top of page
FishTec News - January 2020
by John Easton
So the year got off to a bang after the long Christmas break with everybody going back to work and the bass tournament anglers beginning to wrap their minds around the 2020 season ahead.
Sales News -
On the sales side here at FishTec things were a bit slow this month with Lowrance units, but as usual, the FishTec HD Fishing Charts are doing well. So a big thank you to all our customers and supporters for that.
Top Sellers:
1 - Midmar Dam (2020 update)
2 - Albert Falls Dam
3 - Bronkhorstspruit Dam
4 - Inanda Dam
5 - Roodekopjes Dam
6 - Northern Provinces Sediment (SAI)
7 - DeHoop Dam
8 - Witbank Dam
Michael Cannon Testing the New Midmar 2020 Update
Just because electronics sales were slow, it doesn't mean the phones and messaging were slow. There is a lot of buzz around the following items:-
Q1 - What units run the FishTec Charts?
A1 - Only Lowrance units. (HDS Gen2, HDS Gen3, HDS Carbon, HDS Live*, EliteTi and EliteTi2*)
* - Available from FishTec, from R1,500 per chart - contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
Q2 - Is the Lowrance Ghost trolling motor available?
A2 - Yes it is
* - Available from FishTec, from R55,000 - contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
Q3 - Do we have FishTec HD Contour Charts for Hook2 units of our local SA dams?
A3 - Yes, this will be available from 2nd quarter 2020
* - Available from FishTec, from R2,500 - contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
Q4 - Is the Humminbird 360Mega* better than the old 360?
A2 - I have not tested it myself, but from what I have seen on social media, definitely.
* - Humminbird 360Mega/Helix8 from R50,000 is available from Varkenelli Customs - Justy Varkevisser
Q5 - If I have a 360Mega, do I still need the FishTec charts, and if so, why?
A3 - Most definitely!
Reasons -
a - You cannot study a body of water from hundreds of miles away with a 360
b - The 360 has a limited range of 50 - 80ft around you
c - Recently flooded weed areas will block the 360 view
d - Water conditions will effect the 360
Q6 - Is the Garmin LiveScope* all that it is made out to be, and if so, why?
A4 - If you are interested in watching fish presence and behaviour, then the answer is 100% yes.
Reasons -
a - It is like watching a bass on a nest in crystal clear water during the spawn even when the water has zero viz.
b - The detail of the LVS32 transducer is so clear on the 'down' mode that you can even watch the fins moving.
c - The forward has a great range and can identify fish location relative to the structure / cover
* - Garmin 9" display with LiveScope module and LVS32 transducer from R60,000 available Natal Power Boat - Ruli
Q7 - What's news for 2020?
A7 - There are a few things yes
a - FishTec has a number of new charts available now such as Goedertrouw, Spioenkop, Midmar (update) and later in the year - Arabie, Mokolo, Nandoni.
b- There is a new Lowrance Hook expected to launch this year
c - Rumour has it that between Garmin and Humminbird there is going to be a 360 / LiveScope combo unit coming, but I have seen no evidence of this yet.
d - FishTec is looking for cartography partners around the world to expand the brand.
e - Four of the Six Protea Anglers going to World Championships in the USA this year are FishTec Pro Staffers!
On the Water News -
26/27 Jan -
Ladysmith 2 Man Challenge 2020 - Spioenkop dam
Winners - Brendon van Zuydam & Lloyd Muirhead
CONGRATULATIONS!
Long time FishTec Pro Staffer Brendon van Zuydam and his partner Lloyd Muirhead decided to head off to unknown waters with their FishTec HD Spioenkop Chart* in their Lowrance units to see how they would fare against the locals and in tough conditions, took first place.
Brendon had this to say - "Had a great Ladysmith 2 man comp and managed to scratch a win. FishTec charts gave us the edge, we used them to show us some key submerged rocks and rocky points. Not knowing Spioenkop dam this helped immensely and gave us so many options with the ability to focus on the key spots in the spot.”
* - Spioenkop FishTec HD Fishing Chart - R3,400
contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
26 Jan -
FLW KZN - Albert Falls Dam
2nd Place - Michael Cannon & Bryan Leppan
CONGRATULATIONS!
Bryan and Michael are also long time FishTec pro staffers and are no strangers to huge bass as they call them "DOGS!" This weekend was no different coming in with a monster 5 fish bag of 27Lbs! (12.3kg) using their Lowrance electronics with FishTec Albert Falls Chart.
Michael had this to say - “What an epic day with Bryan Leppan at Msinsi Albert Falls Dam . We managed to string together a giant bag weighing 12.3 kgs. This gave us a 2nd place on the podium for January's FLW . A huge thanks goes out to all my sponsors. Lowrance South Africa #Lowrance , FishTec charts , Thornveld angling and Basswarehouse.”
* - Albert Falls FishTec HD Fishing Chart - R3,400
Lowrance HDS Live from R17,000
Contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
26 Jan -
FLW KZN - Albert Falls Dam
3rd Place - Zeyn Habib and Mohammed Ashraf Shaik
CONGRATULATIONS!
Zeyn has a long history of fishing in South Africa dating back to the very popular local television shows ESA and ASFN doing Rock & Surf fishing. A year or so back Zeyn approached me and booked a FishTec Training course on Albert Falls dam with his son on an entry level bass boat with a Lowrance Elite7 HDI and added an Elite Ti along with the FishTec Albert Falls chart*.
His ambition was to start entering the local bass tournament scene and see how he can do against the locals who have been bass fishing for decades.
Recently Zeyn upgraded to a beautiful top shelf bass boat including a pair of Lowrance EliteTi2's which he absolutely loves, and clearly knows how to use.
Well, a year later and boom, podium finish including putting his partner on the right spot and taking the big fish prize.
Zeyn had this to say - “After a year of fishing competition...we finally finally got to stand on the podium . We took 3rd position today at the Albert falls FLW with a bag of 10.something kg.
WE ALSO GOT THE BIGGEST FISH FOR 3.6KG caught by my boat partner Mohammed Ashraf Shaik.
Fishing was absolutely slow and then we decided to go offshore using our FishTec charts from John Easton. Found a hump and caught our fish there. Amazingly almost 300m from the shoreline in the middle of nowhere.”
* - Albert Falls FishTec HD Fishing Chart - R3,400
Lowrance EliteTi2 from R12,000
Contact Colleen on 031-2628977 or 0824460914 or sales@fishtec.co.za
bottom of page