Welcome and Congratulations
The SABAA Southerns Division Junior team is honoured to be hosting the 2024 Junior National
Championships at Rust de Winter Dam. On behalf of SABAA, Gauteng, and the Southerns Division, we
would like to congratulate you on your selection to represent your Division at the most prestigious
tournament for junior bass anglers in South Africa.
We are looking forward to welcoming you to our beautiful Gauteng, the place of gold.SABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Tournament Date and Venue
The tournament will be held on the Rust de Winter Dam and will be hosted at the KwaNdaba Lodge, which is
situated close to the dam. The competition will be held from the 21st to 24th March 2024.
Rust de Winter dam is located on the Elands River and was established in 1920. The dam has a surface area of
474 ha and a capacity of 28 million cubic metres when full. At present the dam is 100 full.
The dam is home to a very healthy population of Florida strain/cross largemouth bass. While the average fish is
500g, fish reaching 3kg plus, are also regularly caught.SABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Accommodation
All of the anglers will be accommodated at the KwaNdaba Lodge, in comfortable tented camps. The tents will be
furnished with stretchers and mattresses. Anglers must please bring their own sleeping bags and pillows.
Each division will be allocated their own Tent.
Skippers and managers who request it will be accommodated in the “huts” or hall at the lodge. All huts have
been booked out for the tournament and allocation will be made by the organisers.
The lodge has clean and neat ablution facilities. Additional showers will be constructed to accommodate all the
anglers and skippers. Accommodation at the venue is not serviced and teams are expected to keep their places
neat and tidy for the duration of the event. Ablutions, waste, etc. are however serviced. A list of additional
accommodation in the area, was circulated for parent wanting to attend the event.
Catering
Food for the anglers, managers and skippers who are staying over is included in the cost for the competition and
includes:
• A hearty supper on each night from Thursday 21st to Sunday 24thth (Prize Giving)
• A breakfast bun each morning for the three fishing days
• A boat pack each for the anglers and skippers on the three fishing days
• Enough ice for boat cooler boxes
• Cold drinks and water at weigh in and at supper
• A coffee station with biscuits / rusks
It is always a good idea to pack extra fluids for your anglers and perhaps one or two extra snacks if they are
inclined to get extra hungry on the boat.SABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Parents, friends, and siblings will be offered to join in on the evening meals provided by the KwaNdaba, at an
additional cost. There is also a fuel station nearby were additional.
snacks can be purchased.
Rust de Winter Dam Rules
• Crocodiles and Hippo are present in the dam. No swimming is allowed and due to the associated risk.
Care must be taken at all times throughout the competition. Remain at a safe distance and use a net
to land and release fish and ensure hands are kept clear of the water.
• No pets are permitted.
Useful Contact Details:
• Adam Fowls Southerns Chairman 0769851973 adamf.wildlife@gmail.com
• Paul Stonley SABAA Junior Chairman 0827983643 paul@plumberatyourservice.co.za
• Colette Fowls Event assistant 0784885812 colette.fowls@gmail.com
Other useful contacts:
• On site Medic - Jan Hietbrink ( Netcare 911 ) - 062 002 1224.
• Netcare Montana Hospital – Pretoria North – (012) 523 3000.
• KwaNdaba Lodge – Tina 071 381 8121SABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Documentation and Requirements:
The following criteria need to be met for eligibility to compete in the event. Every angler participating must be:
• A paid-up SABAA Junior competitive angler who has been selected to represent his/her division.
• A paid-up divisional angler (any subs / fees due to the division for the season).
• Not older than turning 19 as from 1st January 2024.
The following documentation is required from each angler:
• Entry Form – to be submitted by Division Chairman asap.
• Angler profiles and photograph - to be submitted by Division Chairman asap.
• A certified copy of RSA Identity document/Passport
• Jnr Nationals Indemnity form signed by both parents / guardian (s).
• SABAA Indemnity form signed by the angler.
• Medical and Next of Kin information form.
Each Divisional Junior Chairman will receive a checklist and copies of the above documents in advance of the
tournament to enable them to collate the files timeously.
The Entry Form and Angler Profiles must be submitted as soon as possible. The remaining documents must only
be handed in upon registration at the event and collectively for the whole team. Anglers will not be permitted to
participate if all documents are not handed in.
Tournament Fees
Cost per angler is R7500-00. This covers accommodation, fuel, entry, venue, shirts, all meals, refreshments,
prizes, trophies, and other costs.
