FISHING IN THE WILD, WILD WEST

2023 Queens of the Ocean

By Sheena Carnie

THE sheriff has spoken:St Lucia is the place to be, even when the town is overrun with cowboys and the wild westerly is blowing.

The 2023 running of the Queens of the Ocean competition at the beginning of September showed just how eager South Africa’s women are to join their men fishing out deep.The 2022 event was already well supported with 19 boats, but news of the fun event spread like wildfire, and this year a full capacity fleet of 35 boats and 105 anglers signed up.

The first day, Friday, started perfectly calm, with the crews all gathered on the beach at 5am, enjoying the stillness of the early morning and the splendour of a full moon and star-studded sky overhead.

But there were already whispers that we might not launch.The whispers were right, and the weather committee called a blowout thanks to a predicted 40 knot south-westerly which duly arrived around 9am.

The women – including a number of first-timers – had come to town to fish, though, and some resorted to a bit of shore fishing before the wind got too strong, or else practised trolling lures across the swimming pools of the resorts where they were staying.

Others took the opportunity to drive along the Eastern Shores of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, spotting some of the big five and taking in the magnificent scenery at Mission Rocks and Cape Vidal before heading back to dress up and mosey on down to the saloon set up at St Lucia Ski-Boat Club.

This year’s theme was “Wild West”, and as usual the anglers and ground crew went all out in dressing to the theme and relished the opportunity to ride the bucking bull that was set up alongside the marquee.

Food and drink flowed freely, and gees was at an all time high, but most of the anglers retired early on the Friday night to catch some shut-eye before starting extra early on the Saturday.

With 35 boats needing to launch and only one day to catch enough pointsworthy fish and win the competition, everyone wanted to be near the front of the queue.

The launches all went off smoothly, and after a fantastic day out on the sea with varying degrees of success, but full appreciation of the splendour of the scenery and dolphins and whales playing all around,35 tired crews returned to the clubhouse for weigh in.

The marquee was abuzz with excitement because of one particularly large king mackerel/’cuda that was held aside at the weigh in.There were not that many fish in the weigh-in queue this year, but a few decent sized prodigal sons and yellowfin tuna were among them.

Everyone knew the multiplying factor (based on the number of different species each boat caught) would determine the ultimate winner, but the ’cuda looked big ...and then there was the matter of the five released billfish that would also add big points to their teams’ tallies.

A number of excellent fish were eventually weighed in, including Danica Bartho’s 19.22kg yellowfin tuna and Eleanor Roode’s 16.56kg prodigal son, but when first time angler Elma Dos Reis’s ’cuda finally pulled the scale to 29.64kg, there was no doubt it was the biggest fish.

At prizegiving that night, though, their one big fish only put Jehova Rapheka in sixth place overall, and it was Captain Fine’s mix of species – including a released marlin for top lady angler Sella Schönfeldt – that won them the competition.

John Deere came second, and the Bartho women fishing on Valhalla II finished third, proving it’s not only their husbands who can bring home the fish.

All the women – and their male skippers, gillies and companions – had a fantastic weekend, with many vowing to return next year.

In the meantime, I’ll allow the prizewinners themselves to share their stories and excitement...

Catch of a lifetime

By Elma Dos Reis

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime catch,” said an old fisherman at the weigh-in.“I have been fishing all my life and had never seen such a big ’cuda.”

Queens of the Ocean… This was our choice of a ladies’ weekend, and it was one of the most exciting adventures of my life.It was an every-second-counts, no-time-for-sleep kind of a weekend filled with laughter, excitement, good food and surprises.

Being super competitive, we got up at 3am the first morning and managed to be first in line.Unfortunately we had bad weather and couldn’t go out to fish.

Not easily discouraged, we got up at 2.45am the second day only to be tenth in line.We waited excitedly, together with 34 other boats, to launch, even though we were by far the underdogs of the competition, competing against far more experienced and skilled anglers.

It was my first time on the ocean and I did not know how dangerous launching could be.Fortunately,Pieter, our skipper, knew what a dangerous task it could be and handled the launch with impressive delicacy and skill.

Pieter has been fishing at sea since the age of nine.The family’s first boat was a rubber duck, and later they bought a boat and called it Jehovah Rapheka, meaning “The God that heals”. Now, after being at sea and experiencing the adventure of a lifetime,I understand how one’s heart can feel gracefully healed in the midst of His indescribable creation.

We had a fantastic launch and made it safely through the surf with not even a tiny bit of sea spray touching us.

We tried catching livebait but we only caught a few sardines and a “gorrie” that we wanted to throw back, but since we didn’t have anything else, we kept it.

We later hooked the ’cuda with our one and only “gorrie”– without any steel trace!

With absolutely NO experience, or having a clue what to expect, when the reel started screaming and it was my turn,I just knew I had to reel like my life depended on it! Exhilaration was coursing through my body!

