Mega cash won by many bites

The setting sun cast a sublime rumination on the surface of the water as it lapped mellifluously against the bank of a dam.

A scene like that evokes therapeutic vibes that encompass all those drawn from a lifetime of passion for fishing.

On that fateful day, what commenced as banter between members of the Ladysmith Angling Club (LAC) evolved into the humongous competition that was organised last Saturday at Chelmsford Dam outside Newcastle.

The prophets of doom vociferated, “You guys are mad, you will never reach your target” and so forth, but the LAC members are a buoyant lot.

Fishing has infused a never-give-up temperament in their personality.

They raised funds via shows and sourced the necessary sponsors.

On the day of the competition, even the LAC members were charmingly surprised.

555 anglers – made up of men, women and children – cast in their lines, hoping to land a fish that would qualify for the first 10 heaviest in the scaled and non-scaled categories.

Such was the determination to win that one angler even arrived on foot.

The atmosphere among the “fisher persons” was a picture of friendly rivalry. Relative to the large number of lines cast, the number of fish weighed in was small – only 68 were weighed.

However, the leader board changed at an average of almost every hour. And that kept the anglers on tenterhooks.

They descended on the tranquil surroundings from Witbank, Pretoria, Kokstad, the Free State and surrounding towns.

There were special prizes for women anglers, as well as for juniors (children).

Prizes for lucky ticket holders were also handed out.

The eagerly-fought-for R30,000 cash went to Mr A Botha, who landed a 4.440kg carp. In the non-scaled category, the heaviest catch of a 4.420kg barbel added R10,000 into the pocket of Mr S Khan.

The raffle prize of a lounge suite valued at R7000 went to P Geldenhuys from Bloemfontein.

The first three heaviest catches in both the scaled and non-scaled categories won the respective anglers cash prizes.

It was a cast to remember!

Will the LAC do it again? You bet they will do so, simply because the plaudits from so many (even the Provincial Angling Association) made this exciting competition worth the effort.

Some of the responses to the question: Why do you fish?: “We fish because it takes skill”; “We fish because of the disconnect. On land, we are physically and digitally connected to our jobs and social obligations at all times. The water severs that connection. On the water, paradoxically, is where we feel the most grounded”; “We fish for those few precious seconds, sometimes even milliseconds, from when the fish first takes the bait to the reflex tug, setting the hook”; “We fish because we know the size of the last one that got away”.

A short cast for angling, a giant splash for Ladysmith. Here is a club that placed our town on the fishing map.

This one did not get away!

Thank you and well done, LAC.

“The LAC would like to thank all supporters, donors and sponsors for assisting and making this event a huge success,” said Mr V Govinder (president of the LAC).

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