{"id":14921,"date":"2022-06-15T10:40:56","date_gmt":"2022-06-15T08:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=14921"},"modified":"2022-06-15T13:42:33","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T11:42:33","slug":"21-year-old-trout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=14921","title":{"rendered":"21 Year old Trout"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In so many cultures it is an official coming of age, demanding that you raise many glasses and toast such a momentous occasion.<\/p>\n

21 years is reason enough to celebrate, but if you add the relaxation of social restrictions, coupled with the prospect of chasing some feisty Midlands <\/span>Trout over a long weekend, well you can imagine how the party ensued.<\/p>\n

The TOPS Corporate Challenge is renowned as a festive occasion, where you can catch up with old acquaintances and make new friends, with an excuse to your better half about the sport of fishing, but this 1st leg of the TCC also delivered some very memorable moments on the water.<\/p>\n

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Posting the valuable scores <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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104 fish in the first morning had anglers buzzing about the prospect of eclipsing their personal best, which James Hills nearly achieved with a stunning Rainbow of 62cm(8 pounds). This emulated his performance of last year, where he landed a 64cm Brown.<\/p>\n

\"Cat\u2019s Whiskers, White Death, Boobies\"\u2026. fuelled by a satisfying Heineken, the lunchtime talk at the legendary Notties, would have been greek to any non fly fisher, with the weird and wonderful names of the productive fly patterns echoing amongst the laughter of the on field shenanigans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Predictably the fish records reduced with rod pressure, 77 specimens being notched<\/span> up in the afternoon session of day one, but the weather was near to<\/span> perfect and the water temperature definitely motivated some early<\/span> spawning behaviour amongst the Trout. Notably for <\/span>Anton De Bruin who<\/span> landed a 60 and 59cm in this 2nd session on WildFly waters.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The crisp<\/span> morning had every angler donning their Jonsson jersey\u2019s the following day and this cold snap saw a very energetic 93 Trout make it to the net.\u00a0 Needless to say, entrants were celebrating these catches until common sense called them to bed.<\/p>\n

The stand-out statistic was that 63 Trout were recorded at over half a meter in the very first day, showcasing the quality of this festival in terms of the fishery.<\/p>\n

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The diving catch - what a wingman<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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The 4th session witnessed a weather change with the wind forcing some frantic fishing as anglers endeavoured to make the final where every single team wins a fishing holiday. For a few teams it was a little like the rugby semi-final between the Stormers and Ulster that afternoon, with some of them only landing their single fish to count in injury time right before the close of the session. <\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, they could calm their nerves with a wee dram of Dalmore single malt at the evening\u2019s impromptu whisky tasting. As usual, at the entertaining gala evening, in the spirit of T<\/span>he TOPS Corporate Challenge, the rewards for antics off the field almost shadowed what the winners walked away with.<\/p>\n

Bucket loads of prizes from Outdoor Warehouse, Greys, Airflo, Umqua and Xplorer had everyone smiling.<\/p>\n

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The Top Fly Fisher was awarded to Steve Benbow with his bag of 18 Trout, earning him an incredible Hardy rod and the biggest fish was retained by James Hills who floated away in the new WildFly V-Boat. The top five teams who qualified for the final were, 'ST Fergusson', 'Novus Print Cape', 'Cathedral Peak\u2019, \u00a0'ZZ Tops', with 'Novus Print KZN' taking the 1st leg title of the 21st TOPS Corporate Challenge.<\/div>\n
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The TOPS Corporate Challenge once again showcased why it is Africa\u2019s leading angling event, \u00a0evident from the resounding cheers,<\/span> with anglers celebrating the moment yet agai<\/span>n.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the 2nd leg in two weeks' time, so standby for our next WildFly water report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Kobus Potgieter with yet another wild Rainbow<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Just reward for an afternoon kip<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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TCC 2022 - Leg 1 Winners<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In so many cultures it is an official coming of age, demanding that you raise many glasses and toast such a momentous occasion. 21 years is reason enough to celebrate, but if you add the relaxation of social restrictions, coupled with the prospect of chasing some feisty Midlands Trout over a long weekend, well you can imagine how the party ensued. The TOPS Corporate Challenge is renowned as a festive occasion, where you can catch […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":14978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[279],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tops-corporate-challenge"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/TCC-2022-Leg-1-Blog-copy3-scaled.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":15225,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=15225","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":0},"title":"Fixated Fish – TCC Leg 3","author":"Gareth","date":"July 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Great casting is simply lost on the fish. That isn\u2019t to say that a good cast doesn\u2019t catch Trout, it\u2019s just a reminder that the graceful art of a tight loop presented with pinpoint precision does not always translate into an obliging take. Case in point was the third leg\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tops Corporate Challenge"","block_context":{"text":"Tops Corporate Challenge","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=279"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Leg-3-blog-copy-1.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3024,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3024","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":1},"title":"TV Show Host Job Applications","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"July 12, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Having a fishing TV show is not all glamour and fun. Sometimes we find ourselves in some difficult dilemmas, where it is necessary to hurt people's feelings. We get a lot of applications for jobs, some want to be co-presenters, others just want to carry tackle, clean fish, generally help\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2596,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2596","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":2},"title":"The TOPS at SPAR Corporate Challenge","author":"Gareth","date":"July 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The TOPS at SPAR Corporate Challenge It would have taken a brave angler to predict that the 1st Leg results would be eclipsed this last weekend. Regardless of how ideal the weather conditions might have been or the caliber of fly fisher that harassed the trout \u2013 594 rainbows, at\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_GOPR0020.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/b2ap3_thumbnail_GOPR0020.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3278,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=3278","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":3},"title":"My Number one Tiger Lure","author":"Craig Thomassen","date":"August 13, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have fished many times for tigerfish and I have tried many different lures. There are quite a lot of lures that do catch tigers, but one lure has been a standout for me over the years, so much so, that it has become my default tiger lure. That is\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"b2ap3_thumbnail_Shackletons-tiger.JPG","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/b2ap3_thumbnail_Shackletons-tiger.JPG?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2651,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=2651","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":4},"title":"TOPS Corporate Challenge Leg 3","author":"Gareth","date":"July 18, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u00a0 Never has so few been caught by so many. To say that the fishing was slow on the last leg of the TOPS Corporate Challenge, would be like calling Leicester City's premier league win predictable\u2026\u2026.which the Trout clearly were not. Sixty anglers toiled and when in the very first\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15331,"url":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?p=15331","url_meta":{"origin":14921,"position":5},"title":"It’s not a Competition","author":"Gareth","date":"August 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"We\u2019ve been hunting one animal or another with limited success since we could walk on two legs and chasing down anything that swims as soon as we conquered our fear of water. All that has really changed is us swapping the satisfying meal for the satisfaction of a good picture\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Tops Corporate Challenge"","block_context":{"text":"Tops Corporate Challenge","link":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/?cat=279"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fishbook.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/Banner.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8sv9-3SF","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14921"}],"version-history":[{"count":83,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14921\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14961,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14921\/revisions\/14961"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fishbook.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}