PROTEAS MINING GOLD IN THE UK

Proteas compete in

EFSA Species Champs

By Francois Beukes

THE 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 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.

Most of the bream encountered were relatively small and catching them required a lot of technical preparation as each condition required different coloured beads, bait, trace choice and presentation.The norm was to use very small hooks and 90cm long hook snoots.

We quickly established that with a strong tide the bream would most often bite on the hook closest to the ground, and with a slack tide they would bite higher up on the trace.

Although it’s always a privilege to represent your country at the highest level, the first time is always most exciting.No doubt our two new Protea caps, DP Burger and Kevin Clarke, reflected on their long road to Protea colours and the incredible sense of achievement when they stepped onto the boat on the first day of competition.

The competition rules stipulate that anglers from each country are split up and fish on different boats for each of the fishing days.A draw is done on the boat every day and each angler is allocated a spot on the boat for that day.

All bream caught had a predetermined point allocation based on their size and the number of fish caught.The points were tallied up daily and the angler with the most points on the boat earned 100%.All the other anglers then earned a percentage proportional to their points compared to the boat winner’s points.

At the end of the tournament, each angler’s percentages are added up and that determines the individual results. All team anglers’ points are then added up, after discarding the worst score each day, giving the team results. Various categories determine how the medals are awarded.

Ten countries and 52 anglers were represented in the various categories. The Protea team did exceptionally well, bagging five medals and finishing fifth overall in the national team division.

Allen Ford led from the front and was awarded a gold medal for the four-man executive team and a bronze medal for the four-man drawn team. Not to be outdone,DP Burger was awarded a gold medal for the longest bream of the tournament (45cm) and Wayne Gerber was awarded a silver medal for the second longest bream (42cm) and another silver medal for the four-man executive team.

With the prize giving over it was time to bring down the curtain on what can only be described as a competition the team will cherish for years to come. The team made good friends and earned respect from all our fellow competitors for the high level of South African sportsmanship and team spirit we displayed in Weymouth.

This was truly a memorable trip for the entire Protea team.