Fishing, above all else, can be considered the most levelling sport! One day can be the ‘highest of highs’, figuring out everything that needs to be figured out and making the correct adjustments… and the next day is an absolute disaster! The roller-coaster keeps on moving and taking us, its passengers, on a ride.
One thing is for sure, if you are a fisherman, no matter the results, you will do it all over again, giving it 100% every time you get on the water.
The Joey’s Bass Tournament Trail was back in town, wrapping up the 2021 season at our own Spioenkop Dam, which is a relatively new venue to many of the trail anglers, with just a handful knowing where to go and what to do.
For us locals, it was easier, as we knew that certain parts of the dam (mainly because of water temperature) would be better than others… and we were spot-on! During the many practice sessions, it was found that the 18-degree water temperature was the magic number and if you found it, you would most certainly find the fish.
Practicing for the event was tough, as cold fronts on almost every weekend put a spanner in the works… but you know us fishermen; we can give you many theories as to why we’re not catching them – we have all the excuses in the book and then some. The Spioenkop event was the last on the Joey’s calendar before the final and super final, with all boats fighting for a top 20 finish to make it into the lucrative final spot to be held at Albert Falls Dam next month.
From the top 20, it will be a final top 12 who will go through to a super final, which will take place again at Albert Falls – but this time it will be a provincial tournament trail event that hosts the top finishers from each tournament trail from around the country. The winners of the event win themselves an opportunity to fish a tournament in the States! The Spioenkop event started off well, with around 38 boats participating.
The word on the street was that the fishing was better on the upper part of the dam and without doubt, it was evident after almost all boats headed in that direction. We knew that whoever got to the spot first would eventually be in the pound seats, so to speak.
And we were not wrong… Ryan and Ryan, who were out of the starting blocks second, cruised to the top of the dam without breaking a sweat and immediately got stuck into some quality fish. We fished all our favourite spots, but those areas were absolutely dead! The water temperature in the main lake was not breaking 15 degrees and the fishing was really slow and tough. It was clear from the boat action in the main dam that all the boats were concentrated in the ‘hot-spot’, with almost everyone getting in on the action.
Ryan and Ryan took the honours for the day with an impressive bag of 10.520kg, followed very closely by Team Kazmarine Surety, who fell short by only 100g to take second place with 10.418kg. Third place was taken by ‘No Problem’ with 10.001kg. A phenomenal tournament knowing that all these fish were caught in one area. The overall result was the main attraction for me… The ‘Ballies’ – made up of Dave Thompson and Jon Swart – are the overall winners of the Joey’s Bass Tournament Trail for 2021.
Between them, they have more than 100 years’ experience on the fishing scene and if you’re lucky enough to be in their company, you will be entertained for hours with the stories and experiences of years gone by. One thing is for sure, the dedication, commitment and contribution to the sport of bass fishing has been unparalleled and we, as a bass fishing community, are very lucky to have them in our midst. So, well done to Team Ballies! We look forward to more battles on the water and many more enlightening conversations on the sport we love.
Lastly, we all know that the season is upon us and many bass anglers will be hitting the local spots at Spioenkop and other surrounding dams. With as much fun as the sport brings, I urge everyone to be reminded that it is the spawning season and those bigger fish need to be handled with care. Release the bigger fish, please, and take only what you require for the pot. There is nothing wrong with eating what you catch, but preserving the species for future generations is also very important.
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