LOWRANCE SOUTH AFRICA Issue 19 | Page 24

BRAND AMBASSADOR

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Protea Angler and our Brand Ambassador , Andre van Rooyen , has been fishing for as long as he can remember and Lowrance products have been a huge part of his success story .
Andre started fishing competitively in 2012 - after joining Salmo Fishing Club in Pretoria . Two years later he won the SA Artlure Championship Individual title ( beating a field of 80 anglers ) at Douglas in the Northern Cape and not long after he was awarded SASACC colours . https :// www . saalaa . co . za /
In 2015 he got his Protea colours and took part in an international competition in France and last year he was chosen to fish in Russia .
Growing up in KwaZulu Natal ( though not on the coast ), he was just four-years-old when he caught his first Shad , while fishing with his dad off the beach at Cape Vidal !
From that moment , Andre was hooked ! He nearly drove his parents to distraction with his incessant begging to go fishing , until his dad relented and took him to the dam near his home .
He says he was about six when he started Carp fishing and his dad , not being a fan , would snooze in the car while he fished . He picked up all the tips and help he could from the anglers alongside him .
Fans of the popular TV Show “ Hier gaan ons al Weer ” will remember seeing Andre as presenter and angler . One of the absolute highlights of his fishing career was his amazing world record catch , 4.31kg Nemwe ( a type of Bream ) – caught in Zambia , during the filming of one of the episodes for the show !