Umdloti angler wins fishing grand slam and brand new kayak
To complete the grand slam, an angler needs to hook nine pre-determined species of fish over the course of a year.
One expert Umdloti angler walked away with a brand-new kayak last weekend after hooking all nine target species in a year-long competition.
Garryd Ensor-Smith earned his Stealth ProFisha 575 prize as the Umdloti Beach Ski Boat Club’s annual grand slam kayak fishing competition concluded on Sunday afternoon.
Organiser Justin Evans said 50 anglers participated in the 2025 edition of the event, which he describes as “the ultimate test of a kayak fisherman’s skill.”
“It’s an extremely challenging competition. Each species requires different techniques and tackle, and they are targeted in different seasons and conditions throughout the year, from January 1 to December 31,” said Evans.
Target species included yellowfin tuna, dorado, queen mackerel, king mackerel, wahoo, giant trevally, garrick, queenfish and billfish. Grand slam status is achieved only once all the nominated species have been caught.
Only Ensor-Smith achieved the full grand slam last year, securing top honours. Second place went to Arrin Walton and third to Rowan Coleman.
Anglers had to submit video evidence of each entry, showing the start of the tape measure at the mouth, tracking it to the fork of the tail, and then zooming out to display the entire fish, including the tape measure.
Compulsory release applied to garrick, kingfish, queenfish and billfish. As the goal was to return these species to the water as quickly as possible, they carried a fixed points allocation and did not require measurement. Points for the other five species were allocated according to weight.
The competition also included a beach clean-up targeting plastic along the shoreline.
The 2026 edition is already under way, with some impressive catches registered.
“It’s been a good start to the year. We have had clean water and high water temperatures, which have created ideal conditions,” said Evans.
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