Extreme Fishing Africa is proud to be able to bring you updates on our women in Angling that has made waves in fishing recently at the SADSAA comp.
We have featured some of these very talented ladies on our page and we salute you for all of your achievements 🏆
We have this awesome write up by Mariette the ladies captain on their experiences in her own words.
The first all Ladies SADSAA team in 32 years
Thursday 03 February 2022 will be engraved in my memory forever as being one of the most joyous and proud days of my life. SADSAA President at the time – Philip Marx, called me at 15h30 to congratulate me for being selected as captain of the SADSAA Ladies team to compete in the 2022 Gamefish Nationals in Zinkwazi together with teammates Candice Coetzer and Michelle Richards 17 – 22 April 2022. Quickly local friends and family gathered out of nowhere to toast this great moment. My phone did not stop ringing for two days as congratulations and well wishes streamed in from all over the country. If I did not have ears, my smile would have gone around my head! Although we were not together at the time, Michelle and Candice did their own happy dance and celebrated this great achievement.
We left no stone untouched to best prepare for this tournament. We are the first all Ladies SADSAA team selected in 32 years, so expectations of us were high and the pressure was on. We meticulously prepared main traces and bite traces, we put new line on our reels and packed in every trick in the book that would give us the best chance of achieving the best possible results. And then the flood waters rushed through Zinkwazi mere days before the start of the tournament, causing severe damage to the infrastructure and necessitating the organizing committee to postpone the tournament. The disappointment was immense! We were all hyped up and ready for action . . . like being all dressed up and nowhere to go . . .
Mother Nature eventually cleared the flood waters and the lagoon mouth closed. Fishing picked up slowly but surely. We got the new dates of the tournament that was set for 3 – 8 June 2022 but low and behold, a week before the tournament was due to start, a second rush of flood waters came by Zinkwazi. Luckily the damage was not so heavy this time around, so the tournament could go ahead. The only downside was the rivers coming down, flooding the sea with muddy water. Not conducive for the great fishing Zinkwazi is known for.
I met up with the ladies in Zinkwazi on Friday 3 June. We had never fished together as a team. Candice and Michelle are old fishing buddies and both legends in their own right. So before we go any further, let me introduce our team.
Michelle Richards (Natal)
Her husband used to go out deep sea fishing for pleasure quite often, and she joined him a few times, then the bug started biting and from there the journey began. She started fishing in the Club monthly meets, and also competed in some Interclubs. She did her first Interzonal in Pennington in 2013 and attained her Provincial colours in both facets of Gamefish and Bottomfish before attaining her SADSAA colours for Gamefish in 2022.
Some hi-lights of her career:-
26.36 Kg Wahoo on 10 Kg line, (All Africa record)
14.26 Kg Prodigal Son on 6 Kg line (All Africa record)
Our “All Ladies” Natal Team won Silver medals in 2019 WSC Bonanza
28.5Kg Mussel Cracker open class, (All Africa record)
Her daughter Bronwyn also attained her Provincial Colours in Bottom fishing and it seems to be rubbing off on her granddaughter as well now
Being Selected for an “All Ladies” SADSAA side, which has not been done since 1990, and still managed to get into the medals;
Having obtained Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in various Competitions;
And the most important is the achievement of knowing as a Lady Angler we have the respect and backing of our fellow Anglers.
In her own words:
“My passion for fishing does not come without a major part of the amazing support we receive and can only praise those who have helped us achieve along the way. Tracy Hardman was instrumental in being our mentor at the Interzonals in Pennington and our journey forward, along with our NDSAA Committee and Selectors for believing in us and pushing us along the steppingstones to the next level. All the skippers and fellow anglers who have encouraged us and taught us a few “tricks of the trade” to up our game, I can only say thank you to everyone involved for making this possible. The ocean is certainly soothing to the soul, and just being out at sea doing what you love makes all the difference. Watching the whales, dolphins, birds and turtles is a treat on its own, as well as some spectacular sunrises. I used to sail a lot so can appreciate the “moods” of the sea. Music to the ears of screaming reels is also a huge bonus”
Candice Coetzer (Natal)
She was caught hook line and sinker 28 years ago when she met her husband and they went deep sea angling - been hooked ever since that day. They moved to Winkelspruit (Toti) in 2004, joined the Warnerdoone Skiboat Club and have been members since. She fished her first Interzonal in 2013 at Pennington and progressed from there to captain Zonal and Interprovincial teams and receiving her Natal colours.