We understand that this represents a significant sum. Rest assured that every effort is being made to negotiate
better prices and obtain sponsorships in order lower the cost.
Payments by each Division must be received no later than 3 March 2024 into the following account:
• Southerns Juniors
• Capitec Bank
• Savings Account
• Account Number: 165 150 1309
• Branch Code: 470 010
• Reference: Division + Nationals
• POP: Email to adamf.wildlife@gmail.com
Division Chairman are to please ensure that a single payment is made on behalf of the Division and including that
of additional people for meals.SABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Itinerary
Thursday 21st March 2024: Registration
Registration will take place at the KwaNdaba Lodge’ between 15:00 and 17:30. Upon arrival, an official will be
present to direct you to your accommodation. Should the time allocated be a problem for your team, please
contact one of the organizers to make alternate arrangements.
All participants, managers and skippers must attend the competition briefing in the hall from 17h30 onwards.
Team managers and captains will have an opportunity to introduce themselves and their team members. The
practice day boat draw will also be concluded.
Supper will be served at 19h00 and the teams can then return to their accommodation.
Friday 22nd March 2024 – Practice Day
The practice day will take place from 06h30 to 16h00. All aspects of this day are exactly the same as a normal
competition day. Anglers will fish with their own team mates on this day and arrangements need to be made
with the skippers should meetings be arranged on the water during the day. The team may take their cell phones
with for communication purposes which will not be allowed on competition days.
Boats and anglers should be at their respective spots (tag number) by at least 06h00 to allow time for collection of
ice, boat packs, breakfast buns and have some coffee.
Boats will be inspected as they become available and marked with a sticker.
It is customary that rookies will undergo an initiation which is run by the older anglers themselves. This will take
place at 17h00 and will be overseen by senior anglers to ensure that no harm is experienced by the anglers that
could affect their health or angling over the competition. It is all in the spirit of good fun, but team managers are
requested to keep an eye on their anglers and intervene if necessary. The organizers accept no responsibility forSABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
this unofficial component of the event. Supper will be served in the hall from 18h30 after a quick debriefing and
boat draw session for day 1.
Saturday and Sunday 23rd and 24th March 2024 – Tournament Days 1 and 2
On Saturday the anglers will leave in order of their seeding from their respective divisions and from the top
seeded anglers downwards. Boats will have been drawn the prior evening.
The results of Day 1 will determine the starting order of the anglers for Day 2, but boats will retain their numbers.
The competition will end at 16H00 each day and the tag board will be closed and locked at exactly 16h15, upon
the sounding of the horn. Any tags not on the board are considered late and those anglers will be automatically
disqualified for the day!
The only exception permitted is if an emergency has been reported and investigated or if a skipper calls in to
report boat or equipment malfunctions which place the anglers at a disadvantage. The organising committee will
deliberate and decide if extra time should be allocated in such situations whilst remedies are sought, or spare
boats are brought into play. The decision will be communicated to the team manager and the decision is final.
During March Rust de Winter may experiences heavy mist in the mornings. Should there be a delayed start due to
this it may be decided to extend the fishing time for the day by a maximum of a half an hour to 16h30.
Supper will be served at 18h30 on Saturday.
Awards Evening – Sunday 24th March 2024
The Awards Evening will be held in the hall starting at 18h00. The dress code is highest colours with jacket and tie
for all anglers, managers, skippers, and other SABAA dignitaries. Parents and others attending the prize giving are
requested to dress smart casual.
Drinks and snacks will be available from 18h00. Formal proceedings will start as soon as the results have been
tallied, reviewed, and confirmed. We intend to run the awards evening as efficiently as possible to honour those
that need to travel far the following day.
Summary of Itinerary
Thursday 21st March Fri 22nd March Sat 23rd March Sun 24 March
15h00 Registration and
accommodation 05h30 Launch Boats 05h30 Launch Boats 05h30 Launch Boats
17h30 Competition
Briefing 06h00 Boats in position, ice,
boat packs, breakfast 06h00 Boats in position, ice,
boat packs, breakfast 06h00 Boats in position, ice,
boat packs, breakfast
19h00 Light Supper 06h25 National Anthem 06h25 National Anthem 06h25 National Anthem
06h30 Practice day starts 06h30 Competition starts 06h30 Competition starts
16h00 Practice day ends 16h00 Competition Ends 16h00 Competition Ends
17h00 Initiation 16h15 Tag board closed 18h00 Awards Evening
18h20 Boat Draw 18h20 Boat Draw
18h30 Supper 18h30 SupperSABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
Tournament Rules.
