When a Gqeberha woman spent 30 minutes wrestling a yellowfin tuna, she did not have to follow through with an old wives’ tale as her catch really was almost as big as her.
The 45.5kg catch earned Lisa Coetzee the win at the 2022 Williams Hunt Isuzu Tuna Classic, making her the first woman to go home with the title in years.
Coetzee, 45, not only reeled in the monster catch, but became the overall winner of one of the biggest premier tuna tournaments in the southern hemisphere.
Coetzee beat anglers from across the country to win the coveted title and R50,000 in prize money.
“My arms are still hurting from trying to reel in the fish for between 25 to 30 minutes,” she said on Monday.
And with her small frame — she weighs only 59kg — it is easy to understand why.
“That tuna put up one heck of a fight.”
Coetzee and her teammates decided to enter the annual three-day fishing event a day before its start.
She had no idea she would land the mammoth yellowfin on the first day on Thursday.
“We all had our lines set out and were trolling for fish.
“When something bit I did not think that it would be a big fish.
“As I started reeling it in, I felt it was getting heavy.
“When the fish got closer to the boat it started fighting.”
After reeling in the fish successfully, Coetzee learnt that it had been the first and biggest catch that day.
When the competition concluded it was still the biggest catch from a participant overall.
“All glory to my heavenly Father and a special thanks to the crew of Le Corsaire.
“I would not have been able to do it without them,” she said.
The Le Corsaire crew, comprising captain Wayne Gerber, Jacques Bekker, Sydney Ambler, Ridah Jappie and Coetzee, also won the prize for Top Boat.
The Top Boat prize is awarded to the entrants with the heaviest overall haul of fish on their boat.
Le Corsaire managed to reel in 157kg of fish during the competition.
Coetzee said she was hooked on fishing from the moment she caught her first fish, during a family holiday in Struisbaai in the Western Cape when she was only nine.
Her first ever catch was a 2kg steenbras on the Struisbaai harbour wall.
“I fish whenever I can. There is something about the sea that calms me, it is my safe space,” she said.
Coetzee is originally from Cape Town.
She came to Gqeberha about seven years ago when her mother fell ill.
After falling in love with the city, Coetzee decided to stay even after her mother’s death.
She is a member of the Port Elizabeth Deep Sea Angling Club (PEDSAC) and part of the Eastern Province women’s team.
Her favourite place to fish is Bird Island.
The three-day fishing event, which attracts more than 30 boats, has been running since 1991.
Coetzee hopes to defend her title in 2023.
HeraldLIVE
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