IT’S taken nearly two years to organise, however, Taree angler Kris Hickson is now in South Africa preparing for the fourth Sport Fishing World Championships.
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Hickson, 32, will be part of a six man Australian team for the event to be fished near Johannesburg. Competition will run for 14 days and Hickson understands there’ll be 14 countries involved.
As mentioned, just getting an invitation to the event was, as Hickson said, ‘complicated.’
It involved among other things, accreditation to an Olympic-sanctioned committee.
The red tape took just about two years to work through. However, the Australians were finally given the green light to go to South Africa last November and Hickson and his team-mates has been preparing since.
“Now we’re looking forward to getting over there and fishing,’’ Hickson said before leaving Taree for South Africa late last week.
Competition is expected to start on February 9 with the Australians to contest the Black Bass World Championship. In all there will be six championships decided.
This will be Hickson’s first trip to South Africa. He’ll be fishing in a two man team with Sydneysider Tom Slater chasing championship honours.
Fishing in the Republic will be a new experience for Hickson and he’s looking forward to the experience and the challenge.
“There’s two ex-pat South Africans in our team and we’ll be relying on them for information,’’ Hiskson said.
However, the Australians won’t be among the favourites for the championship, he said.
The host country, he believes, will have the advantage.
“I’d say the South Africans, with local knowledge, will be the hardest to beat … they’ll be the favourites,’’ he explained.
“Usually at these things the Americans and the Italians are also up there. But we’ll be doing our best.’’
Fishing has enabled Hickson to see a large chunk of Australia and a bit of the world.
He's competed in tournaments in South Korea and China while he’ll he heading to Malaysia later this year.
Hickson’s been on the fishing tournament scene for about 15 years.
“A friend of dads suggested I give it a go and that's how I started,’’ he said.
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These days he fishes in between 15 to 20 tournaments a year, with a fair bit of success as well – in 2016 he was ranked the No 1 bream angler in Australia. That year he won just about everything going in the Australian bream series.
“Patience and practice,’’ that was the advice he gave aspiring anglers in an interview with Laura Polson in the Times in 2016.
