SPORT: SAPS reel in the big fish

On the evening of February 22, the anglers gathered at Snips Bird Park for their prize giving ceremony, where the fisherman were awarded for their hard work and dedication.

March 13, 2018

Zianne Leibrandt 2 minutes read

The dawn of new era began 29 years ago, when SAPS members across KwaZulu-Natal took to the waters, armed with fishing rods, bait and tackle, to participate in the very first SAPS Freshwater Inter Police Angling competition.

29 years later, members of the SAPS still walk in the footsteps of the pioneers.

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This year was no different as teams from Newcastle, Ladysmith, Vryheid and the Midlands congregated at Chelmsford (Ntshingwayo) Dam from February 20 to February 23, for the prestigious, three day Provincial trials.

A total of 37 members competed and caught a total of 845 fish, which weighed in at a total combined weight of 527.77kg by the end of the compitition.

By the end of the first day, Newcastle had taken an almost assailable lead, with Constable Birbal catching 14 fish with a combined weight of 16.2kg..

However, Midlands A Team came back strong by day two and found themselves as the leaders on the log.

Anglers had to endure stuck lines due to the underwater vegetation as well as losing a lot of fish in the process.

Ladysmith fought hard on day three, ending up in third place.

Midlands A had once again defended their title, and held on to the Provincial Commissioners Shield, with Midland B as their runners up.

Unfortunately Newcastle A and Teams had to be content with fourth and fifth finishes respectively.

The fish caught during the tournament were as follows:

– The heaviest carp was reeled in by Warrant Officer Manilal of Midlands A, weighing 3.219 kg.

– Colonel van Jaarsveld of Midlands A bagged the heaviest barbel, which weighed 2.10kg and the heaviest scaled weighing 280gr.

– The biggest kurper weighing 248gr was caught by Captain Shabir Ismail, and the heaviest eel of 105 grams was caught by Warrant Officer Janeke, both from the Newcastle teams.

On the evening of February 22, the anglers gathered at Snips Bird Park for their prize giving ceremony, where the fisherman were awarded for their hard work and dedication.

Captain Shabir Ismail said that although the sport was unfunded, it was the member’s enthusiasm and dedication which ensured that the event was a continued success since its inception.

The high point of the evening was that Captain Barnard of Midlands A, who had fished in his last SAPS competition, and was getting ready to retire at the end of March this year.

He had left a legacy behind for all anglers to follow, and closed his fishing career as the winner of the Victor Ludorum Trophy, with 67 fish with a total bag weight of 52.39kg.

Before the evening drew to a close, 24 anglers were selected to fish at the SAPS Interdepartmental Compitition, where they will be competing against the Department of Correctional Services in April.

Teams were also selected to represent KZN at the SAPS Nationals in October, where they will fish against teams from the other eight provinces.

Congratulations to all the winners, and all the best to Captain Barnard on his pending retirement!