LOWRANCE SOUTH AFRICA Issue 24 | Page 32

Competitors are split into five sectors (one person from each team) and the river bank is divided into five zones. The winner in each sector is awarded one point, 2nd place gets two points, third place - three points etc. For overall positions, points per angler in each team are added together and the team with the least points wins! Consistency is key! Polish angler and World Champion Joanna Drgas fished consistently each day (coming 2nd and 3rd), to end up with a total weight of 7.24kg and only five penalties – to win gold. S o u t h A f r i c a ’s E l s a K l e y n h a n s t o o k s i l v e r. S h e c a u g h t a 1 0 k g Barbel on Day 1, contributing to the heaviest bag for the day of 15.8kg and her overall score of 16.327kg and six points. I n t h i r d p l a c e w a s E n g l a n d ’s Kaylie Smith, with six points and 13.543kg! W e r n e r s a i d , “ I t ’s e a s y t o g o from hero to zero. One of the French ladies hooked two big Barbel (one on each day) and she lost both. One of them was already partly in the net when the line snapped! Those two fish probably cost her the World Champion title!” It turns out that South African fish are also very fussy! Some of the Europeans brought their own groundbait with them – specially manufactured for superior quality and high nutritional value - but after having no success at all, they soon reverted to our local fare. Werner says although it was extremely tense, all the competitors displayed good sportsmanship. And the ladies know how to have fun – especially at the prize giving!