Pro anglers ride the surf
Producing some outstanding catches as clubs went out seeking glory and the top of the league table, a rejuvenated Challengers team fielded a full side.
The third round of the VME League at Sandford was fished on November 8.
Producing some outstanding catches as clubs went out seeking glory and the top of the league table, a rejuvenated Challengers team fielded a full side.
This included new recruits wishing to make their mark in the Angling Professional League (APL).
Stillwaters was equally determined to cause an upset on the day, and gave the more fancied teams a run for their money.
After many seasons, the fish seemed to finally be on the bite.
Breakwaters weighed in with 197 points, followed by Challengers on 151 points and Stillwaters on 108 points.
Many nets of fish meant officials had their work cut out for them.
The day’s stand-out angler was Kaveer Singh of Breakwaters, who raked in 30 points to receive both the orange and purple caps, crowned the day’s top angler and the overall log leader.
He pocketed R200 and the outright trophy for outstanding achievements.
Ebrahim Mia was the top scorer for Challengers with 22 points, while Barge Ramlal recorded 17 points for Stillwaters.
Uthveer Buduram caught an impressive eel, which tipped the scale at 1,75 kilograms.
Challengers’ Suleman Limbada caught the heaviest carp, weighing 3,5kg, while teammate Ebrahim Mia bagged the heaviest barbel of 5,9kg.
The day’s top five anglers were: Kaveer Singh (30 pts), Shane Mangaroo (17 pts), Terence Chetty (17 pts), Barge Ramlal (17 pts) and Gert Burger (17 pts).
The current VMW League log standings after three rounds of competition, see Breakwaters on 16 tops at its head, followed by Challengers on 14 pts and Stillwaters on six.
With three rounds of the League left, it promises to be a gruelling season to come, as the APL gathers momentum and members.
Title contenders for the season, for Breakwaters and Stillwaters, include Minesh Gopi for the heaviest scaled fish – 3,36kg, Amith Datadin for the heaviest non-scaled fish – 5,47kg, Vicky Bhooli for the heaviest scaly – 840 grams and Uthveer Buduram for the heaviest eel – 1,75kg.
Ethan Burger leads junior rankings with his kurper of 625g and eight points.
Oosie Oosthuizen is in a strong position for the Champion of Champion crown, while Kidd Rampersadh has eight points towards the Senior Angler of the Year.
Kaveer Singh is in contention for several titles.
These include the Highest Points Scorer with 30 points, the League Champion with 37 points, most fish caught with 18 and the coveted Angler of the Year title with 45 points.
The next major event of the APL is its inaugural Open Competition on November 29.
League Four, the next official fixture of the APL, takes place at Richgate Park on January 10, 2016.