Some hi-lights of her career;
Formal IGFA competitive level achievements received:
Gold – Gamefish Zonals and Light tackle billfish Nationals
Sliver – Gamefish Interprovincial
Bronze – Light tackle billfish Interprovincial, Heavy tackle billfish Interprovincial and Gamefish Nationals SADSAA
Social IGFA affiliated competitive level achievements received
2nd place - Mapelane Billfish trophy
2nd place – OET Billfish and gamefish
Her preference is fishing IGFA rules with 10kg line... in-case she land a record fish, She’s caught many fish but her favourites are mentioned below.
Winning gold at Durban Skiboat ladies comp 16kg Couta
Winning First place ladies at Port Edward 14 & 16 kg Tuna
Wahoo 22.5kg and 25 kg
Bill fish T&R - Blue Marlin est 160kg, 3x Sailfish, 2x Stripped Marlin, Black Marlin estimated 230Kg
Queenfish 8kg, Prodical Sun 9kg, Little Eastern Tuna 9kg, Tuna 18kg
Mussel cracker 17.5kg, Geelbek 9kg, Scotchman 8kg
In her own words:
Fishing for Natal and now SADSAA is what I truly pride myself and continuously prove my fishing abilities on a more formal competitive level. Deep sea fishing is part of our lifestyle in our household - fishing social as well as pursuing the more formal facet of the sport adds excitement and also the opportunity to share and learn from others. I always have a positive attitude and a good sense of humour when fishing with other anglers or team members...good karma on the boat makes a good day’s fishing worthwhile. I get so much joy knowing I am fishing on par with fellow male anglers as there is no ladies “golf tee” we are all equal and fish in the same weather conditions and waters. I enjoy fishing with my fellow lady team members as we have so much fun but when it is competition time we give it our all and we usually give the men a run for their money. I and am so grateful to all who have made it possible from my team members, skippers, Natal selectors and my family - Thank you
I love waking up in the early hours of the morning knowing we are off to fish, waiting for first light and launching into the amazing sunsets. It is a great pleasure to have the dolphins swim with the boat, to see the whales so close and ever-so-often have a turtle pop up. The sea is my retail therapy, my happy space. My passion for fishing is what keeps me positive. I have fun and I enjoy and embrace what nature provides.
Mariette Hendriksz (Gauteng)
My family are keen deep-sea anglers, one of a few in the country with 3 generations of SADSAA anglers. There’s an old saying; If you can’t beat them – join them. Now My family live, eat, sleep and breathe, ANGLING, and I was not about to miss out on the fun. I became a competitive angler in own right and thoroughly enjoy game and bill-fishing. I caught my first deep sea fish in 1992, my first Billfish in 2000. I obtained my Provincial Colours in 2014. Since then, I have represented my Province at 6 x National Championships. 2 in Gamefish, 2 in Light Tackle Billfish and 2 in Heavy Tackle Billfish Nationals.
A few highlights of my career
Our team won the Billfish 15000 – my contribution to the win, a Black Marlin of approximately 150 kilos.,
100,2 kg Yellowfin Tuna on 24Kg line – the first one to break the magical 100Kg mark in Natal waters
3 x Bluefin Tuna caught in Italy
5 x Sailfish
8 x Marlin
8 x Club Records, 6 x Gauteng Records, 3 x SADSAA Records, 9 x All Africa Records, 1 x World Record
To be chosen as Captain of the first All Ladies SADSAA team in 32 years.
