It was tragic on many fronts that Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum was killed in a car accident in February this year.

Obviously, his family and friends were devastated when the 24-year-old marathon world record-holder died so tragically and the athletic world in general was in shock.

Kiptum’s record of two hours and 35 seconds was set in the Chicago Marathon last year.
His death also robbed the Angling Section of inviting Kiptum to be guest on honour at the July Competition when anglers needed guidance on how to handle a marathon which ran from 7am to 3pm – and that’s lines in at 7am!

For the first time in its history, Section anglers voted to extend the monthly competition from seven hours to eight – a fishing marathon in anybody’s language.

And that extra hour at sea had a strange effect on some anglers, aside from Craig Thomas who spent time bouncing around on the high seas in ground up to 90m deep, quite simply out of the depth of other anglers.
Craig, with his mate Dror aboard, landed nine species including a striking nannygai, along with a pink snapper, and all manner of smaller varieties.

But while Craig moved around like he was playing one of those kids’ games where you join the numbers, Joe Venter and Kev Kroeger were showing signs of anxiety at the 3pm weigh-in, normally the time at a normal comp when they would be debating on whether they needed to go another pint.
It was no surprise that the intrepid duo were first in line at the weigh-in and out well before it finished, as bouts of severe dehydration could only be cured at the FSC wet canteen.

Kev also had cause to celebrate though because he caught the heaviest skippy, a carry-over prize from June, just pipping Joe.
The extra hour, and let’s be honest eight hours is a long time on the water, also caused some strange behaviour from captain John Bech who was actually pictured smiling (obviously delirious) with a 69cm pinkie, the target fish for July. That’s what that extra hour will do!
As for Ray Wilson, whose fishing competence reflects his football tipping at the moment, the early hours bobbing around on a choppy sea fuelled by a gusting easterly cause his reconstructed knee to blow up like a cane toad’s throat.
Anyway, the weary-eyed warriors at the weigh-in enjoyed an adventurous day out on the water, and a nice array of fish were weighed in.

The August competition is scheduled for August 3.

By Ray Wilson