Clean sweep for Ballito fly fishing master Daniel
Aside from the overall win at the national youth championships, Daniel also claimed trophies for the biggest and most fish and was awarded the sportsmanship trophy.
Ballito’s Daniel Duane (18) stormed to victory at the South African Fly Fishing Youth Nationals, winning every individual trophy on offer.
Held near Parys on the Vaal River, the event from October 5-9 drew the country’s best under-18 anglers from five provinces, with Duane facing off against 36 others for the title.
Over the four days of fishing, the anglers competed across five three-hour sessions at different locations on the river. They amassed scores through a combination of the number and length of fish caught, while receiving bonuses for winning sessions.
“I felt good pretty much from the beginning, when I made good catches early on. Luckily I was able to carry this momentum through all of the sessions,” said Duane.
He won all five of the sessions in his group, catching 11, 10, 5, 6 and 11 fish respectively for a total of 43 fish and 42 060 points. This was enough for a comfortable overall win, beating out Limpopo’s Kade Thompson (29 280 points) and Cape Winelands’ Le Roux Roos (29 020 points).
“I was obviously very stoked to come away with the win! This is my third junior champs and I only have one more to go, so it was really awesome to have got it done,” he said.
Aside from the overall win, Duane also hauled in trophies for the biggest and most fish, while being awarded the sportsmanship trophy as nominated by his fellow anglers. The only thing he did not win was the team competition, with KwaZulu-Natal A finishing fourth overall, and Limpopo A taking gold.
Duane has been fly fishing for around six years with father Graeme, who has also competed in national championships. He cites the section of the Mooi River in the Kamberg as his favourite place to fish.
A part of the first matric class at Reddam House Ballito, Duane will now turn his attention to final exams which loom large on the calendar. For a full list of results from the Youth Championships, visit flyfishsouthafrica.co.za.
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