It was with great excitement that four angler and members of EFSA Iceland, Skarpi, Gussi,
Addi and Thorir, took off from Keflavik (Reykjavik airport) in April 2024 on a long journey
to the distant country of South Africa to fish in the SADSAA Bottom Fish International &
National Competition organized by Struisbaai Deep Sea Angling Club. After tiresome 36
hours journey that took us from Keflavik to Frankfurt in Germany, to Johannesburg and Cape
Town and driving 200 km from Cape Town to Struisbaai we finally made it to our BB
guesthouse very tired and a need of a good sleep.
We had been invited to compete in the Bottom Fish Competition but afterwards we would
take part in the EFSA Game Championship in Hout Bay. The Bottom Fish Competition was
scheduled to be a five-days fishing and one practice day prior to the competition.
The next morning after we had arrived, we went to the Struisbaai Harbor Café very near our
guesthouse and met some anglers that we have fished with from various places in Europe. It
was a pleasant reunion!
The competition was a tournament targeting up to 28 species of fish and most of them with
20 cm to 60 cm minimum size. Only a few names of the fish species sounded familiar to us
but others we had never heard of before. That was good and we could not wait to start
fishing!
On the sunny practice day that later became somewhat foggy, the sea was calm and there was
a little breeze. We went out early in the morning and the temperature was about 20C, very
comfortable for us coming from the cold north. The boats were fast going with two outboard
Mercury motors or similar with lots of power.
The boats were launched from a trailer tucked by large pick-up cars as there is only a small
pier in the harbor. Each fish that was caught was a new species to us. There was Red Roman,
Cape Gurnard, Carpenter and a fish the locals call Miss Lucy, a beautiful fish with red and
white stripes, and many more species. On my boat I was with Skarpi, our good friends Allen
Ford and John Luef and Dp Burger. Our skipper on the boat Capetonian, Hubert Meyer was
very friendly and helpful, and we kept him busy taking pictures of us foreigners catching a
new fish species as there was an informal competition between me and Skarpi who caught the
most species or 17 but I got 13 species. We enjoyed very much the practice day and were full
of delight returning to port.
The Opening Ceremony on Friday 26 th April at the Harbor Café was excellent with many
anglers from various provinces in South Africa and us from Iceland, and a team and our
friends from Gibraltar. Besides the usual things at the opening of a competition i.e. explaining
the fishing rules and other points connected to the competition, there was two things we had
not seen before or the “Capping” where anglers that had won some competitions or got
enough points the last angling season were honored with the “SADSAA Cap” in amber and
dark green color, a badge on it with some text. The other one was that a representative from
SADSAA blessed the fleet and wished all the anglers, boats and their crew good luck. I found
it touching as it reminded me of the sailor’s prayer that some of the older fishermen in
Iceland pray before leaving port.
The next morning the competition started with a lot of boats and anglers. As mentioned, the
competition was meant to be a five-days tournament, but due to weather conditions two of the
fishing days were cancelled. That gave us an opportunity to drive around and go sightseeing.
We visited the southernmost tip of Africa where the Atlantic Ocean meet the Indian Ocean. It
was a little bit weird standing with one foot in the Atlantic Ocean and the other one in the
Indian Ocean, but it was fun, and we really enjoyed the experience. On our way back to our
guesthouse we saw a shop´s sign that said: “Cape Liquor Store” and with some smaller letters
that said: “Africa´s Southernmost Bottle Store”. Of course, we had to go inside to explore
such an interesting shop, take some pictures and….!
The fishing in the competition was superb, all kinds of fish species and we learned more and
more new fishing tips each day from the local guys and moved slowly up the scoring sheet.
Although we didn´t win any prize in the competition we liked the fishing very, very much.
The boats were very good and their crews helpful and cheerful. Everything went smoothly
and ticked like a well-tuned engine.
At the Opening ceremony, the Prize giving ceremony, and the Gala-Dinner attendees were
fully dressed (Dress Code in highest colors, EFSA members in standard uniform). The Prize
giving and the Gala-Dinner were very well organized and the food outstanding. We had great
fun with our old friends and many new ones.
The town of Struisbaai is a small community and many of the houses are villas that are rented
out to summer guests but as winter was approaching (Note: April is autumn in South Africa
but spring in Europe) there were not so many other guests except anglers and crew members
and of course the locals that live there the whole year around. But anyway, most of the
restaurants, bars and the tackle shop were open and many other services.
The fishing was an experience of a lifetime for us, the locals very friendly, the
accommodation good, and everything well organized by SADSAA and the local fishing club.
We were sad that we had to leave, but new adventures were waiting and more fishing in the
European Big Game Championship in Hout Bay.
Thorir Sveinsson, EFSA Iceland.
2024 SADSAA International Nationals Report
