2014 DFFA BONANZA
16
December 2014
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Press Release issued October 17, 2014
From Dullstroom Fly Fishers Association
Contact:
Alan Hatton 013 254 0782 / 073 478 3317 / [email protected]
Clean Sweep at the 2014 BONANZA
The “Dullstroom BONANZA”, hosted by the Dullstroom Fly Fishers Association, has firmly established itself
as one of the biggest and most popular events on the fly fishing calendar – with a wide range of prizes and
awards for the most skilful anglers. But this year, one man swept most of the top prizes with a formidable
display of fine angling. Last year’s winner Franswa Venter – once again winning best angler, biggest fish,
member of the winning team, and winner in one session and runner-up in yet another! And with it, of course,
the very best prizes – rods and other fishing gear from the main sponsor Xplorer, a Village Angler sponsored
Xplorer premium float tube and accommodation, the winner’s trophy clock and a very special 25-year old
Bunnahabhain whisky.
Ninety-two anglers fished the BONANZA from October 3 to 5 in 23 4-person teams – five sessions of fishing on 16
dams, including waters generally not available to the public, in some very demanding conditions. The weather for the
weekend was extremely unsettled, with everything ranging from frosty mornings to warm sunny spells, gusty winds
from all four directions, and even an early Summer electric storm to chase most anglers off the water on Friday
afternoon. This seemed to mark a changing point in the fishing – after a brisk start on Friday morning, the fishing got
harder on most waters from Friday mid-afternoon. But the skilful anglers, Franswa and his team included, continued to
catch fish throughout the weekend. According to Alan Hatton, the BONANZA Coordinator, “Franswa was always
thinking about how to adapt his fishing – for the conditions of each water, the changing weather and the feeding
preferences of the fish. But, by and large, he fished fine, and small, and close …….. and he simply caught more fish
on every one of his alloted waters than other anglers. A most impressive performance and underscoring the
BONANZA’s positioning as first and foremost a skills-based event.”
Franswa’s team, the Stiffest Rods, scooped the X-plorer and Bunnahabhain sponsored Best Team prizes by a
considerable margin – with the Cheetahs winning the Runners’-Up prize, which was sponsored by Senqu. The biggest
fish of 61 cms was caught by Franswa on Millstream’s Solitary Reaper Dam – with really good fish also coming out of
Mavungana’s Bird of Prey Dam, the DFFA’s own Jansons Dam and the Forelwater Club Dam. The best performing
dams both in terms of fish caught and anglers’ ratings were Bird of Prey, Millstream, Laverpa and, once again,
Jansons.
The competition has quickly earned a reputation for its fine prizes awarded for each of the five sessions, thus keeping
anglers’ interests up throughout the event. Session sponsors included Zero Appliances, Frontier Fly Fishing,
Mavungana Flyfishing, and Walkersons and Cpirit accommodation prizes. The Village Angler, which is well known as
the Dullstroom Fly Fishers’ “retail front”, sponsored Session Three with a really impressive array of prizes. And it was
in this session at Millstream’s specimen dam that Franswa delivered his best performance – taking five fish, including
the biggest fish of the competition, while neighbouring anglers blanked. Franswa commented afterwards that the
fishing was “technically difficult” at Millstream’s Solitary Reaper but very good fish were to be found between the weed
beds ….. if you knew how to look for them and then how to fish to them!
For the “less intensive” anglers, there were other prizes a-plenty …….
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2014 BONANZA Organising Committee:
Alan Hatton - Event Co-ordinator – (073 478 3317)
Peter St Clair (082 853 6983
Charmane Horn (082 654 6645)
John Hunter (072 100 9228)
Errol Smith 0828988875
2014 BONANZA
Page 2
16 December 2014
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·
John Thoabala from Mavungana won a meal for two at Mrs. Simpsons restaurant, with the first fish of the
event on ….. you’ve guessed it - a Mrs Simpsons fly!
