Anglers geared up for Maguga

THE Namibian Bass Angling national team will compete at the Zone Six Bass Angling championships at the Maguga Dam in Swaziland from September 27 until October 3, it was revealed this week.

Maguga Dam, located on the Komati River, is home to some monster bass with the current Swaziland record being 5,4 kg. The Maguga Dam wall is 115 metres high, which makes it the fifth highest dam wall in Southern Africa. So far national teams of Swaziland, South Africa and Namibia have confirmed their attendance at this prestigious event. Each national team consists of eight anglers, one reserve and one manager. The Namibian team leaves for Maguga tomorrow. The team members are Willem Burger (team captain), André van Vuuren, Francois van der Westhuizen, Neil Engelbrecht, Conrad Brits, Anton Halgreen, Evan van der Westhuizen, Herman Reinders, Birte Schmalzriedt (reserve) and Andre Schoonbee the team manager. On arrival at Maguga, two days (Monday and Tuesday next week) have been set aside for all national teams to pre-fish. This will enable the teams to get to know the dam and the fishing conditions a little better. The official competition runs for three days, from Wednesday until Friday October 2.On Friday evening, the formalities will end with a gala prize-giving dinner to which local dignitaries will also be invited. The next day, all teams will head-back home again. According to team captain Willem Burger, the Namibian team has prepared well for this event. Team members were involved with bi-weekly national team meetings for team building, planning and strategy, motivational talks, information gathering of the venue and possible fishing strategies, as well as regular fishing on local dams. ‘In addition, a scout team comprising of two anglers had been sent to fish Maguga Dam for a week. This pre-fishing team came back with invaluable information regarding fishing conditions, water conditions, dam levels and baits to be used. An initiative was also launched where the national team fished competitively against the rest of the Namibian bass anglers, in a competition held at Von Bach dam in July,’ he said.The national team managed to secure first place at this event despite some serious handicaps though some stringent measures were placed on them as part of the competition. Burger thanked the Namibia Sport Commission (NSC) for their administrative assistance, which enabled the anglers to attend the Zone Six event as a national team. ‘Friendships forged and experience gained on this international event will not only have a positive impact on national level, but will also contribute in strengthening cross-border ties and relationships. As all are probably aware, the financial burden of attending sports events on an international level falls mainly on the national sports body and eventually on the participants. ‘As our mission has always been to allow anglers to participate without limiting it only to those that have the financial ability, all financial support that is given directly benefits all bass anglers in Namibia. With an international event like this, participation is prohibitively expensive for most bass anglers,’ he said.Assistance from the following sponsors made it possible for all team members to take part in this prestigious event: Just Visiting.com.na, represented by Andre Schoonbee, Shell Namibia represented by Willem de Witt, Electro Hinsch through Francois van der Westhuizen, Dr Andre van Vuuren, Butchery on Wheels, PT van der Westhuizen under Evan van der Westhuizen and BMW Danric Auto.’Dear sponsors, those anglers that participate have new enthusiasm and direction, which will affect even those anglers in Namibia not part of the national team. The recognition and associated pride, the team spirit and sense of being part of a bigger fraternity, all contribute to the growth of all bass anglers in Namibia. We therefore sincerely thank you for your involvement with Namibia Bass Angling Association,’ said Burger.