Reel competitive angling within the NFWAA

The third round of the Natal Fresh Water Angling Association League was held at Richgate Park, Ntshinwayo (Chelmsford) Dam on Sunday.

All six teams were well represented and determined to stop the winning streak of front-runners, Itec Freespool Angling Club.

Receding water levels at the dam exposed new fishing spots and ensured there was ample space for all anglers.

The weather gods ensured conditions were perfect, but the fish still proved elusive.

Anglers had to adapt to the changing water conditions and try new methods and bait to lure the fish into taking the bite.

Although fishing was tough for most, the final results proved catches have improved of late.

Itec Freespool finished in first position with a haul of 68 points, closely followed by Docrats with 62, Riverside with 52, Dannhauser 45, Chelmsford 41 and Glencoe on 23 points.

The heaviest carp was a specimen of 3,25 kilograms caught by Vish Pillay of Riverside.

The heaviest barbel weighed 2,26kg and was caught by Sanjeev Singh of Chemlsford, while the angler of the day was Quintus Oosthuizen of Itec Freespool, whose eight fish contributed 18 points towards his club’s winning total.

This round of the NFWAA League saw the R1 000 cash prize pocketed by Itec Freespool.

There are three more league fixtures left in the season, thus presenting three more opportunities for clubs to contest for top honours.

NFWAA president, Liaquat Ahmed stated, “The narrow points difference between the clubs is an encouraging sign of healthy competition, and this augers well for the future.”

The first round of the knock-out was fished on October 25 and dished out some surprising results.

Glencoe and Chelmsford progressed at the expense of their more fancied opponents, Docrats and Chelmsford respectively.

In a closely-contested fixture, Dannhauser had to concede to high-flying Freespool.

The semi-final of the knock-outs will pit Freespool against Chelmsford and is scheduled for January 31 next year.

The winner of this duel fishes against Glencoe in the final.