Fishing is a Family Affair: Team Bank Angler – The Comeback @ Roodekoppies

WORDS: Jonathan Adams | PHOTOS: Team members Do they say teamwork makes for dream work? I’m about to tell you a story that’s going to prove exactly that. Last year ‘Team Bank Angler’ decided to start specimen fishing in competitions presented at the beautiful Roodekoppies Dam that is fed by the Crocodile River flowing out of Hartbeespoort Dam. The team has five key anglers – Riaan Riekert, Ruan Riekert, Hugo du Plessis, Anel Riekert and myself. The contenders available for the February edition of the FK Specimen Boat Angling competition were Riaan, Ruan and myself. Ruan, Riaan and Jonathan – Team Bank Angler. The team had really been battling with Roodekoppies in 2022, so for this year we decided to approach this venue in a totally different manner, and prior to the competition we had great success at a practice session, landing beautiful commons ranging from 10kg to 12kg. We arrived at Roodekoppies around 09:30 on the Thursday before the competition which was due to begin at 10:00 on Friday, so we had some time to network and check out other teams who had entered the first of the FK Specimen Boat Angling competitions for 2023. On the Thursday most guys arrived around one in the afternoon. We all gathered in a circle and started a fire so we could enjoy each other’s company with some cold beverages and a good old steak and chops on the fire. Not knowing what to expect the next morning at the peg draw, we chatted through the afternoon and evening until the chilly night wind sent us all to bed. On Friday morning a cool breeze whispered through the campsite. Team Bank Angler decided to get an early shower before everyone woke up and also started boiling our particle mix right next to our tents. Riaan started his magical mix adding dam water every time the particles sucked up all the liquid. The boiling took about 3 - 5 hours, so as the opening ceremony went on, Ruan would go out and stir the pot, then half an hour later I would do the same and add water until it was peg draw at 11:00. All the teams drew their peg numbers from a bucket filled with ping-pong balls. Team Bank Angler was very lucky and drew the same peg number that we had practiced on three weeks ago, so we were prepared for the water conditions and temperatures after heavy rains had filled the dam to full capacity, making all the pegs very muddy. After the peg draw all the teams were back at their pegs to be ready to drop their first baits when the competition started at 13:00. Riaan and Ruan went out in our inflatable and found the spot we had fished during our practice session last time we were at Roodekoppies and dropped our groundbait. Riaan and I decided to take out one line each just to see if there were fish in the area, and not even an hour into the comp we had our first run, and then the second. The first day of the comp was well on its way and Team Bank Angler was on the runs, with us all taking turns at landing the stunning Roodekoppies commons. The fish were golden brown and their tails were certainly the reason for the ‘one toner’ we got from the alarms and receivers. As the busy Friday afternoon came to an end, Riaan and I decided to get some more feed out just to keep the fish in the area, and we managed to land four fish that night after having a delicious supper under the heavy clouds. Saturday morning came with its bright orange horizon and we were up and about, getting ready for our morning runs. The dam was quiet that morning and we became a bit worried, but then the action started at around 09:00 with two rods going off at the same time. It got so crazy that when Riaan and I went out on the boat to land a fish we would return with Ruan standing with a rod raised high in the sky and looking very proud. This ‘young gun’ angler bettered his personal best three times in one day, making his dad proud to be part of the memory. The more effort we put into our swim, the more fish would come. There was a time when I looked back to the campsite and there was not one rod in the water. I was proud of myself and the team. All the work and preparation we had put in before, especially during the practice sessions was paying off. Our feet were sore and our backs were aching, but we couldn’t stop now. Every run landed was proof that the fish were getting bigger and all we had to do was work through the smaller ones. We landed an 11kg-plus fish when we actually needed a 12kg fish to secure our spot on the leader board. On Saturday afternoon the fishing started slowing down. We cleaned our camp and started getting ready to feed for the Sunday morning runs. Riaan and Ruan went out and spread particles all around our H-block as we had done on arrival. Saturday night came and we got ready for bed as the competition would end on Sunday morning at 10:00, so we needed to be ready as those final hours of fishing can change any angler’s life as the fish are known to come out on the last morning of the competition. On Sunday morning we were up and about at 04:30 and we had five runs before the final horn was blown. We felt a bit down because we had not reached our target, but at the same time there was a sense of achievement and pride all around our campsite. We had worked very hard and were actually satisfied with the end result. Team Bank Angler managed to secure the third heaviest bag out of the 43 teams entered, from a blank to a very successful result. Walking to the clubhouse where the prize-giving would be held, many teams congratulated Team Bank Angler, that was when we realised that we had finally been placed on the specimen anglers’ map! On behalf of the team ‘Thank you’ FK Specimen for creating a successful specimen fishing platform for all South Africans to enjoy. Thank you to everyone that helped us as a team to finally find our groove, and also to The Bank Angler magazine for trusting us to fly The Bank Angler flag. To all the teams out there, never give up and keep working hard at your own ‘Comeback’! #TeamBankAngler#FK_Specimen2023#da_vat_hy#Fishing_is _a_family_affair TECH INFO PEG NO: 27FISH CAUGHT: 30 carpRIGS USED: Slip D + Ronnie rig + Combi rig.MAINLINE ON REEL: 0,35mm (15lb).LEADER LINE: 10m black 20lb Sensation anti-snag or 6m braid.DISTANCE: 160m (on the inflatable), dropping freebies in 6m to 7m.WATER TEMPERATURE: Highest for the weekend: 22°C during the day, dropping to 16°C at night. With heavy rain and thunderstorms during the day.HOOKBAIT: Drilled double tiger/pineapple, 6mm cork, topped with white or orange fake maize.GROUNDBAIT: Particle mix (yellow mielies, kaboom mielies, hempseed, tigernuts (medium to small), buckwheat, a scoop of coarse salt per drop.‘SECRET’ BAIT: Nitro pine tigers (Riaan Alleman), grenadilla tigers (Jonathan Adams), all homemade.DIPS & GLUGS: Mocho loco glug, pineapple particle enhancer.FISH CARE: Hooked lip repair, body repair.FISH LANDED: 30 carp, 8kg to 11,5kg.RUNS: 30; two lost to Roodekoppies.

Fishing is a Family Affair: Team Bank Angler – The Comeback @ Roodekoppies

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