FROM ZERO TO HERO

How to win the Billfish 15000

Johan Botha, blue marlin

Whelan Swart, striped marlin

Handro Swart, blue marlin

Johan Wessels, shortbill spearfish

By Danie Visser, Skipper of Lauriska

ON the Saturday morning we were on our way to the 2022 Billfish 15000 knowing Team Lauriska had no towing vehicle on the beach for launching and not knowing what we would do.It didn’t take long for one of the competition’s main sponsors,Mahindra,to come to our rescue.They offered us a tractor to use for the whole week! Little did we know then what this relationship with them would mean to us.

Our team consisted of Johan Botha, a longtime friend,Johan Wessels from Fishing Pro Shop,Protea angler and friend Handro Swart,his son Whelan, and myself.Our plan for the week was to fish in an area that was well known to us,namely Jesser Point and Lighthouse.We were going to pull a spread of lures with the addition of a dredge teaser thanks to the newly fitted dredge boom on my boat.We also had pitch baits ready if any opportunity presented itself for that.

Monday was a blowout,but on Tuesday we managed to hookup on a marlin with Johan Wessels in the fighting chair.Unfortunately,we lost it after about 15 minutes,just when it was close to the boat.

It was not the start that we were looking for,but we kept our heads high, determined to do better.

On the Wednesday morning things started to change for us,and Johan Botha spent one hour forty minute battling with a blue marlin that we successfully released.Later the same day we released a striped marlin with Whelan in the chair.

With much excitement on the boat, and just before lines up,we almost managed to get our third marlin for the day but it didn’t stick.At weigh in that night we were in fifth position;we were slowly climbing the ladder!

Thursday started very slowly,with the morning not producing many hookups.Eventually about 12 o’clock we manage to hook up and release a blue marlin;this time it was Handro Swart’s turn in the chair.At weigh in we saw we’d moved up into second position,and started to believe we could win the tournament!

A strong north-easter was predicted from midday on the Friday,so we knew we had to get a fish early if we wanted to move up into first place.

At 9am we were working the area in front of Jesser Point where we got two fish earlier in the week,when we got another hookup.Johan Wessels was back in the chair and we managed to release a shortbill spearfish five minutes later.As predicted,the weather turned bad and eventually at 1.30pm the competition was called off.

We knew we’d done it and were overjoyed when the organisers confirmed our win!

Our thanks to Dorado Ski Boat Club for the wonderful competition and to all our friends and families for their support.A special thanks to Theo and Maryna Lütt from Mahindra Randfontein for all their help and the tractor they lent us.