TZANEEN – The Northern Small Craft Bass League (NSCBL) had their fourth competition of the 2025 season this past weekend with 35 anglers looking for the big one on Ebenezer Dam.

Ebenezer is known for its difficult fishing, so expectations to get many entries were not very high.

“All our expectations were exceeded when 35 anglers entered for the competition, which included four women and three junior anglers. We are very happy with the healthy growth of our league and cannot thank our sponsors enough for their contribution to building our league,” said Derick de Bruyn of the NSCBL.

Reports from pre-fish were that the fishing was tough, with mainly small fish being caught.

However, the anglers took to the fish waters with enthusiasm, positive that fortunes would change on early Saturday morning.

The fish were quite active in the morning, but the bites slowed down as the sun showed its bright smile over the crystal-clear water.

At 15:00, all anglers got off the water and gathered for the prize-giving.

Excitement grew as the scores started coming in. In the end, only 13 anglers managed to catch a five bass limit, with the majority of the anglers at least catching a couple of keepers.

Marnus Steyn from Tzaneen walked away with the win, with Adriaan Joubert from Phalaborwa in second place and Lourens Mathyssen, also from Phalaborwa, in third place.

Marnus also caught the biggest fish for the day, a largemouth bass of 40.5cm. Derick de Bruyn from Phalaborwa caught the biggest smallmouth bass of 37.5cm, a new NSCBL record.

The next competition is on Saturday, May 2, at De Hoop Dam. Anyone interested in joining the league can contact Derick de Bruyn at 083 605 5612.

A Limpopo small craft team will participate in a national event at Clanwilliam Dam in the Western Cape at the end of September and are currently running a raffle to raise funds for the national event.

You are also welcome to contact De Bruyn in connection with the raffle or any other sponsorship.