Angler gives shark the boot

THE Zululand Ladies Team recently ended in sixth place at the South African Shore Angling Championships after fishing for three days at Langebaan on the West Coast.

Nine provinces competed in this year’s competition which saw the Zulu ladies end on 254.79 points after some successful catches.

The Zululand team consisted of six anglers: Dalene Swart, Heather Tiltmann, Liezel Steenkamp, Maryna Nieuwenhuis and Samanthra Naidoo. Coach Rudolph Scheepers and Guide Anand Naicker accompanied the team to Langebaan.

Day one was fished at Varkvlei in good conditions.

There was excitement when Dalene Swart saw a Cow Shark heading her way. Swart managed to kick the Shark to keep it at bay, but got her gum boot hooked and it was pulled right off her foot, leaving the angler to land the shark with the boot attached.

Next was Liezel Steenkamp’s turn.

After landing three Cow Sharks, she almost landed her fourth one when she was stabbed in the shin by a Blue Ray’s spike.

Steenkamp managed to get to shore where the officials were quick to attend to the wound and sent her to hospital for treatment.

Much to the surprise of the other anglers, after treatment at the hospital, Liezel rejoined the competition later in the day.

But despite the drama, the Zulu Girls ended in first place after day one, with the whole team adding to the score board.

Day two saw the team drop into second position after producing a total of eight fish.

The conditions were not good at Soverby, where some places produced a one metre shore break, which is big for that area.

The shore line was covered in thick kelp and the anglers’s lines kept getting snagged.

The last day saw anglers back at Varkvlei with Dalene catching three out of the four Cow Sharks for the team.

The team persevered and ended the day with four Cow Sharks and some smaller Blue Rays, Blunt Nose Sandies and a smooth Hound.

Unfortunately it was not enough to put the team into podium position and they ended sixth overall.

The prize-giving ceremony saw Liezel Steenkamp receive her Protea colours again, and she will represent South African at the World Championships, which will be held in France later this year.

Steenkamp and Tiltmann will fish for the Protea side, which will compete against Namibia this year.

Tiltmann received the trophy for the top veteran angler.

‘Our team is grateful for all those who assisted us with our fund-raising making it possible for us to attend the SA Championships. We are proud to be ‘Zulu’s,’ said Zululand Ladies Shore Angling captain Heather Tiltiman.

Final results

1 Eastern Province 330.82 points

2 KwaZulu-Natal 311.09 points

3 Boland 282.65 points

4 West Coast 262.68 points

5 South Cape 255.34 points

6 Zululand 254.79 points

7 Western Province 242.73 points

8 Border 240.52 points

9 Gauteng North 215.92 points