Bass Angling in Namibia

 

Bass angling originated in the USA where it is a serious professional sport. Anglers in the USA fish for bass for a living and the sport is a multi-million dollar industry.

Bass angling in Namibia can be done on 3 local dams namely the S. Von Bach dam near Okahandja, Oanob Dam near Rehoboth and Friedenhau Dam which is approximately 50km from Windhoek. One only finds largemouth bass (Micropterus Salmoides) in Namibian impoundments of which there are 2 strains, being Northern strain and Florida strain.  Northern strain largemouth bass are mostly found in the S. Von Bach dam and Florida strain largemouth bass are mostly found in Oanob dam.

The sport of bass angling in Namibia is done with artificial lures only. This is what makes the sport of bass angling so exciting. There are many ways to catch bass and some of the lures include soft plastic lures, hard lures (crankbaits), spinnerbaits and jigs. The trick is knowing when to throw which artificial lure.  One needs to understand how, why and where bass hunt in order to target them successfully and this is the challenge in bass angling. It is not merely throwing a bait into the water and waiting for the fish to bite, one needs to outsmart them and more often than not they outsmart you.

The sport of bass angling in Namibia is mainly done from a boat and more specifically from a bass boat. Bass boats have an outboard engine, trolling motor (sneaker motor) and most importantly a live-well. A live-well is where bass are kept alive on the boat to be weighed in at a later stage. Competitive bass angling in Namibia is extremely conservation orientated and all fish are released safely back into the water.  When competitively fishing for bass, the aim is to catch a limit of 5 fish which make up a bag. The angler with the heaviest bag takes the honours.

 

The NBAA's Role in Bass Angling

 

The NBAA is the governing body for competitive bass angling in Namibia and falls under the umbrella of the NFFA (Namibia Federation for Freshwater Angling).  The NBAA has an executive committee which oversees all competitive bass angling in Namibia. The NBAA has a constitution and house rules which are to be adhered to and enforced.

 

All competitive bass angling is governed by the NBAA. Bass angling in Namibia is a national sport and Namibian Colours can be obtained. There are certain criteria which need to be met before obtaining National colours.  The NBAA hosts a number of National Tournaments, National Trials and other yearly events to promote the sport of bass angling.

The National team competes annually in the Region 5 Bass Federation Championships (old Zone 6) against South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Swaziland and Mozambique.  Each country gets a turn to host the event and Namibia last hosted the event in 2011 on Von Bach dam. Mozambique is hosting the 2015 event on Lake Chicamba. It is every competitive angler in Namibia’s dream to represent their country at this prestigious event.

The NBAA has also recently become a member of B.A.S.S. (Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) which is based in the USA. B.A.S.S. hosts a yearly B.A.S.S. Nation event in the USA where the top bass angler from member nations around the world, get to compete against each other.  In 2014 Namibia sent its first angler ever to compete in this event.  Namibia will be sending an angler every year going forward.