling understanding, knowlege and appreciation of the sport has improved.  Competitive angling is not better or worse than the social and largely edible only angling offered by clubs like Tasmanians, Millenium and Oasis, but rather offers a different dimension to angling that once guys have tasted it, are unlikely to go back. 

I do not want this to denegrate into a political fiasco or which system is better, but think is important that individually we change our mindsets (moderators can decide if this post is against the forum's code of conduct) and will leave you with Anna Hoxie's all time great quotes

The past is like a rive flowing out of sight and the future is like an ocean filled with opportunities and delight.

regards

K

 

 

 

 

[scorpion]

i agree all comps has to be catch and release, maybe we can invite their clubs to participate in our comps then take it from their. what do you guys thinks. maybe get the chairman of clubs like tasmania, millenium, angling friends to sit around one table with wpsaa club chairmans and try to develope a format for an edibles league. together draw up a set of rules. just an idea

 

[Karma]

scorpion wrote:

i agree all comps has to be catch and release, maybe we can invite their clubs to participate in our comps then take it from their. what do you guys thinks. maybe get the chairman of clubs like tasmania, millenium, angling friends to sit around one table with wpsaa club chairmans and try to develope a format for an edibles league. together draw up a set of rules. just an idea

Hi Scorpion

The association advocates catch and release, but members are allowed what falls within the ambit of the Marine and living resources act to keep, hence the "right" of the edible anglers are not impinged upon.  The idea of an edible only league, imo, might not create the inclusivity we seek, it should rather be a process of incorporation of all forms of angling under one umbrella.  As it currently stands, edibles gets allocated 4 times the points relative to non-edibles and already makes the playing field a little more level.

I believe as anglers, we aspire to be the best at angling, rather than a particular brand of angling and as such how can our community anglers discount something the have not really experienced at all.

Furthermore (please don't take this the wrong way), I am battling and have been for years this concept of catching for the pan.  I am generalising, but if somebody spends thousands of rands on equipment, goes away to Arniston, Struis, Die Jag, Witsands etc which are the favourite haunts of most "flats" anglers and it cost them at least R400 - ...... per outing including food, petrol, baits, accomodation (sometimes) etc. in order to catch two gallies and a hottie, blank or catch a nice steenbras that measures 58cm's.  Where is the economic sense in that if you are claiming you catch to feed the family?

Your views is really appreciated though.

ciao

K

 

 

 

 

[Noweeds]

Karma wrote:

I believe as anglers, we aspire to be the best at angling, rather than a particular brand of angling......................

 

Well said china, most sense i've heard spoken about this subject in along time!!

 

[scorpion]

dude we are on the same page, dude all i am saying is that we must build a bridge between these parties. whoever has hang ups about politics can sit on the sidelines and watch us have fun.