Three young anglers to represent Mpumalanga

Three young local anglers have qualified for the Mpumalanga provincial team.

Jonele Conradie (13), Elzaan Conradie (15) and Juan-Dre Wallis (14) of Longtom Angling Club will represent North East Mpumalanga in a national freshwater bait angling competition in North West.

Last Tuesday they were practising dry proofing at Rooikatte. This is done twice a year to observe performance of anglers in a dry area where their furthest throw can be measured.

According to Chris Heymans, a selector at the club, the three anglers are very dedicated and are performing well. “As juniors they are supposed to throw as far as 80 metres in the water and they all have managed to reach that mark without any difficulty. They started by competing on club level, then they proceed to the provincial league and thirdly they were competing in the provincial trials.

“For them to perform well in the next competition they have to catch as many fish as they can, because they get 10 points for one fish and they need points to proceed to the next level,” he explained.

“I would like to urge the community to bring their children to join us during our practice on Wednesday at 14:00 at Rooikatte. It is free to learn the basics, so bring your kids and keep them away from the streets while they do something that will change them for the better,” he added.