THE South African Shore Angling Association (SASAA) Surf Casting Nationals 2023 was recently held in Amanzimtoti, with Protea teams being selected to compete overseas.
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The SA championships, hosted by the Mpumalanga Shore Angling Association (MSAA), for the first time, saw 48 anglers from around the country compete in different age groups, namely, senior men, women, masters and provincial teams.
Convener of the tournament and secretary of MSAA, Theo Potgieter, said the venues for the three-day event were Amanzimtoti Main and Illovo beaches.
“The weather was great for the first two days. On day three, weather conditions made it tough and showed who the best-of-the-best in the facet were. On day one, a total of 433 fish were caught, day two saw 370 fish and day three saw 100 fish,” he said.
He said there were many trophies and medals handed out during the prestigious event, with the top three provinces being Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State.
Potgieter said four Protea teams have been chosen to represent South Africa in the 2024 World Championships held in Spain and Cyprus.
“The selection process looked at the three-year rankings to decide who will be fit to compete against the best-of-the-best internationally. Each team consists of five people, with a manager and coach,” he said.
Angler and captain for the winning Team Mpumalanga, Jace Govender, said he is excited to take part in next year’s world championships in Spain. On top of that achievement, the Protea angler will also be representing South Africa for surf casting in Italy, as well as in Namibia later this year for rock and surf angling.
Surf Casting South Africa chairperson Ashwin Singh thanked Govender, who is also the superintendent of beaches, for making it possible to fish on the pristine beaches, as well as for assisting with lifeguards and having safety measures in place for the tournament.
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Potgieter, on behalf of the MSAA, congratulated all the anglers and thanked councillor André Beetge and Govender for their assistance in the first event held in Toti. He also extended thanks to all those involved in planning and setting up the event, as well as all the sponsors who made the event possible.
The 2023 Junior SA Nationals will be held in Durban this month, and Potgieter encourages people to support them by either spectating, fundraising, giving prizes for lucky draws or donating to grow the future of the sport.
For more information, or to offer support, contact Theo Potgieter on 079 682 2450.
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