I enjoy fishing and spending time on the vast ocean – I always thank God for the privilege to be able to “play in His garden”. After some time on the water, I return home physically exhausted but mentally refreshed and renewed. I do not think of anything other than how to catch the next big one. It is addictive to say the least.
Dorado Ski Boat Club had an annual development week for many years in which ladies, juniors, old, young, experienced and rookies would all be mixed into teams and equipped to fish against one another in a club competition. Rotating boats. I am a product of that development effort! Never underestimate the importance or success of those initiatives. Yes, you do get many passengers that disappear after the good time, but every once in a while, you get a success story that would not have been possible otherwise! To all the skippers, ghillies and administrators, that invested countless time and energy in anglers like me, I salute you
So without further a due;
Friday night we had the formal opening ceremony, and we were capped, welcomed, briefed, and blessed by Natal and South African Deep Sea Angling Associations’ dignitaries who were very well represented.
Saturday morning, we got up at 04h15 and met with the other teams at the club. We met up with our skipper for the day and explained our game plan. He warned us that it was not the usual way of fishing off Zinkwazi but also acknowledged that we were not fishing under normal Zinkwazi conditions with the cold dirty water around.
As a team, we based our game plan on a few facts. Because I am not from the area and never fished from Zinkwazi before, I invested in a couple of pre-fishing trips to familiarise myself with the area and conditions. The last of these, was the day before the tournament started. The conditions were so bad, that the local charters were not prepared to launch and considered it to be a waste of time and money. According to them, no one fished there in weeks. I had to call on a friend in Ballito to launch from there and bring me up to Zinkwazi. In my opinion it was well worth the effort. Bait was super-scares, virtually a rumour, and precious hours were wasted looking for bait in all the usual spots. Worse still, when you eventually do find bait, nothing takes the live bait. Michelle and Candice had their own “intelligence” secret agents that kept them up to speed with what was happening – and they came to the same conclusion... Desperate times calls for desperate measures! We need to cover as much water as possible and find cleaner water. Fishing with artificial lures was the answer for us. We did look for live bait, but not for too long. We did fish for snoek, but not for too long. Then we concentrated our efforts on trolling with lures, covering as much water as possible over all the usual fishing spots and in pursuit of cleaner water. The surprised (even condemning) looks from our opponents when we passed them at trolling speed, was quite a source of amusement for us ladies.
Everyone loves it when a plan comes together! We were elated when we hooked up with a Bonny. In the middle of nowhere in transit between the usual fishing spots, in search of cleaner water. The fact that we covered more water than anyone else in the fleet, paid off. It was a border case weigher since the minimum weight for tuna species other than Yellowfin Tuna, was set at 3kg. This turned out to be the only fish caught for the day and we had lots of support and anticipation at the weigh-in that afternoon. The bonny turned out to weigh 3.2kg On 10kg line class this hardly produced a lot of points on the SADSAA scoring system, but the fact remained, we were the only successful team for the day, however small the success may have been.
Sunday morning, we woke up to rainy cold weather and rough sea conditions. After postponing the launch for a while, the weather committee decided to send out a weather boat to assess the conditions at sea. When the weather boat returned, the team captains were called together and the weather committee reported the sea conditions to be uncomfortable, but not unsafe. Team captains could decide if the day was to go ahead or not. Since there were no safety issues, the Ladies team was the first to say that we will go fish and the other teams followed suit (mostly with long lips – I might add). We had a national selector, Barry Turk, on board with us and we were bound to show our worth regardless of the rough conditions. We ran down all the way to Ballito where some yellowfin tuna came out the previous day. We stopped at all the bait spots on route and eventually got a variety of lovely bait like Maasbanker and Shad. We did not get a bite on the live bait and switched from dead bait to live bait to lures. No bite on any of these! Super frustrating! It turned out to be a real crappy day on the sea and the conditions worsened to the point where the competition had to be called off for the day before we were even halfway through. However, the Natal U/21 team managed to catch a big snoek of 9kg. The only fish for the day. Two fish in two days – unheard of for Zinkwazi fishing!
