The Streetwire knockout finals of the Natal Fresh Water Angling Association took place on Sunday, May 7, at Richgate Park Chelmsford Dam.
The finals were the first three-way contest that involved the defending champions Itec Freespool, Docrats and Riverside Angling Club. Anglers started queuing early at the gates in order to secure good fishing spots as the dam has succumbed to dense vegetation and made angling this season rather tricky. As expected, the day began very slowly with almost no fish taking the baits till about midday, which left many anglers in despair. Riverside was set to take revenge over league champions Itec Freespool and for the first time this season, fielded a full 25-man team.
Anglers lost many fish due to them getting stuck as a result of debris and underwater vegetation. At the weigh-in anglers were disappointed with the day’s events.
Few nets produced with about one fish per net. It was a close affair with Riverside making history by being crowned Knockout Champions for the first time. The final score was Riverside 20 followed by Itec Freespool 13 and Docrats 12.
Ronnie Rampersadh earned himself R250 sponsored by Streetwire for landing the biggest catch of the day which was a carp of 2.25kg. The final competition for the season will be the Ebees Express Top 5 on May 21 at zone B Islands. This will see all the clubs top five anglers competing for a prize money of R3 000. See next week’s Courier for a photograph of the winning team.