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2024 Bottomfish Nationals and EFSA International
By Francois Beukes
Photos by Helen and Earl Fenwick
THE South African Deep Sea Angling Association (SADSAA) and Western Province Deep Sea Angling Association (WPDSAA) were proud to host their first Bottomfish International in conjunction with the annual Bottomfish Nationals from 26 April to 1 May 2024.The event was hosted in the picturesque Overberg town of Struisbaai which is situated on the southernmost tip of Africa,where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet.
A highlight of the opening function was an emotional march,for some,from the Struisbaai harbour breakwater pier to the tournament venue at the Catch and Cook Struisbaai Harbour Cafe.The resturant was the base of the Struisbaai Deep Sea Angling Club and hosted the opening and closing functions.
Braving a 30 knot south easterly wind,eleven teams from various provincial bodies and six international teams,including from Iceland and Gibraltar,proudly carried their flags,undertaking the procession in their full step-outs.
After the welcome speeches by the President of SADSAA, Chris Schorn,the President of SASACC,Andries Marias,and the Mayor of Agulhas,Paul Swart,it was time for the traditional capping of provincial anglers representing their provinces for the first time at a Nationals,and the Protea anglers fishing at their first international event.The anglers were thrilled to receive their provincial-,national- and international colours.
The practice days leading up to the tournament yielded some big yellowtail on 6kg line,including a pending South African and African record of 15.65kg caught by Charles Lara from Gibraltar.That’s truly an amazing achievement on such light line,as most avid fishermen will tell you that these fish are,pound for pound,some of the strongest fish to land,even with conventional tackle.Pictures of these fish well over the 10kg mark gave the other competitors an expectation of what was to come.
The format for the competition,although foreign for some anglers,was based on the European Federation of Sea Anglers (EFSA) boat and line class rules.This includes splitting the teams so that each boat has three anglers from different teams fishing against one another individually,with the aim of “winning the boat”.Points are awarded for targeting various species in the allocated fishing time.
Three pegs are allocated daily per boat,and each angler draws a peg for the day to determine where he\she fishes from for that day.At the end of the day,the points are tallied up and the angler with the most points on the boat earns 100%.The other anglers then earn a percentage proportional to their points compared to the boat winner’s points.
At the end of the tournament, the winning teams and individuals are determined based on these percentages, points allocated per fish, and the total number of fish caught for those days.This method is used in most EFSA species competitions abroad.The events also promote catch and release of all fish caught.
During the competition we were fortunate to witness Michelle Richards (captain of the Protea ladies team) landing her personal best yellowtail.This beautiful 12.4kg fish is a pending 6kg line class Womens’ South African and All Africa record.
Sadly, the weather did not play ball, resulting in only two days fishing out of four.Taking into account the various calculations, fishing conditions and peg draws, the competition was tough and extremely competitive.
The South Africans did well on their home turf, and when the competition was finally over, it was confirmed that the Protea men’s team won gold.They were closely followed by the SASACC team in second place, and the Gibraltar team finished third.
In the international division, local Protea angler DP Burger was awarded a gold medal for the top individual angler, followed closely by Francois Beukes with silver and Kobus Koekemoer with bronze.
In the Nationals’ division, Border came first, with the Natal team in second position and SADSAA third.Border angler Fred Clarke was awarded a gold medal as the top individual angler, with Sayed Cassim from Natal taking silver, and Ian Peinke from the SADSAA team taking bronze.
The ladies’ section was won by Border, followed by Eastern Province in second and SADSAA in third.
A special mention must go to all the ground staff, organisers and skippers who gave up their week to make SADSAA proud of this unique and special occasion.Hopefully it will not be the last such collaboration.
