FESTIVAL-STYLE COMPS BRING BACK THE FUN

COMPETITIVE festival-style angling in the ski-boating arena here in South Africa has exploded over the last two decades, becoming the “in thing” rather than the once a year event that the original Umhlanga Festival was in the 1970s and early ’80s. Nowadays these festival-style events carrying huge prize money have become the norm rather than the exception, both here in South Africa and across the border in Mozambique.

The year’s fishing calendar is now so full that it has become quite a challenge for ski-boating crews to choose which events they’ll attend from the numerous ones on offer.

The main driving force creating this following is not just the vast and often very valuable prizes on offer, but equally the opportunity for boat owners to get their teams together to enjoy the camaraderie and excitement of these events that have become show pieces of professional organisational standards.

Of course one can’t deny the allure of large top prizes and big subsidiary prizes so numerous that the majority of the participating teams have a good chance of winning something to take home as bounty. But winning prizes is really just the cherry on the top of an exciting fishing adventure.

As I pen this editorial I am fine-tuning Mr SKI-BOAT for the annual Sodwana Hengelklub Tigerfish Bonanza that’s been held at Jozini Dam every September for the last 20-plus years. The excitement is palpable and, win or lose, good weather or bad, I knew it would be the fantastic experience it has always been. You can read the report elsewhere in this issue.

Even more exciting for me is to see the way these competitions have evolved to the point that we see a number of ladies’ and juniors’ events becoming incredibly exciting, commanding overwhelming numbers of teams. In line with that, in this issue we also have coverage of the 2023 Queens of the Ocean event.

What is still more amazing is not only the incredible effort put in by clubs and associations in arranging these events, but also the incredible support they engender from organisations and companies who sponsor the top class prizes on offer.

Although the sponsorship in terms of these magnificent prizes and cash is fantastic – and necessary – the involvement of these sponsors at the actual events also brings with it the “toenadering” of sellers and buyers. In the carnival atmosphere, it’s a great opportunity for them to get to know each other and enjoy the “out of office” camaraderie that flows in such abundance.

While I am incredibly lucky to be able to attend many of these fishing competitions and enjoy each and every one of them, time and money limit the number of events that boat owners and their crews can practically attend. And yet, when one sees the large number of competing teams at all these tournaments, with very limited overlap, it reveals just how many ski-boaters go out of their way to ensure they’re able to attend their chosen tournaments.

Without a shadow of a doubt, the vast majority of teams that enter these competitions – regardless of whether they win prizes or not – end up returning home having enjoyed themselves and immediately start planning to take on the challenge of the same event the following year.

If you have never attended a festival competition, you have missed out. The prizes are just one aspect; the major incentive is really excitement, friendship and the pleasure of fishing with your own crew in a well-run event.

Don’t mock these competitions until you have tried them, because when you do you will not only enjoy the experience but will also hopefully win a prize.

Tight lines

Erwin Bursik