·
Cheryl Haynes caught the very last fish of Session Five on the stroke of 10.00am, winning herself a fine
accommodation prize at Brookwood Trout Lodge sponsored by the Brookwood Buggers
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Hendrik Enslin from the Cheetahs team turned in the first full card (10 fish from Jansons Dam in around 90
minutes!) and won a splendid hand-made knife sponsored by the DFFA Vice Chairman, Dave Hepworth
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David Matebula, everybody’s favourite guide from Millstream, was awarded the True Grit prize – a Chris
Bladen sculpted belt – for his consistent sportsmanship and assistance to other anglers throughout the
weekend
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The first all-ladies team, the Ladybugs, shared the honours for “Best Dressed Team” with the Whisky Fly’ers,
and in so doing dislodged the 4 Pappegaaie from the place that they had begun to regard as their own!
·
And, finally, Derick Buckley won the BIG NET for the SMALLEST FISH – a 14cm monster, which amazingly
was the only fish he landed in the event!
All in all, the BONANZA was once again regarded by the participants as a resounding success. “We are delighted
that, despite the tough conditions, the anglers seemed to have really enjoyed the event” commented Peter St. Clair,
the DFFA Club Chairman “… and we are even more delighted that once again we will probably exceed our fundraising target, with more than R50,000 to be handed over to the Helping Hands registered charity organisation. These
funds will go a long way to improving the quality of life of disadvantaged communities in and around Dullstroom. We
have also continued with our policy of utilising the local Siyifunile High School students as supporting marshalls. We
think that this is an important step in helping to build an awareness of the economic and social significance of fly
fishing in the Dullstroom area. Next step? We will soon be talking to the school’s principal about the opportunity to
start a students’ fly fishing club …… but more of that in the near future.”
FULL RESULTS ARE LISTED ON THE FOLLOWING PAGE
SELECTED PICS ARE FREELY AVAILABLE ON THE FOLLOWING DROPBOX LINK https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0c4y3m4ghirl09r/AAC6-QUbDIytFBJ71gep85OCa?dl=0
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2014 BONANZA Organising Committee:
Alan Hatton - Event Co-ordinator – (073 478 3317)
Peter St Clair (082 853 6983
Charmane Horn (082 654 6645)
John Hunter (072 100 9228)
2014 BONANZA
Page 3
16 December 2014
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RESULTS TABLE – THE 2014 DFFA BONANZA
CATEGORY
Winning Team
Runner-Up Team
Winning Angler
AWARDED TO
Stiffest Rods
The Cheetahs
Franswa Venter
DETAILS
131 points
108 points
48 points
Runner-Up Angler
Winning Lady
Runner-Up Lady
Biggest Fish
Willoughby Bloem
Cheryl Haynes
Fransiska Pile
Franswa Venter
44 points
11 points
9 points
61 cms
(Millstream,
Solitary
Reaper)
John Mannion
Hendrik Enslin
Richard Thackery
21 points
20 points
57 cms
Zero Appliances
Bunnahabhain Whisky
DFFA / Clock Shop
Cobus Hannekom
Franswa Venter
Mark sebecke
15 points
13 points
60 cms
Frontier Fly Fishing
Frontier Fly Fishing
DFFA / Clock Shop
Franswa Venter
Johan Ferreira
Franswa Venter
13 points
10 points
61 cms
The Village Angler
The Village Angler
DFFA / Clock Shop
Willoughby Bloem
Rowland Vass
Rowland Vass
19 points
11 points
57 cms
Mavungana
Mavungana
DFFA / Clock Shop
Sean Michael
Bongani Mphuthi
Sean Michael
7 points
7 points
54 cms
Walkersons
Cpirit
DFFA / Clock Shop
Session One:
·
Winner
·
Runner-Up
·
Biggest
Fish
Session Two:
·
Winner
·
Runner-Up
·
Biggest
Fish
Session Three:
·
Winner
·
Runner-Up
·
Biggest
Fish
Session Four:
·
Winner
·
Runner-Up
·
Biggest
Fish
Session Five:
·
Winner
·
Runner-Up
·
Biggest
Fish
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Xplorer, Bunnahabhain Whisky, DFFA
Senqu, Brentoni, DFFA
Bunnahabhain Whisky, The Clock Shop,
DFFA
Xplorer
Mavungana, Brentoni, Johan Ferreira
Simply Carole
Xplorer, The Poacher
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2014 BONANZA Organising Committee:
Alan Hatton - Event Co-ordinator – (073 478 3317)
Peter St Clair (082 853 6983
Charmane Horn (082 654 6645)
John Hunter (072 100 9228)