Monday morning, we agreed that our original game plan was still the best. We can always adjust it if the switch came on and fish came on the bite with livies or dead bait, but until then, we must stick to what worked for us. Our skipper for the day, wholeheartedly bought in on our game plan and we concentrated all our efforts on lure fishing. Once again, because we covered so much water, we hooked up with a lovely snoek, in transit between fishing spots. There was no end to the smiles and high spirits on the boat. We stuck to our guns, and so far, it has really paid off for us. This time we had a proper weigher and could not wait to sport it at the weigh-in. The snoek weighed in at 7.7kg, giving us another small, but sure boost up the points ladder. The Natal senior team weighed in a nice yellowfin tuna of 15kg. This placed them in the lead, with the U/21 team in second place. We hung onto that 3rd place, in line with our mission for the week – to catch a medal by any means permittable!
Tuesday morning, the anglers and skippers gathered in the tell-tale groups in front of the boats at the launching site. The launch was postponed by an hour for a couple of times in the hope that the surf conditions will give us a gap to launch. This never happened and the day was called off due to unsafe surf conditions.
Blow-outs bring about their own set of challenges as any competitive angler knows only to well. I am an Afrikaans speaking person – one of only a few in the tournament. Because I do not speak English that often, my English is like air-time . . . it runs out eventually . . . so I needed a recharge. The Afrikaans speaking anglers gathered around DJ Ockie, and we lured our English speaking friends into singing all the lekker Afrikaans songs. I think poor Sean Hackland and Shaun Aspden still have the fishing tunes like “Tune, Tune Baboon” stuck in their heads. We had good fun and the low spirits due to the lack of fish coming out, was lifted up where it belongs.
Wednesday morning everyone was up early, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready for the last day of fishing. We were blessed with a beautiful day on the sea and one of the best boats in the fleet. Needless to say, we stuck to our game plan with the full cooperation and support of our skipper for the day. We caught the most fish for the day, but only one unit weighed. Unfortunately, you cannot always order the size of the fish at the other end of the line. We had good fun catching 3 x yellowfin tunas and 1 x Bonito. We switched to bait fishing towards midday, just for in case, but to no avail. We were thankful for our catches and satisfied with what our resolve turned up for us during the week. If it was enough, was yet to be seen. We eagerly weighed in our catches. The yellowfin tunas were all just under the minimum weight of 6kg and the Bonny weighed in at 3.2kg – we ended like we started! We hovered around the scale like vultures, curious and anxious to see what the other teams caught. Southern Gauteng weighed in two Bonnies and then the Natal U/21’s tuned up with a big yellowfin tuna and three species to double the lekker points the yellowfin awarded them. They were undoubtedly the winners – and well deserved so!
At the prize giving Natal U/21’s won Gold, Natal Seniors Silver, and us, the first all Ladies SADSAA team in 32 years, won bronze medals!!!!
It was such a proud moment! We had a clear goal, a well formulated gameplan, consistent performance throughout the week – and a Bronze Medal to show for it. It was more than we could hope for under the difficult fishing conditions that left most teams empty handed for the entire week.
31 years ago, Arlene Joubert, Dorothy Uys and Anette Sparg, won Gold at Sodwana during an International Tournament in which they participated as an All Ladies SADSAA team. We knew we had big shoes to fill after 32 years, and we gave it our very best shot! And was rewarded with a medal of our own!
May this be an encouragement to all the Lady Anglers out there. It can be done! Keep on doing what you’re doing. Hone your skills at every available opportunity that presents itself and keep pushing forward. The reward is well worth the effort
!
Photo resources: Extreme Fishing Africa
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