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The hunt for the biggest tuna-species catch covering a fishing area boundary of 40 nautical miles off the lighthouse at Cape Point was the ultimate aim of participants of the 2024 Airmar Offshore Classic.
A total of 189 anglers and 38 boats from across the country entered the competition, hosted by Gordon’s Bay Boat Angling Club (GBBAC) from Saturday 13 to Friday 19 April.
The event was launched during an opening ceremony the Friday evening and was well attended by all anglers at the GBBAC. Poor weather conditions meant that the first fishable day was on the Wednesday 17 April, when anglers launched at 05:00 and lines were up at 16:00.
The top fish for day 1 was caught by O’Brien Harry Pohl, a yellow fin tuna weighing 105,4 kg. The second fishable day, Thursday 18 April, was also the last finish day of the competition, with the prize-giving held on Friday 19 April.
The winning fish – winner of the 2024 Airmar Offshore Classic – was caught on the second day on the boat Wildside from the Eastern Cape by 16-year-old Jovan Coetzee. He caught a big-eye tuna weighing in at 116,3 kg.
All participants were encouraged to catch and release fish this year, and were rewarded for releasing the most fish per boat. Each boat was only allowed to weigh in two large tuna, one longfin and one other game fish per day.
The top boat for the duration of the fishing competition was Bad Romanzz.
The organisers thanked all sponsors, anglers and supporters for making the competition a success, with prizes valued at a total of R750 000.
