An angling competition with a difference

The annually hosted Easter Angling Competition was once again a huge success, with more than 600 anglers competing and N$18 000 in prize money paid out to the respective winners.

Anglers could cast their lines at 06:00, with the scale closing at 16:00. The fishing area was anywhere along the coast, and all fish had to be weighed in at the Henties Bay Golf Club. Rudi Joubert from Walvis Bay won N$15 000 sponsored by Burgers Autozone for the heaviest edible fish. He caught a kabeljou of 14.7kg at Canopy on crab.

The Easter Angling Competition is hosted by the Dutch Reformed Church in Africa as a fundraiser and is different from other angling competitions. To give all participants an equal and fair chance, a secret weight is set before the competition in the kabeljou, steenbras, and galjoen categories, which is more within reach of most anglers.

“This year it was decided that a 4kg kabeljou or steenbras and a 1kg galjoen are achievable weights for any angler fishing from the beach. The secret weight was determined by subtracting 0.24kg (from the current year 2024) from 4kg = 3.76kg. The galjoen’s secret weight was 0.976kg. The fish weighing closest to the secret weight are the winners in each species category,” explained Reverend Leon Janse van Rensburg, a member of the organising committee.

The respective first-place winners took home N$3 000 each. Wickus Viljoen from Hentiesbaai weighed in a kabeljou of 3.85kg. He made the catch on sardine as bait at Canopy. Francois Wahl from Windhoek weighed in a steenbras of 2,35kg. He made the catch at Mile 87 on octopus as bait. Krynauw Bouwer of Windhoek weighed in a galjoen of 1kg. He caught the fish at Jakkalsputz on white mussels as bait.

Gideon de Klerk from Windhoek weighed in the heaviest kolstert of 1.3kg and earned N$1 000. He made the catch at Mile 72 on white mussels. Simon Anderson from Swakopmund weighed in the heaviest barber of 0.55kg and won N$1 000. He made the catch at Mile 26 on sardine as bait. Annabel Burger, Herman Engelbrecht, and Abrie van Wyk pocketed N$1 000 cash prizes in the lucky draw competition. Janet Engels won a voucher worth N$1 000. Forty-five other competitors won prizes worth N$26 710.

“Apart from tickets sold in the parish, more than 300 anglers bought tickets from fishing tackle shops such as Fish Reaper, Angler's Kiosk, and Bushwackers. Forty-eight anglers weighed in fish, and many more who didn't catch anything came to see if they could buy a fish at the auction. More than 2 000 pancakes were eaten!” said Janse van Rensburg.

The event, which has been hosted annually since 1992, generated N$159 517 with an auction contributing N$9 500, ticket sales of N$82 000, sponsors N$58 000. Pancakes sold in the tent generated N$2 167, and at Spar, N$7 800.

"These funds become part of the parish's operating budget. We are 180 members, spread over Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Henties Bay, and we use this income every year to get the church's work done. This includes every Sunday's worship services, learning opportunities to educate children in faith, community projects to promote the Christian faith, and performing services of mercy,” said Janse van Rensburg.