LOWRANCE SOUTH AFRICA Issue 31 | Page 15

the low water levels – the dam was only 39.7% full - a record number of fish was caught. 1029 Fish weighed in (averaging 1.446kg) with the heaviest of 5.130kg – caught by Jako Steyn (Mpumalanga). For many anglers it was more than the highlight of the year, as many PB’s were achieved over the three days. Champion Martin was delighted with his win and spoke to us about how his tournament panned out and the secret of his success. “While the competition started off in perfect conditions, the weather pattern changed but thankfully I was able to judge the mood of the fish and adjust accordingly. I had spent many hours on the water through winter using my Lowrance HDS-7 Touch units and an HDS-12 Gen 2, working out depths and where the fish might hide with changing conditions. “Thanks to my StructureScan and SideScan features, I could identify pockets of grass which had grown while there was little to no water - so, by the time it was completely covered, I had learned to distinguish what it was. “This was a very technical competition and because there were so many anglers fishing in a very small area, it was essential to look past the obvious and having excellent electronics was key.” Have a look at this GoPro video clip Martin made about how he used his Lowrance units with Fishtec Maps, Structure Scan and SideScan to help him find his fish during this important competition. FB VIDEO L o wr a n ce S A a l s o ca me t o t h e re s cu e o f o u r B r a n d A mb a s s a d o r C h a r l E n g e l b re ch t – wh e n h i s b o a t t u r n e d o u t t o b e u n u s a ble d u e t o me ch a n i ca l f a i l u re . C h a rl e xp e r i e n ce d a p ro b l e m d u r i n g p r a ct i s e a n d wa s s t i l l b a t t l i n g to get going again the afternoon b e f o re f i s h i n g b e g a n o ff i ci a l l y. To h i s h u g e re l i e f , Jo h n a n d Lisbeth stepped in to help – o ff e r i n g h i m t h e u s e o f o u r f ully - e q u i p p e d L o wr a n ce b o a t . A s th e y s a y, “ A l l ’s we l l t h a t e n d s we l l ” a n d C h a r l wa s ch o s e n f o r S o u t h A f ric a ’s P re s i d e n t s Te a m. L o wr a n ce S A wo u l d l i ke t o co n g r a t u l a t e t o S h a n e R e d ma n , h is r i g h t - h a n d ma n We s s i e We s s e ls, a n d a l l t h e o rg a n i s e r s wh o wo rk e d s o h a rd t o ma ke t h i s co mp e t i t io n s u ch a h u g e s u cce s s . Ta ke a l o o k a t t h e s u mma r i s e d re s u l t s a n d t e a m n o mi n a t i o n s f o r t h e co mi n g s e a s o n : ( F o r f u l l re s u l t s vi s i t S e n i o r N a t i o n a l C h a mp i o n s h i p A l b e r t F a lls D a m 2 0 1 9 o n we i g h ma s t e r s . ne t)