Alwyn Takes The Lead!

The UKFC Grand Slam Competition 2018 is heating up with Alwyn Oberholster being the first to catch all 10 species of fish in this species competition. But will he be able to stay in front? This month (January) sees the end of the 2018 Grandslam Competition of the Umgeni Kayak Fishing Club (UKFC), and as of writing this article (November – Ed) Alwyn Oberholster was the first to catch all the 10 qualifying species. But would he be able to stay in front? The Grandslam Competition is a members only competition that runs from 1 January to 31 December of each year. It is a points-based competition with the winner receiving the prestigious Grandslam Floating Trophy. The aim of the competition is to catch 10 species, namely King Mackerel (Couta), Queen Mackerel (Natal Snoek), any species of King fish, any billfish, Dorado, Wahoo, Tuna, Garrick, Queen Fish and any species of freshwater fish with a minimum fork length of 30cm. The competition enables member to both compete and conserve. To qualify as a legal catch, Kingfish, billfish, Garrick and Queen Fish must be released alive. Extra points are awarded for Tuna and Dorado that are released alive and an additional 10 points are awarded to members who participate in the annual beach clean-up. To enter a fish into the competition, a member must take video evidence of a tape measurement of the fish from the tip of the jaw to the fork of the tail and say the magic words while taking the video - name, surname, species, of fish, UKFC Grandslam and the year of the competition. To enter Kingfish, billfish, Garrick and Queen Fish, the video must also show the successful release of the fish. To catch the 10 species on the list in a lifetime is no small feat! To catch all 10 species of fish in a single year off a kayak is a true reflection of any fisherman’s skills. Alwyn Oberholster has not only managed to catch all 10 species but has recently taken the overall lead in the competition. He ticked off the last species on his list when he recently managed to catch and release a magnificent sailfish at Cape Vidal. Two other members are within striking distance, Markus Potgieter and Paul Nixon with Wally Ley and Emile du Preez in fighting fourth and fifth paces respectively. With the writing of this article they still had 6 weeks to catch up. With good fishing and weather experienced over the last few weeks, positions are bound to change. The final scores will be tallied up in January and it is anyone’s guess if Alwyn will manage to hold on to his lead. Umgeni Kayak Fishing Club (UKFC) The Umgeni Kayak Fishing Club (UKFC) was established 9 years ago and provides a platform for its members to become part of a social kayak fishing club. Since its establishment, the Club has been a big talking point amongst enthusiastic fishermen and has spurred on a rejuvenation of a lot of structures within the sport. The Club is based at the Umhlanga Ski Boat Club and has use of all the Ski Boat Club facilities. You don’t have to live in an around Umhlanga to join, in fact, anyone interested in kayak fishing can join. Due to safety reasons, it may soon become compulsory to be a member of a club, hence the Club has over 200 members from all over South Africa. The Club is known for the excellent catches during the UKFC Kayak Fishing Festival held on the first weekend of May every year, a competition opens to any kayak fisherman, not to only Club members. The Club also undertakes an annual fishing trip to Techobanine in Mozambique, hosted by Stealth and open to members only. Anyone interested in joining the Club, can send an e mail to ukfc@gmail.com.