The SABAA Junior rules will apply as distributed to all anglers through the various divisions. It is the angler’s
responsibility to be familiar with the rules. Even though this a junior’s tournament, anglers must be made aware
that the rules will be applied correctly and consistently.
Please feel free at any stage to ask for clarification from your management, the competition organisers, or your
skipper. No rule changes will be effected without prior consent and agreement from all participating management
structures.
A few key highlights of the rules:
• The “Keepnet” system of weigh-in will be used for the duration of the competition. The keep net system
will replace the tradition “Weigh-In” system.
• The bag limit is 5 fish per day per angler, “weighed in” on the keepnet system.
• The minimum weight of a fish to weigh, will be 300g.
• The Skipper will weigh and photograph fish, immediately after capture. The fish will then be released
after recording.
• Competition will run from 06h30 till 16H00. After lines up, the boats have max of 15 minutes to return to
launch and place tags on the board. It is the anglers responsibility to ensure their tag in placed timeously
on the board. Board closes at 16h15.
• Fish will also be recorded manually on a clipboard and verified by opponent angler on the boat.
• 1 Fish per angler may be kept on competition days, if the angler wishes to take a photograph at the
launch.
• The “Keep-Net” system, will be explained in detail at the competition briefing.
• A dead fish will not attract penalty points. We still expect the anglers to take all the necessary precautions
to release the fish carefully. Anglers may be penalised for mistreatment of fish.
• No fishing and no wake zones will be indicated by the tournament director at the briefing and indicated
on a map.
• Strict adherence to the 30-metre rule will apply at all times, please ensure that good sportsmanship is
applied.
• A maximum speed limit of 70 km/h on the water will be enforced with no overtaking under power.
• The organizers reserve the right to change skippers on vessels which are not skippered by the owners.
The skipper must however be identified before the boat draws are done the evening before a competition
day.
• Anglers with certificates of competency to operate category “R” vessels, In the interests of quicker
launches and with skippers’ consent, are permitted to operate the vessel at idle speed from the launch
site to the starting position on the bank. The same is permissible for trailering of vessels. Team managers
are requested to supply copies of such competencies together with other registration documents for
verification purposes.
• It is expected that during pairing draws, anglers will greet each other and proceed to the skipper to greet
him / her whereupon they can establish the location of the vessel and the expectations and allowances
made by the skipper before fishing commences. Fishing equipment can be stowed in the boat on the
same evening with the skipper’s consent.
• During the competition days there will be only 2 competitors per boat and the Skipper for the duration of
the event. The Manager and Reserves may be accommodated on one of the spare allocated boats, for the
practice day only. If the team does not have a reserve, the manager may join other pairings and alternate
between boats should he so wish. No other persons may fish.
• It is the responsibility of each angler to assist the skipper in remove the boat, remove gear and clean the
boat thoroughly. Once the skipper has released you, you may proceed to your other tasks. Please note
that it is expected of anglers of your calibre to be courteous, polite, and respectful towards you skippersSABAA Junior Nationals 2024 – Rust De Winter Dam
and any reports received to the contrary will be dealt with severely. The skippers and their vessels are the
key to making this tournament a success and they deserve the appropriate respect and
acknowledgement!
• Cell phones and tablets may be used for communication on the practice day. On the other 2 days of the
tournament, cell phones and tablets may ONLY be used for accessing Keep Net, Google Earth, the
Navionics App and such. This will be enforced by the skippers and the organizers reserve the right to do
random checks on devices. Deviation from this rule will be considered in a serious light.
Remember to Pack
• Your tackle must be prepared please – no more than 8 rods per angler on the boat.
• Bring your own PFD / Life Jacket
• Scale & Power bank for phone.
• Weigh Bag for fish to be photographed.
• Sunblock
• If you use dips and dyes, then make sure that you have the skipper’s permission to use it on his boat.
• Bedding / Sleeping bag and pillow.
• LED lamp / torch
We look forward to hosting you and to making this a positive, fun,
and memorable experience for all of the anglers!!
Fishing Times
Fish must be caught between the start and end times listed below.
23 March 2024 6:00AM
→
23 March 2024 4:00PM
24 March 2024 6:00AM
→
24 March 2024 4:00PM