By Surihe Gaomas HENTIES BAY All roads lead to Henties Bay come next week as the Easter long weekend marks the start of one of the biggest Namibian angling competitions, from the 15 to 18 April. Such an event comes handy especially when you thought you got bored of the hot Namibian summer and long for the cooler coastal weather to unwind and hopefully ‘destress’. This will especially be the case for the hundreds of school children who will be on holiday with their family and friends. That is why with the closing of schools in both Namibia and South Africa, the Dutch Reformed Church at the coast plans to get all anglers onboard to vie for the big prizes that run into thousands of dollars. The competition itself will consist of fifteen different categories for both young and old. It turns out that the angler with the largest edible fish will win N$5 000, while other categories will have N$1 000 each on offer. Lucky ticket holder can also win up to N$1 000 in a raffle. This time around ticket holders don’t have to be present at the draw, but will be informed telephonically about the winnings. There will also be a special category where juniors and women will be able to compete for great prizes running into N$5 000. Most of the tickets will be sold in the tent at the arena. This year the angling competition looks very promising as by Saturday 15 April all Namibian schools as well as those in the Cape and Gauteng provinces will be on holiday, and the organisers hope they can reel in as many tourists that come for relaxation along the Namibian coast. Last year, 1000 people were present at the time when the competition closed and the competitors started bringing in their fish catches of the day. During that same time 2 000 tickets were sold and this year the organisers are “hoping for a bigger record this time around”, said Reverend Leon Janse van Rensburg of the Namib Coast Congregation in Walvis Bay. The competition that runs over two days will start on Saturday around six o’clock in the morning. Anglers can catch their fish during the low tide or high tide. The entire beach angling regulations of Namibia shall apply and the catching area is south of Walvis Bay up to the Ugab River in the north. Fishing permits, which are normally provided by the Ministry of Fisheries, will be a pre-requisite to enter the competition. The organisers arranged with the authorities the necessary fishing rights for both Friday and Saturday. So for all those interested to take part in the angling competition the permits can also be purchased at the Sea Fisheries offices in Henties Bay.