My passionate crew tried helping me and tried explaining how I should pump and wind,I was so scared of the line becoming limp that I just kept reeling in “manual mode”without any proper fishing technique whatsoever!

The reel suddenly felt loose and started to swivel, and I thought it had broken! I was shaking with adrenaline and I had a hard time keeping the rod straight to reel in properly.

My “moonbag”like I called it, was everywhere except on a comfortable spot and Zanlie, my friend, had to hold it on a bearable spot.

Everything was happening all at once…

I haven’t felt such a hype and adrenaline rush in all my life! Everyone’s positive encouragement kept me focused.

When the fish was brought onboard, the crew’s reaction was extraordinary.Initially I thought it was to make me feel special about catching my first fish, but the screaming and hysteria continued, and I suspected it had to be quite a catch.

Zanlie could see that I didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of this exceptional moment and told me that I would understand when we got back on land.

The crew was in absolute disbelief. Adrenaline reverberated through all of us and I was overwhelmed with emotion, feeling extremely thankful, favoured and spoiled.

Our trip back to the beach was filled with celebration and uncontrolled happiness.

Back on land, the spectators were in awe and “catch of a lifetime”was the most popular phrase.I could see the appreciation and admiration in the people’s eyes.I also saw the longing in those eyes which had tried countless times to catch a fish of this size.

The excitement wasn’t over yet. The weigh in was exhilarating and I was flabbergasted by the response of everyone around me.

The organisers even had to shorten the line and reset the scale, so the ’cuda could fit. It weighed 29.64kg! I was awestruck!

One could see the ’cuda had lived a giant’s life, as it was covered with old battle scars and had teeth missing, and we were the privileged ones to land it.

Our fish was the biggest fish of the competition and I felt incredibly humbled.

We received several prizes, including a trophy,R10000 for the biggest fish of the day and R5000 for third place in the “Top Lady Angler”section. Our boat also came sixth overall despite only catching one fish.

The memory of this once-in-a-lifetime weekend will stay with me forever and I am so grateful to have been part of this amazing adventure.

I am in awe of God’s perfect creation! What a privilege to enjoy nature –the big and small of it, the diversity, the complexity, down to the smallest detail. It is incomprehensible, unexplainable, uncontainable.•

’n Puik dag vir Captain Fine

Deur Sella Schönfeldt

DIT was ’n great gevoel gewees...die oggend vroeg voor ons gelaunch het, het ek vir my span gesê ek gaan ’n marlyn fight vandag. Ek het volle vertroue in myself, my span en boot gehad.Ek het net so gevoel gehad.Ons het die oggend vroeg uit gegaan na die 1000m merk waar ons getrol het, maar niks gekry het nie, toe gaan ons vlakker na die 100m waar ons nog steeds onsuksesvol was. Maar van opgee was daar nie te sprake nie, en ons het 400m merk toe gegaan waar ons ’n swart marlyn gekry het van oor die 200kg op ’n 80 pond lyn.

Gelukkige het ons ’n paar ervare mense op die boot gehad, onder andere ons skipper Michael Fourie en gilly Marius Botha. Hierdie was ook nie die eerste keer wat ek ’n marlyn release het nie. Van kleins af was ek al op die see saam my pa en boetie, en ons vang graag saam gamefish.

Aangesien die wind baie erg gewaai het op daai stadium en die see rof was het ons ’n uur en 10 minute baklei met die marlyn. Om ’n marlyn standing te vang en nie uit ’n fighting chair nie was tough gewees vir my. My span maats het my natuurlik begestaan en aangemoedig terwyl Umfaan (klipwerf) kliphard op die radio gespeel het. Ek glo dat mens die lekkerste vis vang met boeremusiek, so asof dit die marlyne roep na die boot toe.Dis my wen resep vir marlyn!

Wat die wen nog meer lekkerder gemaak het is dat ons die bie op ons eie boot gewen het! Ons het geweet ons gaan dit doen,maar min het die ander bote ons ’n kans gegee. Captain Fine het nie terug gestaan nie!

Dankie ook vir ons borge, julle is fantasties: C&J Boerdery,PR Schoeman Boerdery, Team Onfire, Pioneer en Civcon.

Ek wil net by sê dat wanneer mens op die see is besef mens hoe klein jy werklik is en hoe groot jou God is.Ek sal altyd respek hê vir die see en my skepper.

TOP FIVE BOATS

1. Captain Fine 91.80 points

2. John Deere 82.62 points

3. Valhalla II 78.44 points

4. Fintastic 70.00 points

5. Stella 53.68 points

TOP FIVE ANGLERS

1. Sella Schönfeldt, Captain Fine 40 points

2. Eleanor Roode, Fintastic 35 points

3. Elma Dos Reis, Jehovah Rapheka 29.64 points

4. Rika Meintjies, C-Angel 20 points

5. Kaylee Bartho, Valhalla 20 points