Grey skies and scattered showers didn't deter 63 fishermen from gathering at Mosslands Dam for the Mosslands Bass Classic recently.
Grey skies and scattered showers didn't deter 63 fishermen from gathering at Mosslands Dam for the Mosslands Bass Classic recently.
The rains caused parts of the gravel roads to churn into a thick, brown sludge. The slimy roads tested the experience of the boat-launching crew, and luckily all 13 boats made it into the water without a scratch.
“Swaar, all I know is that we are here to catch-and-release a train-load of bass, so something like the weather isn’t going to stop us!” said Alex Winkler, Mosslands' resident and competition organiser.
The Mosslands Bass classic is an initiative of local dairy farmer Richard Moss, who also happens to be an avid bass-fisherman.
“The Classic was first intended to be more of a social gathering, but it gained so much popularity that we decided to turn it into an informal competition,” Moss said while launching another boat into the water.
There were awards for the biggest fish and biggest bag of the day. Winkler snatched the award with one of the first catches of the day by reeling in a 47cm large-mouth bass.
The day’s biggest bag went to a seven-man team of free-spirited men who preferred to not indulge in a team-name. Nonetheless, they celebrated the win with the enthusiasm of a New Zealand international rugby player.
There wasn’t a viable system to take an official count, but one official of the Classic was heard saying ‘about one hundred’.
