Big Weights Headline FLW South Africa Event

Winners Olivier, Beneke weigh in 38 pounds in South Africa KZN Region Cast-for-Cash tournament

With 38.03 pounds, the duo of Robbie Olivier and Neels Beneke of Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365 took home the hardware in the FLW South Africa KZN Region Cast-for-Cash tournament on Feb. 20. Their five-fish limit was more than 12 pounds heavier than the second-place stringer (25.39 pounds) weighed in by Marc Meyer and Oliver Field of Team Stoner Farm.

The event, held on Albert Falls Dam, is the second Cast-for-Cash tournament for the KZN Region in 2020 and the fifth of the tournament season. The prior event, held in January on the same fishery, yielded bigger bags on average across the field, but the winning stringer (weighed in by Mark Probert and Tim Probert) tipped the scales at 27.91 pounds – an impressive bag just about anywhere in the world, though not quite on par with what Olivier and Beneke were able to bring to weigh-in in the most recent event.

With the win, Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365 is firmly in command of first place in the KZN Region standings with 647 points. Team Stoner Farm sits in second in the standings, followed by Team Hatchery Hackers, Team McCarthy Lures and Team Frankie Bananas.

Olivier and Beneke are off to a solid start in pursuing a berth in the 2020 Toyota Series Championship. Both have experience fishing in that tournament, having finished first and second, respectively, among all International Division qualifiers in the 2018 iteration of the Toyota Series championship tournament on Lake Guntersville. Olivier’s top spot was as a co-angler, while Beneke earned his International Division second-place finish as a boater.

Cast-for-Cash tournaments are monthly qualifying events for the FLW South Africa National Championship, with all six regions (Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu Natal, North West, O.F.S.) participating in region-specific Cast-for-Cash events throughout the year. Anglers are competing to qualify for the FLW South Africa National Championship for a chance to fish against some of the best anglers in the world in the 2020 Toyota Series Championship on Lake Cumberland. 

Feb. 20 – Albert Falls Dam – Results

1. Team Gamakatsu Outdoors 365: Neels Beneke and Robert Olivier – 38.03 pounds

2. Team Stoner Farm: Marc Meyer and Oliver Field – 25.39 pounds

3. Team Hatchery Hackers: Neville Chrissie and Craig Hanegraaf – 23.31 pounds

4. Team McCarthy Lures: Simon Strydom and Lionel Crow – 22.41 pounds

5. Team Frankie Bananas: Steve Frolick and Cliffton Bridge – 19.09 pounds

6. Team Bass Eagles: Jayce Naidoo and Lashen Murugan – 10.71 pounds

7. Team SA Bass KZN: Michael Cannon and Bryan Leppan – 9.73 pounds

8. Team Simon & James: Simon Haden and James Parfitt – 8.75 pounds

9. Team Kazmarine: Kirk Van Reeuwyk and Michelle de Olivera – 7.47 pounds

10. Team All The Gear, No Idea: Dennis Lutge and Brad Hunter – 5.68 pounds

11. Team ZT: Ashraf Shaik and Zeyn Habib – 3.61 pounds

For full results of all FLW South Africa events and more information about the organization, visit flwsa.net.

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