Help Luke get to world champs
A young man from Hoedspruit and a matric learner at Stanford Lake College (SLC) in Magoebaskloof has been selected to represent South Africa at the Youth World Fly Fishing Championship in Bosnia and Herzegovina in June.
Luke Fairhead (18), a passionate fly fisherman, says he has been fly fishing since he was five years old. “I started fly fishing competitively in 2019, and last year I made the SASACC fly fishing team and competed in the Czech Republic.” Not only has he competed in all the youth national championships in the last three years, but he has also competed in the men’s division. “I also head the fly fishing club at SLC where I teach how to tie flies and fly fish effectively,” he added.
Luke is looking for sponsors to help him to attend the championship in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Despite spending almost all of my spare time collecting funds by tying custom fly orders, I will not be able to raise enough for the trip and I am in need of some financial support,” Luke told the Herald. As a boarder at SLC, he is hoping to maintain his distinction average this year in order to get financial support to go to university. “I hope that competing at the world championship will give me the momentum I need to secure a job as a professional guide after university.”
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He said there is a misconception that only trout and salmon can be caught fly fishing, but bigger species such as catfish, tuna, and sharks can be fly-fished with some gear adjustments. “I am on my way to the Eastern Cape to catch kabeljou, leervis, and grunter on fly. I have caught these on conventional tackle, but the challenge of taking a fish in the surf with a rod that’s difficult to cast far and with a fly, you have tied yourself, is so much more rewarding,” said Luke.
Luke’s fly fishing CV includes among other achievements Limpopo’s win in the Youth National Championships for the first time in 15 years last year. He also has captained the Limpopo men’s team last year, he said. He is ranked second overall in South Africa for youths. “Any donations will not only be an investment into the competition, but an investment into my future,” Luke said. To help Luke to get to the fly fishing championships in Bosnia and Herzegovina, go to Back a Buddy: www.backabuddy.co.za/champion/project/luke.
