Racetech Yamaha Jetski Classic 2011

Ponta may only be a mere 10km from the South African border but it may as well be 100km. Sure there are many comforts from home available somewhere in town, and if you stand in the right place on the right hill you don’t have to worry about roaming on your cell phone. These things aside though it is still an adventure getting there and a bit of an adventure being there. And then of course there is the fishing. Scattered up the coast are numerous reefs with an abundance of fish, and if you are there at the right time of year, you are in for a treat. And that is exactly what these fishermen got, a late Christmas present of the fishy kind. The ocean was alive, both beneath the surface and above, and the anglers got what they had come for – fish on the end of their lines.

The brilliant thing about an event like this is that it attracts all of the country’s top jet ski anglers, as well as anglers who have only just taken up the sport. There is nothing like mixing it with the best to bring out your best. Up and coming Jet ski anglers learning from the old hands. Old hands doing battle with old foes. Fierce rivalry on the water and fantastic camaraderie off it. The true spirit of what fishing is all about. And thanks to our sponsors an event like this is made possible. Racetech Yamaha in their second year as title sponsor are the countrys leading supplier of Jetskis for fishermen. Quattro finance provide for all the financial needs of fishermen – life,health,investment and insurance. CMH Datcentre Durban drove us to the event in the awesome all wheel drive Muranos, and are perfectly positioned to supply fishermen with the right vehicle for their fishing needs. All three of these sponsors have supported for the last couple years and make these events possible so we encourage all fishermen to show their support for these sponsors. Another new sponsor this year was Crabbies alcoholic Ginger Beer, and boy did the guys enjoy their ice cold Crabbies in the hot Mozambican sun. The competition days were only on Friday and Saturday and on Thursday all the competitors began to make their way to the host resort of Praia de Ouro Sul. Praia is a Mozambican 5 star resort nestled in the pristine sand dunes overlooking Ponta. With a mix of luxury tents and log cabins overlooking the sea, it is a perfect blend of nature and home comforts blended into one. Registration took place from 4:30pm and the guys signed themselves in and received their awesome goodie bags valued at close to R2 000 each. Each competitor received in their goody bag – A fantastic fishing shirt made by F-Sportz, A pair of awesome Dirty Dog Wet glasses newest style Furious, a free years subscription to Go Fish, Lures from Gladiator lures who were involved for second year in a row, sun protection from Island Tribe, bottle of Crabbie’s and goodies, caps from CMH and other little bits and bobs. The briefing took place at Praia’ awesome bar and dining area, and after a brief wait for the local officials (Mozambican time) the proceedings got under way. As is traditional the Maritime officers addressed us in Portuguese which was translated by one of the Praia staff, after which the local chief welcomed us and wished us well. A brief rundown of the competition and rules, followed by a few RnRs and 2Ms before the competitors made their way to bed for an early start. I think there were some serious lessons learnt last year as the party on the opening night was bit more subdued than the previous year and we didn’t have any competitors lining the backline with their chum lines the next morning.

Friday morning and the guys were starting to line up with torches on their heads such was the eagerness to get going. Saying this however it always a pleasure running an event like this when your competitors are so professional and only wait till you give them the go ahead to launch. Well as soon as first light made it safe to do so the guys were in the water and racing toward their hunting grounds. The camera crews raced out with them and very quickly it became apparent that the ocean was alive. The yellowfin tuna were everywhere, as were the various species of kingfish. Reports very quickly started to come back from the water that there catches a plenty. Lots of Yellowfin Tuna around the 5-7kg mark, along with bonnies and skipjack. There were also some big fish being lost. Exciting stuff. As the guys began to beach there was an air of eagerness to get back out there after lunch. Some chose to stay out but the sun was scorching, and thanks to Island Tribe they had plenty of protection. But many competitors were too hungry to stay and headed back in for a quick bite and a cold refreshing Crabbies.

After a brief lunch/brunch break, many of the guys headed back out for an afternoon session to try increase their fish tally. On Friday nights prizegiving it became apparently obvious that this was going to be a much tighter competition this year. Clive Murphy, last years winner and arguably the country’s top Jet ski angler was leading the way, followed closely by Mick Clarke, Neal Govender, Byron Kane, Heinrich Klein and a few others. The great thing is that almost everyone had some fish to show for their hard work. There were some particularly good catches- Byron Kaine landing a kingfish of almost 23 kgs, and Clive Murphy a prodigal son of 15.87kilos. Being a catch and release competition the competitors were all required to produce photos of the fish as they were all released back in the sea to fight another day. This was an added challenge for the guys as it s not easy to safely catch and release the larger species, and they all performed it admirably.

Saturday morning, and once again the beach was lined with eager fishermen champing at the bit to launch at first light, with Mick Clarke again first on the beach. He denied it but we think he may have slept on the beach. The wind was up and things were looking ominous but by the time the guys were ready to launch the wind had died down and continued to drop off as the morning sun rose higher in the sky. The second day was a bit shorter as the cut off time on the beach was 3pm. Many anglers chose to stay out till the bitter end and for many it paid off. On the water the birds were active and the anglers chased them desperate to land a big tuna that hopefully fed beneath the flurry of wings in the sky. Other anglers chose to focus on fishing various reefs in the hope that a big kingfish would consume their lure or bait. As time ran out the anglers made their way in and slowly began to make their way to Praia and the final ‘weigh –in’. Notable catches for the day included Heinrich Klein landing two nice size Kingfish of 16.73kg and 9.28 kg respectively, Martin Slabbert with a 7.28 kg Jobfish and Jake Van Zyl with a 17.58 kg yellowfin tuna. The points were tallied up and the event had a new winner- Neal Govender, who just pipped last years winner Clive Murphy to the post, and closely behind them was Mick Clarke, in fourth place Heinrich Klein and fifth place Byron Kane. So a great performance by Neal with a great species count and a lot of hard work out on the water, and he was duly congratulated by his fellow anglers. First placed angler received a cheque for R15 000 and prizes, all in excess of R30 000, including a GoPro full HD camera, Tyrnos 30 reel, C-tec battery charger, tackle from Gladiator lures, a Rapala tackle bag, fishing rods from DAM and Colmic, tackle from Halco lures. Second and third also received fantastic prizes including cash, reels and rods, and lures. We always like our competitors to walk away happy and gave prizes all the way to 17th place, as well as lucky draw prizes including holidays at Praia de Ouro Sul, Bali Hai, Pumula Beach Hotel and Paindane.

And then the party began and lasted into the wee hours of the morning for some. As the competitors made their way home on Sunday morning they were tired but had all enjoyed themselves and were looking forward to next years event. Go Fish magazine and Dirty Dog eyewear are very aware of the impact an event of this kind can have on a delicate eco system such as the Southern Mozambican coast, and that is why we were very insistent on enforcing the catch and release rule. We would like to thank all competitors for playing their part as well and sticking to the rules, thus ensuring that these events can take place without fuss in the future, and also helping to ensure our children and their children will be able to enjoy events of this nature. For more information on sustainable fishing and how you can help sustain our ocean life for future generations please visit www.wwfsassi.co.za