COMPETITIONS
Proteas compete in EFSA Species Champs By Francois Beukes
T
HE Protea team selected to represent SA to fish in the European Federation of Sea Anglers (EFSA) Species Championships in England in July was a mixed bunch who pulled off great results. Captain Allen Ford (Border) led his experienced teammates Wayne Gerber (Eastern Province) and Francois Beukes (Natal), along with two new caps DP Burger (Western Province) and Kevin Clarke (Eastern Province). The team enjoyed an official send off at the Bottomfish Nationals prize giving held at Kenton On Sea in the Eastern Cape in March 2023. There the two new caps were presented with their green Protea blazers in front of numerous proud family members and dignitaries’ from South African Deep Sea Angling Association (SADSAA) and South African Sports Angling and Casting Confederation (SASACC). Planning and preparations began immediately. In order for the team to be competitive and plan their strategy, they spent hours researching and watching YouTube videos to learn as much as they could about the target species, tackle requirements and local conditions. Booking flights and a hire car, VISA applications, booking accommodation and practice fishing days all formed part of the hype around fishing an international competition. After the team landed at Gatwick Airport they had a three-hour drive to
The Protea Team ready to take on the world. the picturesque seaside town of Weymouth. Situated in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast, it’s popular for its fossils and pebble beaches. The team wasted no time getting down to tackle prep for the fishing they expected to encounter off the coast of England. The three practice days were fished in trying conditions where we encountered rough seas, strong winds and extreme sea currents caused by the radical change in tides.This gave us a taste of what was to come and it was a huge eye opener to see how what sounds like a simple fish to catch was actually very technical.
Due to the difficult fishing conditions and ragged rocky bottom reefs, each day after fishing our first stop was at the local fishing tackle shop where we replenished our stocks and bought extra tackle as our strategies changed with more experience after each trip to sea. Considering the high exchange rate, these daily trips were quite costly and quickly started eating into our savings. Although bream was the only target species for the competition, we also caught various other fish including sea bass, conger eels, rays, wrasse, tope (shark) and bull huss (dog shark), together with a variety of small edibles.
It’s tough, technical fishing, but the men in green did well. SKI-BOAT November/December 2023 • 57
