The Jeppe Angling Club is going from strength to strength. We now have four teams participating in regular competitions and, last year the A team finished in the top 10 at the SA Championships.
This year the hard work and commitment of the A team was rewarded when they made it through to the SA Schools Champion of Champions competition, to be held at the Bloemhof Dam in October.
Five Jeppe boys have been selected for the Gauteng teams that will be competing in the SA Championships for individuals in December. They are: Jared Jute and Michael du Toit (Gauteng A) and Damien Anema, Franco Nortje and Mackenzie Ross (Gauteng B).
The driving force behind the team is Mr Francois Nortje who is excited about the future. “The strongest anglers in the club are the Grade 9s,” he said. “There are three grade 9s in the A team, including Jared Jute and Michael du Toit, who are in the Gauteng A team.”
Jared Jute is, according to Mr Nortje, a very talented angler. We spoke to him and he clearly a bit of a fantatic. “I’ve been fishing for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I go fishing with my dad every weekend,” he said. “I love it, it keeps me calm and it’s great to be out in nature.”
Michael du Toit agrees. “I love the adrenaline rush when you catch a fish,” he said, “and although you do get days when you don’t catch anything, there’s always next time.”
All the boys agree that being in the team and going out to the dam every weekend is great for making friends and building relationships. McKenzie Ross joined the club because his friend from the U16A cricket team, Franco Nortje persuaded him to. “I’m glad I did,” he said. “I made a new group of friends and we have a new set of experiences every week.”
Franco is Mr Francois Nortje’s son, so he doesn’t have much of a choice, but he loves fishing. “I’ve been fishing with my dad since I was six or seven,” he said. “I still do it now, but I get to go with my Jeppe friends as well. It’s the best.”
