3^RD ANNUAL MADHU GANGA ESTUARY FISHING COMPETITION

As the Ceylon Sea Anglers Club completes its 74^th year in existence many have wondered how the club has  continued to exist in the turbulent times that have prevailed over the last 20 years in the East, the credit lies with the successive committees and their dedication and devotion to keep the Club Flag flying high over Clappenberg Bay

Our Club is one of the oldest recreational angling clubs in the region. It was founded by an adventurous group of planters and fishing enthusiasts in the early 1930s and boasts a long and distinguished heritage. The Club House and accommodation wings at Clappenberg were constructed by the British in the early 1900s and before becoming the Ceylon Sea Anglers’ Club it served as head quarters of the Dutch Air Arms division during the 2^nd World War.

The incumbent committee has strived to continue the work of previous committees and have embarked on ambitious fund raising drives to generate much needed funds for the development of the club. I would like to make special mention of this event’s organizing committee, comprising  the dynamic duo of Yohanandan Haridas and Harin Gabriel who have devoted considerable time and effort to make this year’s event a resounding success.

The Ceylon Sea Anglers Club (CSAC) of Clappenberg, Chinabay held its The 3rd Annual Madhu Ganga Fishing Competition on 4^th October 2008. The event was a huge success with an unprecedented number of Anglers (both Sri Lankan and Foreign) joining the fray this time around. The venue for the start and finish was the Ganga Bada Asiriya in Balapitiya. Competition was quite stiff for the coveted Penn International 965 Baitcaster Reel.  The event was sponsored by Nayantara Fonseka of Taru Restaurants and co-sponsored by Air Supply Pvt Ltd. Due to the tremendous support received from all the sponsors, a handsome array of prizes were up for grabs including Penn Rods & Reels, a Bentota Beach Hotel voucher from Keells Hotels, a Swatch Watch from BP De Silva's, a Mobile Phone courtesy of Dialog Telekom, an ECO Team weekend voucher, a Mosquito Repeller courtesy of Suren Cooke Agencies and a whole host more. Radio promotions were handled by E! FM and several other local and  international media organisations also attended the Wijeya Newspapers Group Publications,  Trans World Sports and Doordharshan

A very enjoyable days entertainment was had by all who arrived at the venue by 6am for registartion and allocation of boats. Each boat had upto 4 participants and 25 boats were launched by 7am with everybody searching for the elusive Barramundi and other species

Red Bull Energy Drinks (Courtesy of Stassen Foods) and other refreshments were distributed to all competitors throughout the morning by the designated Refreshment Boat which made sure that everybody was well looked after. The competition concluded at 1pm with all the boats having to dock in before that and then proceeded to weigh the catch and after a sumptious buffet lunch which was catered by Perera & Sons, the eagerly anticipated Prize Giving took place. Our Chief Guest was the Sri Lankan representative of the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA), Mr. Mervyn Anderiesz who together with the other special invitees took part in distributing the prizes.

The Results of the Competition are as follows:

FINAL RESULTS.

1^st    Mr.S.Faleel – Mangrove Jack 1.76kG              

2nd   Mrs. Kisani De Saram - Mangrove Jack 1.76kG      

3^rd      Mr.Elsworth De Silva – Mangrove Jack 1.62KG

4^th    Mr Isam Sally – Barracuda 1.34 kG

5th   Mr Vish Cumarasamy – Barracuda – 0.94 KG

6th   Miss Elisabeth Werdnik    

6^th (Joint Winner) Mr Rayan Honter

7^th    Mr Chandev Abhayaratne    

8^th    Mr Mohan De Lanerolle              

9th   Mr Azmi                            

10th Mr Mohan De Lanerolle  

A very important and historical feature of this event was the release of 1,000 Barramundi (Modha) Fingerlings into the estuary at various point. The CSAC strongly promotes sustainable fishing and wanted to put something back into the ecosystem which would benefit the local fisherfolk as well. Moreover The event officials stipulated that all catches which are below the sanctioned size were to be released back into the estuary. The Deputy Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources - Hon Neomal Perera provided considerable assistance in us obtaining the Barramundi Fingerlings and the cost was met entirely through the generous contribution of Mr Yohan Dissanayake of Baurs Healthcare.