NOMADS Game Fishing Club, one of six inland fishing clubs in Southern Gauteng, is making it its mission to promote the sport.
There are a number of inland deep-sea fishing clubs which all contribute to the revenue generated by recreational fishing in South Africa.
“This revenue is arguably greater than cricket, rugby and soccer put together. If you consider the overall costs, including accommodation, fuel, tackle, bait, drinks, boating and towing equipment, it is not difficult to believe,” said Mark Cockcroft, chairman of the club.
Mark said he would like to rekindle the interest in deep-sea fishing in Southern Gauteng and set the record straight with regard to the perception that fishermen are plundering our natural resources.
“I do not believe recreational catches are anywhere near the numbers caught by trawlers and illegal long-liner fishing vessels. That aside, Nomads was the pioneer in promoting the catching and releasing of bill fish and this philosophy has been adopted in all SADSAA (South African Deep Sea Angling Association) competitions.
“We were also one of the first clubs to promote the catch and release of non-pelagic game fish, such as kingfish, green job fish and the like, which are life-time residents on our reefs. SADSAA Competition rules now provide for the measuring and release of these fish. Competitive anglers are leading the way in terms of environmentally friendly fishing,” said Mark.
At the end of February, the Southern Gauteng Inter Club was held at Sodwana. Nomads club sponsors the entry for six teams a year to attend inter-club competitions on the KwaZulu-Natal coast. These are weekend competitions and the feeding ground for provincial anglers. The Nomads Closed is held once a year. This year it will be in June at Mapelane and all members are welcome. Beyond the club competitions, there are inter-provincials for game fish, light-tackle bill fish, heavy-tackle bill fish and bottom fish.
“Nomads is always well represented in the provincial teams and we boast a large number of Protea anglers who have fished at international level,” adds Mark.
“We would like to encourage anglers of all ages to look us up on our website, https://www.nomadsfishing.co.za/ or our Facebook page “Nomads Gamefishing”. Junior angling is growing rapidly in the zone and we are encouraging this area of development.”
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